Senior offensive lineman Cameron Ford (77) has been a mainstay for the Little Giants.
Submitted photo
In August, six Wabash College players earned the distinction of being named team captains.
The fact half the list represents Greenwood in some manner is as much of a testament to the city and its high school football program as it is the human beings who were selected by their teammates.
Senior offensive lineman Cameron Ford and junior middle linebacker Gavin Ruppert are former Woodmen. Senior defensive end Owen Volk also grew up in Greenwood but played at Roncalli.
Leadership with a very distinctive local twist for a Little Giants head coach Don Morel, who is in his 13th and final season on the sidelines for the Little Giants.
“It kind of speaks volumes about the talent on the southside of Indy,” said the 6-foot-1, 232-pound Ruppert, a starter since first setting foot on campus who has already collected 173 tackles as a Little Giant. “To have three kids from the same city be voted on by a team, you don’t see that every day.”
Ford, Ruppert and Volk aren’t the only Johnson County players on the Wabash College roster; the freshman class includes Indian Creek offensive lineman Logan Porter and Tanner Crouch, a linebacker from Greenwood.
The 6-5, 285-pound Ford, moved to right tackle this season after previously starting at guard, serves as the group’s grizzled veteran. Moving a few steps to the right, he said, is no big deal.
“For me, it wasn’t that big of a transition,” Ford said. “The way they teach O-line here is that you can play all five positions if need be.”
Ford and Ruppert are roommates at Wabash. Their history as teammates on the gridiron dates back to middle school.
Being a captain isn’t something either player takes lightly.
“Since my freshman year, I had a really good mentor in (2021 graduate) Dane Smith. Being a captain was something I aimed for,” Ford said. “It’s a huge honor. One of the thing I learned from Dane is you don’t want to just be good enough to play on the offensive line. You want to be better than that. Your words are what leads guys to trust you. You have to realize who you’re speaking to, and what their role on the team is.”
Wabash College opened its season at home on Saturday with a 31-0 shutout of St. Norbert, a result that included five tackles and an interception from Ruppert, with Volk and Crouch each chipping in a tackle. Meanwhile, Ford did his part by pass blocking and opening up running lanes, for a Little Giants offense that piled up nearly 300 total yards.
Ruppert is on the fast track to becoming one of the school’s all-time leading tacklers. He’s already on the verge of breaking into the top 25 (Nick Fanelli is 25th with 198 career tackles); while former linebacker Adrian “Adi” Pynenberg, who played from 2004-07, leads the way with 451.
Being a captain, particularly as an underclassman, for one of Division III’s most respected football programs is no small feat.
“I try to lead by example, and to be a vocal leader,” Ruppert said. “I think it’s important to build a culture, and with six captains, you get a little bit of everything.
“We’re just upholding that culture, and respecting the players who were before us.”
