Courier & Press reveals All-Metro high school football team, Player of the Year

EVANSVILLE – The athletic entrance of Bosse High School contains a treasure trove of history.

Take a few steps inside and find a trophy case that includes three state championships. Walk a few yards more and you'll see numerous photos of past Bosse greats line the walls. For a school nearly a century old, it remains quite the scene.

A spot on the wall will be made for Elijah Wagner. He delivered that type of season this fall.

The Bosse quarterback did everything asked of him and more for a football program yearning at its core for respect. What Wagner did could potentially reverberate in the coming years. The senior is the Courier & Press All-Metro Player of the Year, as chosen by the sports staff.

“He helped push us in the right direction,” said Bosse coach Stephan Mullen. “He had a stellar year and it was much deserved with how much work he puts in. It’s having someone we can show kids that does things the right way.”

The sheer volume of what Wagner did on Friday nights was impressive. Why was perhaps even greater.

He completed 60% of his passes for 2,158 yards and 22 touchdowns. Wagner also led the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference in rushing at 1,671 yards with 20 more scores. The senior accounted for 85% of the best statistical offense in the SIAC.

Wagner ended the regular season first in Indiana in total yards, according to Max Preps.

“The coaches put me in a good spot,” he says. “I definitely had weapons this year. They made sure I got the ball to my teammates and put the ball in my hands when I needed to get a first down. Whatever I needed to do, they put me in that position to do it.”

The Bulldogs had no other choice. Wagner played running back, wide receiver and safety his sophomore season but was the backup quarterback if something went wrong. The team wanted its best athlete with the ball, hence the position change.

Their record doesn’t reflect how much of an impact Wagner truly made. Bosse won three games, tied for its most since 2013, but went to the wire against some of the top teams in the conference with No. 5 in the backfield. Sometimes, it became as simple as watching the quarterback make a play out of nothing.

The Bulldogs were one or two plays from beating Castle and Memorial. They defeated Mater Dei for the first time in 20 years. It didn’t matter how defenses game planned. Wagner kept delivering.

“We had the best offense in the SIAC,” said Wagner. “We didn’t have the best record, but I feel like everybody respected us this year. We didn’t back down.”

Mullen can pinpoint the moment he knew something special was happening. He saw glimpses in the opener at Vincennes Lincoln but also thought Wagner played shy. A big game followed with a win at Central. What happened at Enlow Field on Sept. 1 truly put his name on everyone’s radar.

Wagner finished with 530 total offensive yards in a 52-42 loss to Castle. He accounted for five touchdowns. The senior was asked to run the ball a staggering 46 times. Later games against Memorial, Mater Dei and Harrison stand out, but they were nothing like that.

“He had an All-Star night,” said Mullen. “It showed we can compete with anybody in the conference. That was a defining moment not just for him but our team. We asked everything we could of him. It’s hard to keep your best athlete off the field. He just wants to play ball.”

This season was not a surprise to others at Bosse. Wagner has lettered in four sports and is also a starter on the basketball team. The time and effort put in during the summer made this all possible.

He was the Bulldogs’ first All-City Player of the Year since 2011. He earned All-SIAC Player of the Year plus All-State honors from the coaches. It didn’t matter the record. Everybody could see it now.

“It’s not a mistake he had such a great year,” said Bose basketball coach Shane Burkhart. “Elijah is a kid that cares about his body, his work ethic, his grades. He is not someone you have to worry about. When you have a kid that is very reliable in high school, good things usually happen.”

His collegiate future looks brighter following that season. Wagner has 10 offers ranging from NAIA to Division III and Division II with potentially more on the way. A quantifiable result of hard work and drive.

His impact on the future of the Bosse program could be just as important. What he accomplished is proof something similar could occur with the Bulldogs. The senior continued to credit his coaches in that regard.

“People have been taking football seriously,” said Wagner. “The parents see us be successful could give them a spark. We have good coaches too. They’re just not worried about football. They’re trying to get us into college. You’re going to go to college at Bosse High School.”

The gold standard within Bosse football remains Levron Williams, the former Gatorade Player of the Year who became a unanimous All-Big Ten selection at Indiana. Perhaps a more apt comparison for Wagner was 2011 All-City Player of the Year Jalen Pendleton, also a dual-threat quarterback.

Regardless of where this season stands, no one could deny the impact he had on Bosse, even in a team-driven sport like football. Perhaps the No. 5 jersey is passed on to the next great to walk into that locker room.

“He stacks up there in terms of players since I’ve been at Bosse,” said Mullen. “It's going to be hard to pass the 5 along. That was Levron’s and then had other kids take it that had good years. EJ set (the bar) again.”

2023 Courier & Press All-Metro Football Team

OFFENSE

QB: Elijah Wagner, Bosse, 5-11, 166, Sr.

QB: Sam McKinney, North, 6-0, 180, Sr.

RB: Antonio Harris, Castle, 6-2, 190, Sr.

RB: Maximus McCool, Castle, 6-0, 195, Jr.

RB: Cainen Northington, North, 5-10, 170, Sr.

WR: Roland Vera Jr, Reitz, 5-9, 170, Sr.

WR: Luke Ellspermann, Memorial, 5-11, 165, Jr.

WR: Hayden Summers, Reitz, 6-2, 180, Sr.

TE: Brooks Thomas, Harrison, 6-7, 235, Jr.

OL: Quentin Boeke, Reitz, 6-5, 275, Sr.

OL: Timothy Dixon, North, 6-0, 285, Sr.

OL: Ethan Goodin, Mater Dei, 6-5, 240, Sr.

OL: Parker Mattingly, Memorial, 6-5, 240, Jr.

C: Delshan Davis, North, 6-1, 330, Sr.

Athlete: Tizhaun Tomlinson, Bosse, 6-2, 175, Jr.

Athlete: Matthew Fisher, Memorial, 6-3, 205, Jr.

Kicker: Keifer Sanderson, Reitz, 5-10, 155, Sr.

DEFENSE

DL: Kaleb Harris, North, 6-3, 215, Sr.

DL: Levi Oxley, Reitz, 6-1, 225, Sr.

DL: Jayden Hazelwood, North, 6-4, 310, Sr.

DL: Calab Utley, Reitz, 6-3, 270, Sr.

LB: Alex Broshears, Memorial, 5-11, 190, Jr.

LB: Ayden Wells, Reitz, 5-10, 215, Sr.

LB: Aiden Scheu, Mater Dei, 6-0, 205, Sr.

LB: Gavin Leach, Castle, 6-2, 190, Jr.

DB: Spencer Turner, Mater Dei, 5-10, 185, Sr.

DB: Kasey Hospelhorn, North, 6-0, 180, Sr.

DB: Wyatt Stratman, Mater Dei, 5-11, 180, Sr.

DB: JJ Lowery, Memorial, 5-8, 125, So.

Athlete: Donovan Baker, Memorial, 5-11, 195, Sr.

Athlete: Royal Elliott, Bosse, 6-0, 170, Sr.

Punter: Lane Gabbard, Central, 6-1, 215, Sr.

Player of the Year: Elijah Wagner, Bosse

Coach of the Year: John Hurley, Memorial and Joey Paridaen, North

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA football: Courier & Press announces 2023 All-Metro team