Whiteland football: Season preview

As enrollment numbers continue to grow at Whiteland, one would think that there would be less need to use the same players on both sides of the football.

Warriors coach Darrin Fisher appears set to buck conventional wisdom this fall, however.

“We’ve got an awful lot of two-way players in our two-deep,” Fisher said. “We’ve got those 31 seniors, and our guys are learning both sides of the ball; they’ve been doing that all summer long. I think you’re going to see some familiar faces in some positions on defense that you haven’t seen them before … or vice versa.

“We’re trying to increase our depth by making sure that our guys are prepared to play in all three phases.”

Fisher, of course, isn’t trying to run his best horses into the ground; reps will be carefully managed, and those who are being counted on to play larger roles on one side of the ball might only see spot duty on the other. But the message during the preseason has been clear — you never know where and when you might be needed.

And if you stay ready, as West Coast rapper Suga Free once told us, you ain’t got to get ready.

“I think he has us playing both ways because he knows that we have the potential to go and do something this year,” said senior Jakarrey Oliver, a longtime fullback who’s also expected to start at middle linebacker this fall. “We always need people — just in case someone gets sick, we need somebody to fill in the spot that knows what they’re doing.”

Fellow senior Brady Stanifer, another defensive starter who should get some offensive snaps, said that players up and down the roster are constantly being groomed for double duty — and prepared for the physical wear and tear that comes with it.

“I feel like our coaches and staff are doing a great job of conditioning for this,” Stanifer said. “Throughout practice, we’re running from point A to point B the whole time and practicing both sides of the ball. Everyone’s doing it.”

The preparation for two-way status isn’t just physical, of course.

Several players are learning new positions on the fly, including Oliver, who has been almost exclusively an offensive player since moving to Whiteland from Florida in sixth grade.

“It’s not always as easy as just step in and go do it; you’ve always got to learn plays and stuff,” he said. “Linebacker wasn’t easy for me when I first got there … it’s wasn’t as easy as fullback.”

One of the few players not being trained on both sides of the ball is senior quarterback Kevin Denham, who was thrust into the starting role early last season and should be far more comfortable in his first full season as QB1.

Players and coaches alike have expressed their confidence in Denham, who is undersized (5-foot-8, 139 pounds) but more than makes up for that in other ways.

“He’s special,” Stanifer said. “He has chemistry with all of the guys; we grew up playing with him, a lot of the guys that played varsity with him already had chemistry with him from playing JV and freshman the year before.”

“The word I use for Kevin is moxie,” Fisher added. “Kevin has an awful lot of moxie. He’s been a quarterback in our system since he’s been in second, third grade, and he understands now that he has responsibilities … and the more you put on his plate to make decisions within the offense, the better we get.”

All of Whiteland’s top players are putting more on their plates this season, whether from a leadership standpoint or an increased physical workload. And perhaps there’s a reason for that. With two-time state champion Cathedral having moved up to Class 6A and sectional rival New Palestine now back down in 4A, the Warriors have a window of opportunity to do big things — perhaps even winning their first regional title since 1999.

The company line under Fisher will always be “one game at a time,” and he’s cautioned his squad against looking too far ahead too soon, but the vibe is still there under the surface — no two ways about it.

“We for sure know that we have a chance to do something special that hasn’t been done here,” Stanifer said.

“Last year, I feel like we should have won sectionals, but we fell short,” Oliver agreed. “We’ve just got to stay focused on the next opponent, and don’t get too big of a head because we know what we can do.”

2022 SCHEDULE

Date;Opponent

Aug. 19;Columbus East

Aug. 26;Lawrence North

Sept. 2;at Decatur Central

Sept. 9;Franklin

Sept. 16;Perry Meridian

Sept. 23;at Martinsville

Sept. 30;Mooresville

Oct. 7;at Plainfield

Oct. 14;Greenwood

(all games scheduled for 7 p.m.)

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS

Coach: Darrin Fisher

Last season: 6-4, lost to New Palestine in Class 5A sectional final

Key returnees: DL Sam Allen, RB/LB Devon Armstrong, TE Cameron Cooper, WB/DB Jonathan Crowley, OL/DL Mason Darlington, QB Kevin Denham, DL Peyton Dotson, DL Blake Driver, RB Peyton Emberton, OL/DL Will Hagan, OL Caleb Hall, LB/P Dalton Hughes, K David Mathis, OL Dylan Kidwell, OL/DL Josh Merriman, DB Kayden Milligan, FB/LB Jakarrey Oliver, OL Cameron Oxendine, LB Zeke Ramey, DB Ethan Rice, OL/DL Tayton Schakel, WR/DB Brady Stanifer and WR Kaden Turner, seniors; WB Gunnar Hicks and LB Alexander Ulloa, juniors; WB/DB Nyrius Moore-Smith, sophomore

Top newcomers: DB Kaiden Davidson, OL Jaxon Fleming, OL Scott Harden and WR/DB Andrian Kolleigbo, juniors; WB/DB Maalik Perkins, sophomore

Outlook: The Warriors will have some holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, where All-State performers Daniel Adams and Quinn Warweg are among the several graduated starters, but Fisher plans to plug at least some of those vacancies by putting more of his top players on both sides of the ball. Whether it’s rugged vets such as Crowley, Oliver, Schakel and Stanifer or younger speedsters like Kolleigbo and Moore-Smith, Whiteland will be flexing its versatility more than it has in years past.

Offensively, Whiteland is loaded with experienced talent despite losing the state’s top tight end in Max Sullivan, now at Ball State. Ten starters return, with Denham under center behind five seniors on the offensive line. This is always one of the most potent ground attacks in the state, and that shouldn’t change. The Warriors will pile up yards and points while eating up a ton of clock.

Fisher talks about respecting every opponent and not looking ahead, but Whiteland has a golden opportunity in front of it this year in Class 5A. Megapower Cathedral has bumped up to 6A after winning the last two state titles, and another longtime rival, New Palestine, has slid back down to 4A. The Warriors, who haven’t won a regional championship since 1999, have 31 seniors and a fantastic chance to end that drought. A challenging regular-season schedule that includes Lawrence North and Columbus East in addition to the always-tough Mid-State menu, should have them ready to peak in late October yet again.