All-County football: Defense

By Ryan O’Leary | Daily Journal

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Though Caden Curry had been making waves on the football field since the start of his freshman year, it was the Class 6A state championship game in his sophomore season that Center Grove coach Eric Moore remembers as the moment when it truly sank in — “even for a program like ours, this kid is special.”

“I looked up on the board and saw how many tackles he had recorded,” Moore recalled. “He was all over the field, and he couldn’t even drive a car yet. I knew I was going to look forward to him being a great football player from then on out.”

And indeed he has been. Curry was the Daily Journal’s defensive player following that season, and he wraps up his high school career by claiming the honor for a third consecutive year.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder had move inside to play defensive tackle as a junior and still excelled. But this season, he was able to return to his preferred position on the end, and the resulting destruction was a thing of beauty for Trojan fans. Bookending a dominating front four with fellow All-State lineman James Schott, Curry racked up 65 tackles despite barely playing past halftime in many games.

Two dozen of those stops came behind the line of scrimmage. Curry is Center Grove’s all-time leader with 83.5 tackles for loss.

“Getting back outside definitely just makes you more free,” Curry said. “It makes you feel like you can do more moves, so it was nice to get back out there. That’s where I feel most comfortable.”

Opposing players were anything but comfortable with Curry around — and his dominance spread to the offensive side of the ball, where he scored five touchdowns (three rushing, two receiving). One of those came in the state final victory over Westfield, which extended the Trojans’ winning streak to 28 games and made them the first team to repeat as a Class 6A champ.

Though it was tough to process in the moment, Curry is now more able to appreciate the significance of what he and his teammates accomplished.

“It’s amazing to be a part of,” he said. “Watching as a little kid, watching the Center Grove football team be great and then coming up here and doing it for yourself is a great achievement to have in life.”

Curry had the added pressure of playing while also going through a high-profile recruiting process. One the most desired prospects in the country, he was being courted by a who’s who of college coaches. Last week, he ended that process by signing with Ohio State, where he’ll enroll in January.

As much as he enjoyed getting to check out the various schools on his list, finishing out his high school career on top was always the higher priority.

“Throughout the regular season I’d try to go on visits and go to see places,” Curry said, “but when it got to playoff time, I shut it all down and just focused on the team, try to get the wins.”

Now that those wins have been gotten — 45 of them during his illustrious four years — Curry is moving on. He’ll be a Buckeye in just a couple of weeks, but he’ll always remember his time as a Trojan.

“Center Grove definitely established me as a player,” Curry said. “They just built me into the player I am today. I feel like I wouldn’t have football without coach Moore and that coaching staff they have. They pushed me to go to the next level, because at first I didn’t really think it was anything, but they just kept pushing me and pushing me, and then it turned out to be all of this. So I’m definitely grateful.”

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The Daily Journal’s All-County football defense for 2021:

DL Reece Byerly, Franklin junior: Garnered all-conference and Class 5A Junior All-State recognition after collecting 31 tackles for the Grizzly Cubs, including five for loss … had four quarterback sacks and forced a fumble.

DL Caden Curry, Center Grove senior: All-American moved back to end and finished with 65 tackles, including 24 for loss … Had seven quarterback sacks and seven pass breakups … Earned IFCA Top 50 honors … Also had five touchdowns (three rushing, two receiving) on offense … Signed to play at Ohio State beginning in the spring.

DL James Schott, Center Grove senior: Freak athlete who earned Top 50 distinction after collecting 51 tackles, 11 stops for loss, four QB sacks and eight pass breakups … Forced two fumbles and recovered two … Signed to play at Michigan State next season.

LB Daniel Adams, Whiteland senior: Racked up an impressive 145 tackles for the Warriors, six of them for loss … Had three quarterback sacks and forced a fumble … Earned 5A All-State recognition and a spot on the All-Mid-State Conference team.

LB Owen Bright, Center Grove sophomore: Made big plays for the Trojans — none bigger than his game-saving interception in the Class 6A state title game … Had three pickoffs overall along with 29 tackles, 6.5 stops for loss and two forced fumbles.

LB James Kelly, Indian Creek senior: Led all Johnson County players with 150 tackles and led all 0f Class 3A in tackles per game (13.6) … Had two fumble recoveries, including one returned for a game-winning TD in the closing seconds against Brown County … Caught 12 passes for 13o yards and a TD on offense.

LB Gavin Ruppert, Greenwood senior: Was again a solid two-way threat for the Woodmen, racking up a team-high 69 tackles on defense while rushing for 896 yards and five touchdowns on offense … Named to the All-Mid-State Conference team.

LB Trei Specker, Center Grove senior: Provided a solid presence in the middle of the Trojans’ defense, leading the way to a repeat Class 6A state championship … Finished with 56 tackles, nine of those for loss, and a pair of quarterback sacks.

LB/DB Jackson Griffin, Center Grove senior: Was a playmaker for the Trojans, scoring three defensive touchdowns … Returned interceptions for TDs against Pike and in the semistate against Ben Davis … Had a scoop-and-score fumble recovery in a regional win over Lawrence North … Also blocked a punt.

DB Mitchell Evans, Center Grove senior: Made 49 tackles on the way to IFCA Top 50 recognition … Intercepted one pass, broke up six others, forced one fumble and recovered another … Averaged 20.9 yards per punt return, taking one back for a touchdown … Will play at Indiana University.

DB Gavin Oakes, Center Grove junior: Intercepted a pair of passes and broke up four more for the 6A state champion Trojans … finished with 49 tackles on the season, five of those for loss … Expected to anchor the Center Grove secondary next season.

DB Quinn Warweg, Whiteland senior: Shutdown defender intercepted three passes and broke up 13 more on the way to all-conference and Class 5A All-State accolades … Made 37 tackles … Filled in on an injury-depleted offense and rushed for 517 yards and five touchdowns.

P Michael Joseph, Greenwood senior: Earned All-Mid-State honors after averaging 41.7 yards on 20 punts, pinning three kicks inside the 20-yard line … Also averaged 50.8 yards on kickoffs with three touchbacks.

Honorable mention

Beau Baker, Franklin; Carl Biddings, Center Grove; Lennon DeLoach, Edinburgh; Parker Doyle, Center Grove; Daniel Foster, Indian Creek; Owen Green, Center Grove; Dalton Hughes, Whiteland; Dylan Mayhew, Greenwood; Brandon Murray, Indian Creek; Zach Reese, Franklin; Keegan Smith, Edinburgh; Brady Stanifer, Whiteland; Ethan Tanner, Whiteland; Jalen Thomeson, Center Grove; Ethan Watt, Center Grove; Landen Wood, Whiteland