Carson Steele’s nickname found him at a pretty early age.
When he was in fifth or sixth grade, Steele broke off a long touchdown run, prompting current Center Grove senior Sam Hohlt to start neighing and galloping.
“Soon it ended up becoming ‘The War Horse,’” Steele recalled, “and we all just stuck with it.”
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Through his first two high school seasons, Steele has more than lived up to that moniker. He was the lone sophomore to make the IFCA’s Top 50 team this past season (and only the third in the last 12 years), and he is also the Daily Journal’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Steele rushed for 2,270 yards — passing the 200-yard mark in five different games — and a school-record 29 touchdowns in helping the Trojans to a 9-4 season and the Class 6A semistate. He also caught 16 passes for 146 yards and another score.
Starring in the Center Grove backfield has been more or less a lifelong goal for Steele, who still speaks with reverence about the running backs that preceded him.
“I’ve tried to work as hard as I can since I’ve been young,” he said. “This has been a really big goal for me for a long time.
“It was a real honor for me to watch Russ Yeast, Titus McCoy, Max Norris, and I always wanted to try to be like them.”
With injuries hampering a few of Center Grove’s other backs, Steele shouldered a heavier-than-expected workload this fall, logging 367 carries — easily the most in school history and a staggering 28.2 per game.
Not surprisingly, his body took a pounding.
“It definitely was hard,” Steele said. “You’d have to come in on Saturday mornings and pretty much just sit in the ice bath the whole day. To come and not to hang out with your friends or anything for the day, just to be resting, and then come back that Monday and be ready to go.”
Moving forward, Steele appears poised to move into pretty rarefied air. He’s already gained 3,973 yards rushing in two seasons, leaving him just 724 shy of the Center Grove career mark held by Jonny Zwitt, and he needs just nine more rushing TDs to tie Zwitt’s career mark there.
Steele hopes to break the state’s all-time rushing mark before he’s done. The current standard of 8,110 yards is well within reach, but the bar is likely to be raised a good bit by New Palestine’s Charlie Spegal, who is at 7,699 with a year to go.
Even if he can’t catch Spegal over the next two years, there are some lofty team goals on Steele’s to-do list as well.
“I’d love to win a championship, or possibly two, for my team,” he said.
The Trojans should be able to ride as far as “The War Horse” can take them.
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The offense for the 2018 All-Johnson County football team:
QB Drew Byerly, Franklin junior: Led all area passers with 1,985 yards, throwing for 19 touchdowns … All-conference pick was also the Grizzly Cubs’ leading rusher with 778 yards and 10 more scores.
RB Jake Perry, Whiteland senior: Rushed for 1,767 yards with a solid average of 8.8 per carry … Gained more than 200 yards three times and scored 23 touchdowns … An All-Mid-State Conference selection.
RB Carson Steele, Center Grove sophomore: Durable back lugged the ball nearly 30 times a game and led all area players with 2,270 yards and 29 TDs rushing … Caught 16 passes for 146 yards and a score.
RB Avery Welch, Indian Creek senior: Rushed for 1,430 yards on just 196 carries (7.8 per rush) and scored 17 touchdowns … Added 12 receptions for 215 more yards … Earned All-WIC honors.
RB Nick Willham, Greenwood senior: Carried a heavy workload for the Woodmen, gaining 1,566 yards on the ground and scoring 15 touchdowns … Ran for 203 yards in a comeback win over Franklin.
WR Cory Richards, Franklin senior: Was far and away the county’s top receiver, hauling in 56 passes for 821 yards and eight touchdowns in his lone season of high school action.
OL Lucas Doyle, Center Grove senior: Former tight end moved in and made an instant impact, creating holes for an offense that rushed for 267 yards a game against one of the state’s toughest schedules.
OL Marcus Havens, Whiteland senior: All-conference selection helped pave way for a dominant rushing attack that racked up 3,617 yards and averaged a stout 7.8 yards per carry.
OL Hunter Metheny, Whiteland senior: Earned all-conference honors after helping Warriors quadruple their 2017 win total while averaging 33.4 points a night, sixth statewide in Class 5A.
OL Cole Raker, Greenwood senior: Paved way for a Greenwood offense that ran for more than 200 yards a game and was particularly strong in short-yardage situations … Named to all-conference team.
OL A.J. Wiese, Center Grove senior: Facing elite competition almost every week, All-MIC selection led physical run-first attack that was often able to wear opponents into submission.
All-Purpose Isaiah Lacey, Indian Creek senior: Passed for 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns and also rushed for 1,243 yards and 19 scores … All-WIC pick also made 93 tackles and intercepted a pass on defense.
Honorable mention
George Admire, Franklin; Bryce Burton, Edinburgh; Ethan Crowe, Center Grove; Reid Crowell, Indian Creek; Jaylen Dunlap, Whiteland; Kenny Edwards, Indian Creek; Cameron Elmore, Indian Creek; Jacob Keith, Center Grove; Gavin Lutz, Whiteland; Gavin Matheson, Center Grove; Jackson Moore, Center Grove; Ethan Myers, Whiteland; Charlie Ogega, Center Grove; Cam Petty, Center Grove; Peyton Ruble, Franklin; Tyson Sackman, Edinburgh; Melvin Taylor, Whiteland
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