Before we get to the Outside the Huddle All-Area Team and our end-of-year awards, Blitz wanted to take some time and take a last glance at area conferences and hand out some league-specific hardware.
We started with the Summit Athletic Conference and continued with the Northeast Eight and Allen County Athletic Conference.
Finally, we head to the Northeast Corner Conference.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: HAWK HASSELMAN, ANGOLA
To be honest, Hasselman could be the pick for this or the MVP, but we will go player of the year here.
Blitz has sung Hasselman’s praises all season long, and for good reason. Angola scored a total of 30 touchdowns this season, 25 of which involved Hasselman – 17 rusing, six receiving, one passing and one via punt return. The senior athlete hardly ever left the field, posting 89 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.
On offense, Hasselman rushed for 1,329 yards while hauling in 25 receptions for 367 yards. His standout performances included a four-touchdown game against Fairfield and a trio of touchdowns in the regional loss to Knox.
HONORABLE MENTION: McKale Bottles, West Noble; Aiden Hunt, Garrett
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: JOB RICHMAN, EASTSIDE
Richman’s performance this past season put him in contention for several season awards, including breakout player.
But Blitz is going to go MVP for Richman, who accounted for over 3,000 total yards as the Blazers went 9-3, as the junior averaged over 256 yards per game.
Watching Richman brings back memories of former OTH Player of the Year and Eastside standout Laban Davis, who was as adept with his legs as he was with his arm. Richman showed out the same way in 2025, throwing for 1,336 yards and 20 touchdowns against just four interceptions, while also rushing for 1,736 yards and 20 touchdowns. He surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in 11 of 12 games. In the one game he didn’t, he finished with 92 yards and two touchdowns on just give carries in a 48-0 rout of Whitko to open sectional play.
Eastside averaged 37 points per game over the course of the season. A big reason why was Richman’s impressive play.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jaret Laughlin, Fremont
BREAKOUT PLAYER: BROGAN PARKS, WEST NOBLE
Outside the Huddle recognized Parks as one of its “Eight Sophomores set to break out this season” in out preseason preview, and he sure made us look smart.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Parks was everywhere for West Noble in 2025. He led the team in rushing with 633 yards and 10 touchdowns, but he truly shined on defense at outside linebacker.
For the year, Parks led the Chargers with 14 tackles for loss and 11 sacks to go with 73 tackles and an interception. He played with confidence and intelligence rarely seen in sophomores at the prep level.
There is only growth to be had for Parks as he prepares for his junior campaign.
HONORABLE MENTION: Quinn Blake, Churubusco; Noah Dove, Eastside; Ty Sebert, Eastside
COACH OF THE YEAR: TREVOR THOMAS, FREMONT
It had been a minute since Fremont piled up victories like it did in 2025. In fact, it had been almost a quarter century.
The Eagles’ eight wins this past fall was the most for the program since way back in 2001 when Coach Dan Callahan led the team to an 8-4 campaign.
Schedule construction was key, but so was developing a one-two offensive punch with juniro quarterback Jaret Laughlin and senior running back Carmyne Moreno. Combined, they rushed for over 2,200 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Momentum built throughout the season for Fremont and culminated in the sectional semifinals when it knocked off seven-win Triton 28-19 to advance to the sectional finals.
Thomas relied on a lot of juniors in 2025, so this year’s success may not be a one-time thing and signify a massive pivot for the Eagles as a program.
HONORABLE MENTION: Paul Sade, Churubusco
GAME OF THE YEAR: Angola 30, Garrett 28, sectional finals
This one delivered.
Angola found itself down two touchdowns twice in the second half, but a comeback led by Hawk Hasselman clinched the team’s first sectional crown in seven years.
Brady Ravis hit Hasselman for a 38-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left, but the two-point conversion failed, keeping Garrett ahead by one.
The Hornets then attempted an onside kick, which hit a Garrett player and was recovered by Angola. Ravis then led the team down the field in a matter of seconds, and on fourth down and goal, Hasselman kicked the game-winning field goal.
It actually was the second game between the two, with the first also delivering on the excitement with a 14-11 win for Angola on Oct. 10.
EARLY PICK FOR 2026 NECC CHAMPIONS: EASTSIDE (SMALL) AND WEST NOBLE (BIG)
Eastside once ruled the NECC’s Small Division, but Churubusco has been a thorn in the side of the Blazers in the last two years.
But with so much production returning next year, Coach Alyx Brandewie’s team is the easy pick to ascend back to the top spot with Job Richman set to come back, as well as 1,000-yard rusher Noah Dove and three of the defense’s top four tacklers.
In the Big Division, West Noble went a perfect 4-0 this past fall to finish atop the standings, and, on paper at least, the Chargers look like the heavy favorite in 2026.
While quarterback Trey Shisler graduates, an ultra-talented sophomore class anchored by Brogan Parks and Xymire Barnes-Bridges is set to step up and shine. The junior class is also deep on talent, in particular Ethan Yates.
West Noble lost three times in 2025 by just five total points.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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