Mid-State Conference football coaches probably won’t miss Clayton Coll too much — in large part because when the Franklin linebacker had a ball carrier in his sights, he rarely missed.
Coll was a straight up menace in his two seasons with the Grizzly Cubs, collecting 320 tackles. A whopping 176 of those came during a senior season that saw him earn a spot on the IFCA’s Top 50 list.
Now, Coll is also the Daily Journal’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Coll played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Tri-West before moving to Franklin when his father, Chris Coll, took over as the Grizzly Cubs’ coach after the 2016 season. Despite only being a part of the program for two years, the 6-foot-3, 222-pounder made quite a mark.
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"His off-the-field approach, his commitment level off the field, will be the biggest impact," Chris Coll said of his son. "Seeing a kid like him, who set very high goals for himself a long time ago, I think kids see that."
Clayton was expected to play extensive snaps at both linebacker and running back, but those plans changed when he hyperextended his knee in the first quarter of Franklin’s season opener at Columbus North. Limited somewhat by that injury, he logged just five carries on offense before Week 7, when he started to become more of a two-way threat.
He finished the year with 256 yards rushing and five touchdowns, including three in the Grizzly Cubs’ sectional loss to Whiteland.
As his knee regained strength, Coll became more difficult for opposing blockers to contain. He collected 22 tackles in each of his last five games, racking up 13 of his 18 stops for loss during that span.
He did that despite a great deal of extra attention from opposing coaches, who were determined to keep the ball away from him as much as possible.
"At times I felt like, ‘Okay, they’re kind of game planning around me. What can I do to disrupt that?’" Coll said.
But now, his brief two-year run at Franklin has reached its end. Coll’s last day as a high school student was Thursday — he’s graduating a semester early and enrolling at Ball State, where he’ll be able to get a head start on college football by participating in spring practice.
It’s too soon to know how well he’ll adjust to the physical side of Division I football, but he’s confident that having been immersed in the game for his entire life gives him a leg up on the mental side.
"Growing up around football, I think that gives me an advantage," Coll said. "Being a coach’s kid gives me an advantage. … Everybody there’s going to be the best player at their high school, most likely, so I’ve got to find whatever little things I can to get ahead, and I think that’s a big start for me, having that knowledge and background as a coach’s kid."
It certainly worked for him here.
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The defense for the 2018 All-Johnson County football team:
DL Brian Gaffney, Center Grove senior: IFCA Top 50 pick made 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including 8.5 sacks … Three-year long snapper who also managed 116 yards and five touchdowns as a running back.
DL Lucas Hunter, Center Grove senior: Indiana State recruit made 53 tackles, including 11 for loss and 4.5 quarterback sacks, anchoring a defense that logged a pair of postseason shutouts.
DL Alex Reed, Whiteland senior: All-conference pick finished with 95 tackles, including 13 for loss … Had six quarterback pressures and three sacks, knocked down three passes and recovered a fumble.
LB Clayton Coll, Franklin senior: IFCA Top 50 selection racked up an area-best 176 tackles, including 22 in each of his last five games … Rushed for 256 yards … Will play at Ball State, enrolling in January.
LB Jacob Schultz, Whiteland junior: All-Mid-State Conference pick anchored Warriors’ defense with a team-high 111 tackles … Also intercepted a pair of passes and knocked down two more.
LB Bryce Smith, Indian Creek senior: All-WIC selection collected 116 tackles, eight stops for loss and five quarterback sacks, all team highs … Also intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble.
LB Bryce Taylor, Greenwood senior: Paced team in tackles for a third consecutive year with 122, including eight for loss … All-league pick added a sack and a fumble recovery.
DB Trevor Larence, Whiteland senior: Led area players with six interceptions and broke up 16 other pass attempts … Made 60 tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered another in the end zone for a score.
DB Tyce Miller, Franklin senior: Dynamic player who had 16 pass breakups and an interception at cornerback while totaling 1,017 return yards, with touchdowns against Shelbyville and Plainfield.
DB Matt Pence, Center Grove senior: Broke up an area-high 19 passes and returned an interception for a touchdown in regional win over Avon … Totaled 54 tackles, including 45 solo stops.
DB Lucas Roehling, Center Grove senior: Intercepted a team-high four passes, including two in sectional play, and broke up five others … Finished with 55 tackles (38 solo), including 10 against Carmel.
P P.J. Buck, Center Grove junior: Averaged county-best 38 yards per punt and put 15 kicks inside the 20-yard line … Converted three PATs and a field goal and also threw a 54-yard touchdown on a fake punt.
Honorable mention
A.J. Beil, Whiteland; Darius Bennett, Edinburgh; Gabe Boyd, Center Grove; Caden Curry, Center Grove; Dillon Cloyd, Greenwood; Hunter Dean, Edinburgh; Dakota DeBaun, Whiteland; Zach Giles, Edinburgh; Tony Hall, Indian Creek; Matt Havens, Whiteland; Cade Lansdell, Center Grove; Chris Martin, Center Grove; Nolan Miller, Greenwood; Jacob Phillips, Whiteland; Justin Smith, Franklin; Austin Streeval, Edinburgh; Alex Walker, Greenwood
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