IHSAA football: 23 of the most underrated and unsung players in Central Indiana

Some of the most important players on a high school football team might not have the most eye-popping statistics. They might not even score a touchdown. With that in mind, here are 23 of the most underrated and unsung players from Central Indiana:

Wil Battles, Scecina

The 5-6 senior fills many roles for Scecina, including defensive back, receiver, backup quarterback and long snapper. Battles’ biggest statistic contributions on a team with just six seniors is on defense, where he has 35 tackles (17 solo), three interceptions, one caused fumble and eight pass breakups. He has five catches for 134 yards and three touchdowns and is 3-for-3 passing for 60 yards and one TD. Battles also snaps for punts and extra points and is deep on punt returns.

Drew Cannon, Carmel

The junior safety has filled a major role with two of the starting safeties, Hunter Snow and Dominic Shockley, out for the season due to injuries. Cannon has stepped up with 48 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. The 6-foot, 175-pound Cannon visited Western Michigan last weekend.

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Isaac Cole, Westfield

The 5-11, 275-pound junior center might not get the recruiting acclaim of some of his teammates, but Cole has experience and is one of the team’s strongest players. Cole has been a steady player and person in Westfield’s program the past two seasons.

Hogan Denny, Mooresville

Denny is in the midst of learning how to play quarterback as a senior for Mooresville, but the cousin of former North Central quarterback and Wabash standout Liam Thompson is getting it done through the air (1,389 passing yards, 14 TDs) and on the ground (817 yards, seven TDs) for the Pioneers. Denny, a three-year letterman, moved to quarterback following the graduation of Nick Patterson. “Hogan has and will make mistakes, but he does a good job at the ‘next play’ all while learning from previous reads, incompletions, and missed opportunities in an attempt to put the team in the best position to be successful,” Mooresville coach Mike Gillin said.

Drew Evans and Toreeq Oyesigi, Ben Davis

Evans and Oyesigi, two senior linebackers, have picked up the slack with Nylan Brown out with injury. In the past two games, Evans and Oyesigi have combined for 27 solo tackles, 4 ½ sacks, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and an onside kick recovery. They also play on every special teams group for the Giants and are impressive off the field, too. Evans is the leader of the “Purple Rain” student section and Oyesigi is homecoming king. Evans has 45 tackles and Oyesigi 44 tackles and 5 ½ sacks.

Adrion Gregory, Cardinal Ritter

Gregory is having a standout senior season, leading the team in receptions (40), receiving yards (509) and receiving touchdowns (three). Gregory also is a dangerous returner, bringing two kickoffs back for touchdowns and another on a punt return. He is averaging 30 yards per return. Gregory has taken a leadership role in a young receivers’ room.

Brayden Hahn, Danville

The senior defensive lineman is a three-year starter in the middle of the Danville defense and one of the Warriors’ strongest players. “An elite work ethic in the weight room and practice field,” Danville coach Jayme Comer said. “He leads by example on the field and is an outstanding role model for our younger players.” Hahn has 33 tackles and 5 ½ tackles for loss.

Jayon Harvey, Franklin Central

Is there another player, especially at the Class 6A level, who leads his team in tackles, rushing and receiving? Probably not. The 5-11, 175-pound Harvey has 55 tackles, one interception (returned for a touchdown) and one fumble recovery on defense and has 29 receptions and 544 yards and three TDs and 284 rushing yards and two TDs. “Plays all three phases at a very high level against one of the best schedules in the state,” Franklin Central coach Jayson West said.

Grant Haworth, Fishers

The 6-4, 260-pound senior, a Ball State recruit, is a three-year starter at left tackle on the offensive line and is a team captain. He is also playing on the defensive line this season and has 11 tackles. Haworth is also a member of the Fishers basketball team.

Fred Johnson, Shortridge

The 5-10, 155-pound junior is a starter at defensive back and kick returner for the Blue Devils. Johnson has three kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also has a touchdown reception. On defense, Johnson has 21 tackles and one interception. He is averaging 43.8 yards on kickoff returns and 13.5 yards on punt returns.

Jeremiah Lee, Beech Grove

The junior running back is starting to pick up Division I interest and will visit Miami (Ohio) this weekend. Lee leads the Hornets with 1,038 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns and has five receptions for 108 yards and another score. Lee is averaging 30.3 yards per kickoff return and 10.8 yards per punt return.

