HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Experienced Pioneers look to build off 2022
Aug. 18—CLARKSVILLE — Daniel McDonald has watched his 13 seniors grow from boys into men.
"We have a group of seniors that really bought into what we were doing from Day One. That was the first group that came in with me, they were freshmen when I got hired," said McDonald, who will begin his fourth season as the Pioneers' bench boss tonight, when they host Indianapolis Washington. "It's been nice, and rewarding as a head coach.
"These kids were children when they came in and a lot of them we threw to the fire as freshmen. Brian (Wall) started from Day One as a freshman and a lot of these guys got playing time as freshmen because they had to. So to watch them grow into men now has been really rewarding. To watch them go from freshmen that were getting pushed around to now they can be the ones pushing guys around has been a rewarding experience."
Providence had a rewarding season in 2022. The Pioneers went 8-4 and won their first sectional title since 2017 before falling to eventual Class A state champion Indianapolis Lutheran in the regional. They graduated only three starters (Luke French, Josh Posey and Grayson Abel) from that team, so expectations are high on Providence Way this season.
"It's exciting, but we can't rest on those laurels," McDonald said. "If we sit back and rest on the laurels of, 'This is what we accomplished last season and those guys will be better simply because they're a year older,' we're not going to be very successful. We've got to continue working hard and continue to be students of the game.
"I'm very happy with what our seniors did over the offseason and what we did collectively as a team. The new weight room, the new facilities, really helps that. We gained over 25 pounds, on average, on our bench press over the winter and 50 pounds on our squats. We have some guys who are now eclipsing 200 pounds. Our guys have really taken care of their bodies over the offseason by eating right and they've really busted it in the weight room. I'm excited about what we have coming up this season."
What the Pioneers have coming back is pretty much every player who accounted for an offensive statistic last season.
Back to lead the way is senior quarterback Carter Lannan. He missed much of last season after suffering a collarbone injury in the second game, but did return in the sectional. Lannan completed 19 of 36 passes for 434 yards and five touchdowns against only one interception in limited action.
Preston Kempf completed 47 of 100 passes for 799 yards and eight TDs against three interceptions last year while subbing for Lannan.
"We'll find different ways to work him in as well," McDonald said.
Lannan will often try to get the ball to the three-headed monster of seniors Cade Unruh, Luke Kruer and Thomas Lynch.
Unruh rushed for a team-leading 782 yards and nine TDs while also recording 15 receptions for 177 yards and two TDs last season.
"Cade is one of those guys that, in a pinch, we're going to look for ways to get him the ball," McDonald said. "If I'm ever in a street fight I'm bringing No. 4 with me. He's just that kind of player. He's not big, he's 5-(foot-)7 or 5-8 about 160 pounds, but he's not a guy that I would want to line up across from. He's tough, he's physical and he's fast."
Lynch ran for 769 yards and nine TDs, while also making 14 catches for 183 yards and another score, last year.
"Thomas Lynch, in the scrimmage (last Friday), really kind of reopened our eyes to what he can do," McDonald said. "He broke a lot of tackles and made some nice moves. He was nursing some injuries over the summer, but he looks to be back to full speed."
Meanwhile Kruer ran for 736 yards and six TDs while topping the team in receptions (26), receiving yards (540) and receiving touchdowns (six) in 2022.
"Luke Kruer has really come into his own," McDonald said. "He's up to about 200 pounds, he's 6-3 and is running about a 4.5(-second) or 4.6 40(-yard dash). That's the kind of guy that we want to make sure we get him touches when and at all possible."
Also returning is junior Cooper Ross, who ran for 171 yards and four TDs last season.
Another key returning playmaker is the aforementioned Wall, who earned Junior All-State honors from the Indiana Football Coaches Association last year. He had 18 receptions for 430 yards and four TDs in 2022.
"He's grown two or three inches and he's up to about 190 pounds," McDonald said. "We look for him to be a leader for us on defense and to be a great blocker and ball-catcher on offense."
The Pioneers lost Posey, Abel and French off their offensive line, but they bring back several. Included among those are seniors Gavin Evans, Sam Becht, Connor Sad and Nolan Finnegan (a tight end), as well as junior Lukas Allgood. Transfer Griffin Tucker will help bolster the line.
On defense, Providence will look to improve after giving up only 21.5 points per game in 2022.
Seniors Zach Druen, Mark Millay and Finnegan will lead the Pioneers' on the defensive line.
"Nolan Finnegan, in our scrimmage, was all over the place," McDonald said. "He was a monster. At tight end he made some great blocks and then at D-end he was rock-solid. As a sophomore he weighed about a buck 55 and now he's up to 215 as a senior, and he's 6-3. He looks the part. He's going to have a great season for us."
Leading the linebacking corps will be Kruer, Ross, Lucas Thomas and Sad.
"He's about 185 or 190 pounds and 5-8," McDonald said of Sad. "Nothing about Connor jumps off the paper, but you watch him on film and he's all over the place. So we can always work with a guy like that."
Wall will lead the way in the secondary. Last year he tallied 84 total tackles while recording four interceptions and a team-high two forced fumbles.
Senior Eli Theobald, who finished with 48 tackles and one INT last year, is also back.
"We've called him 'The Honey Badger' from Day One, because he just doesn't care to throw his body in there," McDonald said. "He doesn't weigh much, but you wouldn't know it from his stat sheet or you wouldn't know it from watching film. He'll take anybody on. He'll make these one-on-one tackles against much bigger guys. He's been a staple for us for three years now."
Also in the mix will be juniors Wyatt Small and Nick Stoner, along with sophomore Lucas Mauk.
On special teams, Kruer and Stoner will handle punting duties while soccer standout Charlie Scott will take care of the place-kicking for the Pioneers, who are ranked No. 8 in Class A in the IFCA preseason polls.
"We've set pretty lofty expectations with our guys in the locker room, but we know that we have to come out and perform every Friday," McDonald said. "We can't take any plays off and we can't overlook any opponents. We've got to come out and play spectacular football with 110 percent effort every Friday night. And ultimately by the time sectionals roll around we need to be playing our best football."
