This year’s edition of the Noblesville football team has many good things to look forward to, both in the present and the near future.
The Millers, who begin their season Friday with a trip to Mount Vernon, have been working out on their brand-new practice facility, which is close by the brand-new Noblesville stadium that will be open next year. Second-year Millers coach Dave Sharpe said the new facility has “really been a boost for us.”
“It saves us a long walk,” said Sharpe. “It’s really injected a lot of life into the group.”
Noblesville will be playing one final season at Beaver Materials Field and will have several experienced athletes. Returning starters on offense include senior quarterback Connor Meinerding, who passed for 353 yards and rushed for 190 yards last season, scoring two touchdowns each way.
Several more seniors and juniors are back on offense. Seniors returning are running back Alaric Rogers-Walton, tackle Aaron Williams and guards Jacob Etchison and Jake Long, while juniors include tight end Andrew Page, tackle Ben Decker and guard Blake Cole. The centers are also returning juniors, Nathaniel Hamm and Gage Wrin; both started during the season.
Senior linebacker Sam Steinhoffer will be a familiar name on the Noblesville defense. He led the Millers with 76 total tackles (32 solo, 44 assists) last year, including eight tackles for a loss. Rogers-Walton will be going both ways as he will be on the defensive line. Rogers-Walton was a co-leader in sacks last season with 3.5. Two more seniors, linebacker Seth Stone and lineman Josh Rodgers, round out the returners list.
“We knew last year that we were playing a ton of underclassmen and they would get some Friday Night Lights experience and it would really, really pay dividends in the offseason, and it has,” said Sharpe. “We’re very excited to have this much experience returning.”
In addition to that experienced varsity roster, Sharpe will make sure the Millers’ junior varsity and freshman teams are raising the bar as well.
“I want to see consistent improvement at all levels,” said Sharpe. “We put a ton of emphasis on our JV and freshman programs, too. We all feel like we’re very much aligned.”
Sharpe credited his assistant coaches with doing a good job with Noblesville’s second- and third-string players, who of course are waiting in the wings to get their chance. Sharpe said he feels “really connected as a staff to all kids 9-12” at Noblesville.
“We get really excited when kids keep slowly stacking those chips. It’s an exciting time to be a Miller because we’re seeing a lot of improvement from our guys,” said Sharpe.
Noblesville’s first opponent is a Marauders squad that went 12-1 last season. Mount Vernon won its first 12 games, including a sectional championship over New Castle, before falling to eventual Class 4A state champion Roncalli in the regional. The Marauders have a new coach, Vince Lidy, who took over after former coach Mike Kirschner headed to Warren Central.
“They got great coaches,” said Sharpe.
After playing Mount Vernon, the Millers will have two home games, taking on Terre Haute South on Aug. 27, then opening Hoosier Crossroads Conference play Sept. 3 by welcoming Fishers.