Center Grove junior cornerback Luke Barrett (16) returns the football after intercepting a pass against Oakland (Tennessee) earlier this season.
Daily Journal file photo
Right place, right time.
That’s not the preferred explanation for why Center Grove senior cornerback Brody Boswell and teammate Luke Barrett, the Trojans’ junior free safety, have combined to intercept 13 passes this season.
We would rather gravitate toward two-word answers like “closing speed” and “football instincts” simply because, frankly, both sound better.
Yet to a man, both players push their athletic attributes to the side in order to credit the oft-overlooked habit of simply paying attention.
“It all starts with our coaches, game planning, and them putting us in a position to make plays,” said the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Barrett, whose six picks are one shy of what the 6-1, 170-pound Boswell has achieved through 12 games.
“I had my opportunity early in the season, and just sort of ran with it.”
The football paths of Boswell and Barrett have included both similarities and differences since starting out in Center Grove’s bantam league.
Boswell started out as a running back and middle linebacker, but moved to cornerback in sixth grade. In Barrett’s case, he was a linebacker in middle school but had moved to safety by his freshman season.
Neither player had recorded a varsity interception prior to this season. Barrett quickly rectified that in the season opener, a 27-10 loss to Ohio powerhouse St. Edward, with a pick late in the second quarter.
“That was a surreal moment,” Barrett remembers. “Just playing in the Hall of Fame Stadium (in Canton) was such a great opportunity for me. Especially playing a nationally ranked team, picking off their quarterback and playing against those receivers, it definitely built up my confidence.”
Barrett’s two thefts played a big role in Center Grove’s eventual pulling away from Franklin Central for a 40-14 victory in the semifinal round of its Class 6A sectional. Boswell, too, has stepped up in the postseason, as evidenced by his interception in last week’s 14-0 regional conquest of visiting Warren Central.
In all, six different players have recorded an interception for the Trojans this season; the team has a total of 17 picks.
Last week’s 14-0 regional defeat of Warren Central was Center Grove’s first shutout of the season, keeping alive a streak of at least one scoreless opponent each season since 2007.
“Our coaches prepare us very well through the week, and I attribute it to God. He has blessed me so much this year,” Boswell said. “I set a goal going into the season of six interceptions, and got my seventh against Warren Central.”
Longtime Trojans assistant coaches Tom Blanck and Brian Harbin are in charge of the team’s safeties and cornerbacks, respectively.
It’s their job to make sure those players know the upcoming opponent’s tendencies and strengths. In this evening’s case, that would be former Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference rival Ben Davis, which features senior quarterback Thomas Gotkowski launching spirals in the direction of talented receivers Mark Zackery, Nate Williams and others.
Center Grove coach Eric Moore is confident his defenders will be up to the challenge.
“The coaches put them in the right spots, but the kids still have to make the play,” Moore said. “Brody and Luke are really good kids, smart, really good athletes and have good hand-eye coordination.
“Brody is more of a finesse player, and Luke is an excellent tackler. Both are ball hawks.”
Boswell’s interception total ranks him second among Class 6A players in Indiana this season; Barrett is third.
Enough said.
TONIGHT’S CLASS 6A SEMISTATE GAME
Center Grove (11-1) at Ben Davis (11-1), 7 p.m.
