Senior Jalen Thomeson has rushed for 532 yards and six touchdowns this season for Class 6A No. 2 Center Grove.
Daily Journal file photo
In a perfect world, a portion of Jalen Thomeson’s considerable football skill set would have remained shelved this season.
Fate, however, had other ideas.
Eight plays into Center Grove’s opener against Warren Central, Drew Wheat, the Trojans’ 1,000-yard running back from the 2021 state championship squad, sustained a lisfranc injury to his foot that put him on the sideline for the remainder of the season.
Football has long linked itself to the next-man-up philosophy.
Knowing this, Thomeson — who admittedly hadn’t carried the football in a game since the fourth grade — was prepared to shake the dust from that part of his game in order to help his team.
“I was very excited. I used to play running back when I was little,” said Thomeson, a 6-foot, 180-pounder who was being utilized primarily as a safety on defense prior to Wheat’s injury. “The hardest part was just understanding the job.
“Coach (Eric) Moore expects every position to be played at a high level, so it’s a lot of weight on my shoulders to understand the plays. Pass blocking. Coach knows I can play a lot of positions. I was ready for it.”
This isn’t to say the transition was seamless. In the days leading up to the Week 2 showdown with Carmel, Thomeson experienced a crash course on what the Trojans were doing offensively.
He responded with 18 carries, 106 yards, two touchdowns and the game-clinching run for a first down late in Center Grove’s 31-27 victory. Thomeson now stands at 532 rushing yards for the season, having shredded the Lawrence Central and Pike defenses to the tune of 158 and 128 yards, respectively, the past two weeks.
The senior’s combination of power and speed has proven the perfect complement to classmate Micah Coyle, another tough yet fast back who has rushed for 878 yards and 10 scores entering tonight’s game at Lawrence North.
Thomeson has also caught nine passes for 83 yards and two TDs, made 12 tackles and been credited with two kickoff returns.
Looking back, Moore admits it didn’t take long for him and his assistants to bring Thomeson’s name into the discussion following the 17-8 win against Warren Central.
“It took us until about 10 o’clock that night because he’s maybe the greatest athlete on our team,” Moore said. “When you’re considering playing someone one way or two ways, and you have to bring them from defense to offense or offense to defense, you have to determine how they affect the game.
“Jalen is a great player on defense, but he’s not affecting the game like he is on offense. He’s an awesome defensive player, but a game-changer on offense.”
Thomeson’s defensive numbers are down — he made 60 tackles as a junior — due to him now mostly playing offense. Thomeson still sees the field defensively for anywhere from 10-15 plays a contest, depending on the situation.
Thomeson transferred to Center Grove prior to the 2021-22 school year. Prior to that, he was a student in the Mt. Vernon school corporation from grades 3-10. Thomeson’s educational journey began at Fall Creek Elementary School in Fishers.
Verbally committed to play football at Ohio University, a member of the Mid-American Conference, Thomeson has the potential, according to Moore, to mold himself into one heck of a slot receiver once at the next level.
For the time being, he’s running the football — and running it well — for the state’s second-ranked club in Class 6A.
“I just knew when Drew got hurt, a lot of people were going to doubt us,” Thomeson said. “Saying we weren’t going to be the same team. I just really wanted to prove a point.”
Point proven.
TONIGHT’S GAMES
Franklin at Greenwood, 7 p.m.
Center Grove at Lawrence North, 7 p.m.
Whiteland at Plainfield, 7 p.m.
Greenwood Christian at Shortridge, 7 p.m.
Cincinnati Elder at Roncalli, 7 p.m.
Sullivan at Indian Creek, 7:30 p.m.
