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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
The weight room at Culver Community High School might be the epicenter of a Cavalier comeback in 2024.
The weight room is greatly expanded. There are now five weights classes offered at Culver instead of the previous two.
Former Culver boys basketball coach Kyle Evans, a former college football player, teaches those classes.
After a 1-10 season in 2023 – the lone win was a 40-15 triumph over South Central (Union Mills) in the sectional quarterfinals – Culver second-year coach Austin Foust cited getting bigger and stronger as the way to improve.
Often times, Culver had a man on defense there to try and stop an opposing ball carrier, only to get overpowered. In fact, the South Central game in the sectional was the only game in which Culver allowed fewer than 40 points.
“So our biggest goal was just trying to get our young kids as strong as possible,” Foust said. “That was some of the areas last year where we were really lacking, so we put a huge emphasis on the weight room and making sure attendance was as high as possible as we could get all summer because we really didn’t have that, I didn’t feel like, last season where we needed it to be. This season, I feel extremely good about where we were.”
Foust said the environment has changed at Culver just since he has been there.
“It’s totally changed,” Foust said. “We got a whole new weight room last year. Really a whole new, brand new facility – so all new racks, all new weights, all new dumbbells. It’s top of the line for a 1A program.
“We got a whole new locker room, a whole new coaches office. We got college-style locker rooms and things for the kids, so we really got some awesome things and cool things. Obviously, to have an administration and a community so supportive of sports is huge. During the school day, Kyle Evans is our strength and conditioning coach. He does that and is still doing that. We’re up to five weight classes a day; we had only two last year. So that’s been huge for us already going into the new school year.”
In addition, Foust used the maximum allowable offseason activities. They finished the summer with a scrimmage at Plymouth.
Jonas McCuen is back for his second season as the starter at quarterback.
Foust said McCuen and he have developed a bond that borders on the telepathic.
“I think he’s made tremendous strides,” Foust said. “I’ve told some people this that now that Jonas is a junior, I feel like him and I are more on the same page … where he knows what I’m looking for. He’s almost even starting to finish my sentences. If I screw up a play call or kind of get it mixed up, he’s like, ‘No, you mean this, Coach.’ He’s that leader and that captain that you want as far as checking things that you expect as far as your quarterback.”
The running backs are a senior pair in Ethan Binion and Tony Sommers. Binion and Sommers will try to replace the production of the graduated Jack Rodgers, who ran for 215 yards and three touchdowns and later added a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the sectional win over South Central.
Senior David Hite, a former soccer player, has come out for football, and Foust said they will need to get him some touches as one of McCuen’s passing targets. Other receivers include junior Caleb McCuen and freshman Braylon Jackson. Sommers could also line up wide.
“A lot of it is going to be dictated on what our offensive line can handle,” Foust said of the passing attack and what types of routes the receivers will be running. “Can we get the ball out quick? That kind of thing. So we want to take shots downfield. We want to create explosive plays and hopefully we have some speed. I think we’ve got some athleticism and speed that we haven’t had in the past that hopefully we can use this year.”
Sophomore Shane Martin will start at center. Sophomore Drake Zorich and senior Robert Evans will start at left guard and right guard, respectively, and senior Logan Caudill and junior Izaya Vela will start at tackle. Evans is back after missing all of last season with a knee injury.
As for the defense, Foust has added former Culver Academy defensive coordinator Kevin Danti to the same position on his staff. Foust said Danti “brings a unique energy” to the staff and that the players have “gravitated” to him.
Foust said many of the defensive issues last year was that they had players in position to make the play, but they did not due to being young and physically underdeveloped.
“That’s a lot of it, I feel like,” Foust said. “I don’t so much think some of it was schematically and things. I think a lot of it was just we played a really good schedule, and we played teams that were obviously just stronger than us up front. Getting moved and things, and if your d-line gets moved and can’t get back there and get pressure and wreak havoc in the backfield, then that hurts your linebackers, and that puts stress then too on your secondary to try to make plays and tackle.”
Caudill and Theron Carrington will play defensive end, and Vela and Skylar Greer will play tackle.
Linebackers include Zorich and Martin on the inside, and Binion and Caleb McCuen will play the outside. Caleb McCuen is the leading returning tackler from last year.
Sommers and Hite will play cornerback, and Jonas McCuen returns at safety.
Hite is the kicker, and Binion is the punter. Foust said Sommers is “probably the main guy” as a kick and punt returner.
Culver has 25 players on their roster.
“The nice thing is we got really good kids,” Foust said. “We got kids that work hard. We would just like some numbers to build some depth obviously.”
Schedule
Culver adds Attica, who has lost 28 consecutive games, to its schedule for the season opener. West Central moves from Week 4 to Week 2. Triton moves from Week 5 to Week 3. Winamac moves from Week 6 to Week 4. North Judson moves from Week 1 to Week 5. This marks the first time since 2014 that Culver has not opened with North Judson. Caston moves from Week 7 to Week 6. Pioneer moves from Week 8 to Week 7. Culver will host Hoosier North newcomer North Miami in Week 8. South Central moves from Week 2 to Week 9 and is now a conference game. If Culver draws South Central for the sectional, then the Cavs and the Satellites could meet in successive weeks. Culver has knocked South Central out of the sectional each of the last three years.
Aug. 23 – vs. Attica, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 – vs. West Central, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 6 – at Triton, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 13 – at Winamac, 7 p.m.
Sept. 20 – vs. North Judson, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 27 – vs. Caston, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4 – at Pioneer, 7 p.m.
Oct. 11 – vs. North Miami, 7 p.m.
Oct. 18 – at South Central (Union Mills), 7 p.m.
Oct. 25 – Class 1A, Sectional 41 quarterfinal
Class 1A, Sectional 41
Culver, Bowman Academy, LaVille, North Judson, North Newton, South Central (Union Mills), South Newton, West Central
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