Friday kicks off another season of high school football in the state of Indiana.
Today, we look at nine juniors that people will soon be getting to know a lot more of. These are players that have been overlooked, dealt with injuries or were previously at the lower end of their team’s depth chart.
Let’s take a look:
DE Tobe Agunanne, Homestead
A top 10 returner in tackles for the Spartans, Agunanne comes in at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds as a dangerous edge rusher. His size and quick burst off the line allows him to consistently disrupt plays in the backfield, whether it is pressuring the quarterback (1 sack) or sealing the edge against the run (17 tackles). Agunanne is poised to be one of the most impactful young defenders in the area and a key piece of Homestead’s defensive front.
WR Thomas Danys, Bishop Dwenger
During the 2024‑25 season, Danys appeared in 12 varsity games and found himself as a valuable piece to Dwenger’s special teams corps. While his statistical output as a receiver hasn’t been headline-grabbing yet, more opportunities in the passing game will give Danys room to grow into a more productive offensive weapon for the Saints moving forward.
RB/LB Aiden Reed, Garrett
Reed had his first rushes last season on Sept. 6 against Churubusco and proceeded to go for 115 yards. It may have been nearly half of his rushing yards on the season, but it showed a strength on the ground for him as he will move up the Railroader rushing depth chart. Defensively, Reed could really shine at linebacker where he had 36 tackles a season ago. He had a season-high seven tackles against Eastside, three of which were for a loss.
DE/TE Tayden Getts, East Noble
Getts had the third-most tackles for the Barons last season at 52, including 10 for a loss. He is a strong body that also led DeKalb in sacks at 3.5. A change in coach and style shouldn’t impact his strengths and we could see that very quickly as last year he had 10 tackles on opening night against Angola. It will be interesting to see how he contributes moving over to East Noble, which has plenty of need for guys to rise with the loss of so much production to graduation.
OL/DL Derrion Goodwin, North Side
Goodwin’s summer was a successful one, building into what should be a breakout junior year. He was the offensive line MVP at the annual OPS 7v7 event and it opened even more eyes to his strength and core. Now a varsity captain for the Legends, Goodwin’s ability to break down and dictate the pacing of a game for his team will be important. Goodwin really stands out in the trenches and his big summer could translate quickly for North Side.
RB/LB Chip Bennett, Blackhawk Christian
Bennett has seen the Blackhawk Christian program launch, grow and evolve and is the face of the team in many aspects as they head into their third season of 11-on-11 play. Last season, Bennett led the way for the Braves and accumulated over 1,200 yards of offense while scoring 15 touchdowns (nine rushing, six passing). On the other side of the ball, it is still Bennett as a focal point as he led Blackhawk Christian with 67 tackles, with eight of those coming for a loss. As BC continues to grow, so too will Bennett into the program’s first true standout.
LB/FB Corbin McIntosh, Columbia City
During the 2024–25 season, McIntosh recorded 56 total tackles, ranking 14th in the Northeast Eight, and added a pair of sacks. At fullback, he did not carry the ball much as a sophomore, compiling 50 rushing yards and one touchdown, but started to really demonstrate versatility as a two-way contributor. The Eagles graduated five of their top eight rushers, opening a hole for McIntosh. A consistent presence on both sides of the ball for McIntosh this season could underscore his value as a physical, multi-faceted impact player for the Eagles.
RB/SB Tucker Reed, Warsaw
Reed is going to continue to propel the Warsaw running engine substantially during his junior season. Last season, he ran for 550 yards and is the third leading returning rusher for the Tigers. Reed works well out of the backfield and while Warsaw doesn’t go to the pass much, he was ready and willing last season with five receptions for 84 yards and a single touchdown through the air. That did yield him the highest yards per catch (13.8) for a season in Warsaw history. Reed also scored on two kickoff returns last season.
S Alex Scott, East Noble
On defense, he’s already emerged as a standout, amassing 41 tackles last season with 34 being solo affairs. But his real strength comes in his pass defense; his height at 6-foot-3 allowing him to challenge receivers effectively as he projects as a versatile defensive weapon. Last season, Scott had 8 interceptions including two pick-6’s. He has really strong instincts and physical presence in the secondary and the fact that he never recorded more than one interception in a game shows he is no one-trick pony and he can alter any game all season.
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