As we approach the start of the 2025 season, Outside the Huddle is counting down the top 10 teams in its preseason power poll.
At No. 10 we have Adams Central, fresh off a Class 2A state championship last year after being bumped up due to the IHSAA’s Success Factor.
It has been quite a run of success for the Adams Central Flying Jets.
For the fourth time in as many years, Coach Michael Mosser’s team concluded its season at Lucas Oil Stadium last season playing for a state title. Only this time, after three-straight losses to Indianapolis Lutheran, Adams Central was able to bring home the big trophy in its first year in Class 2A with a 46-6 rout of Linton.
Fresh off its first title in 24 years and second overall, and still riding a four-year run of dominance in the ACAC where it has won 29 consecutive games against league foes, the Flying Jets are out to prove that just because a state crown has finally been achieved, this program is still at the top of its game.
“We will be successful if our incoming seniors step up and lead effectively,” said Mosser. “That is the big question going into the 2025 season – leadership.
“This senior group is pretty quiet and have never had to really step up and lead before.”
Seven starters return on offense, including junior quarterback Jamison Roach and four of five offensive linemen. Two of those linemen were voted IFCA Junior All-State – guard Cam Fravel and tackle Nate Geerken.
Leading receiver Braylend Reber (21 receptions, 500 yards, nine touchdowns) is back at tight end, with senior Joey Everett the only other returning player with a receiving touchdown a season ago.
The Flying Jets must replace 1,000-yard rushers Matt Heiser and Aaron Hirschy, who combined for 43 scores on the ground, but Roach is dynamic in the run game and Everett will command a bigger role in the backfield after rushing for 445 yards and three scores as a junior.
There is more to replace on the defensive side, particularly up front. It is an older group, but senior Carter Beaver will join Geerken on the interior in their first year of being starters. Juniors Ben Hirschy and Ethan Smith will also be in the rotation.
Fravel is back on the edge, a huge piece, literally and figuratively, on the line of scrimmage. The senior led the team in sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (15) last fall to go with 88 tackles.
Returning starters Hayden Bluhm (119 tackles) and Reece Hammond (94 tackles, five TFL) will man the second level and will be joined by junior Thomas Laughlin and sophomore Barrett Collier as they prep for their first significant varsity action.
Reber and Everett will once again man the secondary, with Reber notching a trio of interceptions in 2024. Juniors Roach and Ashton Yergler are also set to start in the defensive backfield.
Do-it-all Fravel will serve as the team’s punter, while sophomore Braylen Cowans is back after serving as the primary kicker for AC as a freshman.
The regular-season schedule is identical to 2024 in terms of opponents. The Week 1 loss to Garrett last August opened eyes on both sides, but proved to be the lone defeat all year for the Flying Jets. A fifth-straight ACAC title is very much attainable, although per usual, this team has bigger goals.
We have a number of key guys who are returning and these guys all played in big games, including the state win against Linton,” Mosser said. “We hope to build on our past success by pushing our kids hard and holding them to a high standard.”
WHY #10?
Adams Central owns the ACAC until someone knocks it off its perch, and with that comes a certain appreciation and respect heading into each season. This team returns 12 of 22 starters, nearly double what the Flying Jets returned in 2024 when they went and won a Class 2A state championship.
Roach is another year older and wiser and could truly break out with his dual-threat potential. Meanwhile, the offensive front is a veteran group, and there is enough back on defense that that side of the ball shouldn’t miss a beat.
AC will be very strong once again in 2025. Can anyone in the ACAC reach their level?
WHY NOT HIGHER?
Fair or not, it’s always tough to judge Adams Central against higher-class programs in the area, especially with none of them on the Jets’ schedule.
Regardless of where Coach Mosser’s team is in Blitz’s Power Poll, it will be a state contender once again.
CRITICAL GAME
Week 8 at Bluffton
This very well could be the ACAC championship game on Oct. 10. Both have standout junior talents at quarterback, with Adams Central loaded with heft and the Tigers sporting plenty of skill-position talent.
Someone at some point is going to beat Adams Central in the ACAC. But Bluffton hasn’t done it since 2009, a 15-game losing streak to the Flying Jets. Notching win No. 16 in the series will go a long way towards securing league title No. 5 in a row.
CRUCIAL PLAYER
Jamison Roach, junior, Adams Central
Fans in Monroe have been gushing about Roach for years, and while he is coming off a very good sophomore campaign, this fall could truly be his coming-out party. He can throw, he can run and he can make plays in special teams and on defense.
In some ways, this is Roach’s team despite being just a junior. If he plays and leads like it, another trip to the state championship is well within reach.
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