Parker Maiers, Brebeuf Jesuit

The 6-1, 205-pound sophomore middle linebacker is earning valuable experience this season and making the most of it with 69 tackles (11.5 per game) in six games. Maiers has three tackles for loss and a sack. Maiers is a big part of a young defense.

Eli Millsaps, Hamilton Heights

The senior has started at cornerback all season for Hamilton Heights (7-0), which has five consecutive shutouts. “He put in an unbelievable amount of work this offseason in the weight room and on field which helped him develop into a player on Friday night who comes in, does his job at a very high level and goes home,” Hamilton Heights coach Jon Kirschner said. The 6-1, 170-pound Millsaps has 22 tackles, two for a loss.

Kelvin Ohaya, Plainfield

Ohaya is the starting right guard on the offensive line for the Quakers and is a senior team captain despite only playing three years of football. Plainfield coach Tyler Bless says the 6-2, 285-pound Ohaya is “absolutely the silent giant who we cannot perform without, and his play makes others around him better.” Plainfield offensive line coach Chris Pearson called him “the hardest working lineman on the team.” He is also a high achiever in the classroom.

Cayden Olinger, Brownsburg

The 5-11, 170-pound senior has emerged as a big-time receiving threat alongside Minnesota recruit Corey Smith. Olinger has 30 receptions for 524 yards and four touchdowns as a senior and has a pair of 100-yard receiving games. He is closing in on 1,000 receiving yards for his career.

Jack Osiecki, Hamilton Southeastern

The 6-foot, 190-pound linebacker has put together three consecutive double-digit tackle games, including a 19-tackle game last week in a 43-22 win over Noblesville. Osiecki has 64 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and seven sacks for the 6-1 Royals.

Nolan Page, Sheridan

The 5-11, 180-pound senior is the rare athlete to score touchdowns this season in five different ways. Page has one touchdown run, three TD receptions, one interception return for a touchdown, one kickoff return for a touchdown and one punt return for a score. Page has five receptions in all for 129 yards on offense and 42 tackles on defense for the 6-1 Blackhawks. Page is averaging 26.9 yards on kickoff returns and 17.2 yards on punt returns.

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Jeremiah Stanovic, Southport

The sophomore has played almost everywhere for the Cardinals this season, including running back, quarterback and wide receiver on offense and cornerback, safety and outside linebacker on defense. Stanovic also plays on most of the special teams. He leads Southport with 405 rushing yards and four rushing TDs.

Phillip Talbott, Western Boone

Talbott handles all of Western Boone’s kicking responsibilities, including punting, kickoffs and PATs. He also starts at outside linebacker and plays wingback on offense. Talbott had a fake punt for a touchdown, one of his two rushing TDs. Last week in a win over Southmont, he had a punt that pinned the opponent at its 1-yard-line. Talbott has six interceptions on the season.

Nolan Whitehead, Park Tudor

The 6-2, 195-pound Whitehead plays tight end and defensive end for the undefeated Panthers. On defense, he has 49 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery, a safety and a defensive touchdown. On offense, Whitehead has 11 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown, five carries for 60 yards and a TD and is 2-for-2 passing for 34 yards a TD. He is also a standout baseball player. “His attitude, willingness to work, and leadership presence are a major factor in why we have been so successful, continuing to grow,” Park Tudor coach Spencer Summerville said. “Add that to the fact that he is an All-County baseball player, doing this just for the love of the game … Nolan is the embodiment of small school football.”

Lane Whitney, Monrovia

The 6-2, 285-pound junior is a three-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines for 5-2 Monrovia. “He is not going to be outworked in the weight room, and if we ever need to count on any lineman to get us a first down, Lane is that guy,” Monrovia coach Andy Olson said. Monrovia is averaging 372 rushing yards per game.

Matthew Yoder, Center Grove

For the first time in several years, Center Grove did not have a running back coming into the season with big accolades. Yoder has taken the reins, though, running for 499 yards and five touchdowns and catching two passes for 62 yards. He ran for three TDs last week in a 48-17 win over Pike. “Smart, physical, talented, undersized, hard worker, humble, great teammate,” Center Grove coach Eric Moore said. “I am so proud of the athlete who waited for his time to shine.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school football: Underrated, under-the-radar players