NEW PALESTINE — Standing at 6-foot-3, New Palestine’s Ethan Sturgeon doesn’t ever remember being little.
One of the tallest kids on his team, even when he started playing football in the second grade through the New Pal Cadet Football League, Sturgeon was always admittedly one of the “big boys.”
Like his father, Todd, a former 6-3, standout lineman at Wabash College and later the University of Indianapolis, Ethan found his motivation at the line of scrimmage.
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“The one thing I fell in love with was being an offensive lineman, being able to beat people up, I guess,” Ethan Sturgeon laughed. “Honestly, just being able to drive people into the ground and beating up on some guys, that’s what got me into it.”
Much like his ritualistic, pregame foot-long, steak and cheese with lettuce, jalapenos and Caesar dressing from Subway, Sturgeon, an incoming senior at New Palestine, loves to devour opposing bull-rushing tackles and defensive ends.
As a two-year starter for the back-to-back Class 5A state champion Dragons, Strugeon solidified his place at offensive guard, and last week he locked down his future by committing to the U.S. Air Force Academy.
As the second New Palestine Dragon to commit to the Falcons this preseason, Sturgeon joins classmate Matt Brown and made his announcement on Twitter with two hashtags.
“#LETSFLY” and “#BoltBrotherhood” highlighted Sturgeon’s post, which garnered 290 likes, 68 retweets and 21 congratulatory comments.
“Honestly, this has been amazing. I’ve dreamed of playing Division-I college football ever since I started. And, being able to have that opportunity is incredible, and I’m very thankful for it,” Sturgeon said.
“The military academies, they do a lot of running plays, and at New Pal, that’s basically all we do, so they were really interested in my run blocking ability, and they were really interested in my ability to finish on plays and my footwork. It was the right fit for me.”
One of the five reasons up front for New Palestine’s 28-0 run the past two seasons, Sturgeon is ideal for the Falcons’ traditional option attack, Dragons head coach Kyle Ralph emphasized.
Charlie Spegal, the 2019 Indiana Mr. Football winner, ran behind Sturgeon and the Dragons’ offensive line for 3,168 yards and 55 touchdowns last year. In his career, Spegal, the state’s all-time leading rusher, amassed 10,867 yards and ran for 173 touchdowns, more than any other player in state history.
Sturgeon had a front-row seat to nearly all of them, though, it was more of a tape-delayed view.
“Playing with someone like Charlie (Spegal), we’d open up one hole and he was gone. It was crazy to watch him and how good of a running back he was for us,” Sturgeon said. “Honestly, they happened so fast, I’d look up and he was in the end zone sometimes. I didn’t see too many (of his runs). I did see them the next morning in film, though, so I got to see them a little bit.”
Sturgeon’s forward focus developed over time, much like his 280-pound frame. His work ethic led to substantial net gains in the weight room where he’s ranked in the top five in bench press (405 pounds), squats (560) and owns a maximum lift of 280 at power clean.
“Ethan is a little bit different. He’s not your prototypical Division I offensive lineman, quite frankly, but for the type of style that Air Force or the academy schools and the FCS schools do well, he really fits well into that niche the way he’s built,” Ralph said. “It really was a perfect fit, honestly.”
The time to cement his collegiate path was ideal as well.
In March, Eastern Illinois offered Sturgeon before Air Force and the U.S. Naval Academy offered during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine.
While Sturgeon was unable to officially visit any of the three, a virtual tour and quality talks with the Falcons’ coaching staff helped him make his decision, along with a few discussions with his mother, Kim, and Brown.
“We both got offered by Air Force and Navy, so we talked a little bit about the comparison of the two, and I think talking with (Brown) helped a lot,” Sturgeon said. “It’s actually really cool that I’ll be playing with him at Air Force, too. I’m excited.”
The moment was also bittersweet for Sturgeon, who discovered his passion for football through his father, who unexpectedly pass away on Nov. 12, 2018 at the age of 48.
A state-qualifying wrestler at Anderson Madison Heights and later a collegiate competitor on the mat, in track and field and on the gridiron, Todd Sturgeon paved the way for his son.
“I definitely dedicate those (two state titles) to him,” Ethan Sturgeon said. “He coached every one of my little league (football) teams. If he wasn’t the head coach, he was an assistant, and he’s really the reason I got into it. He always told me he wasn’t the biggest, but he was definitely one of the stronger lineman.”
Todd and Ethan were the same height, but they shared more than measurables. They both felt a profound connection to community, which Todd displayed by mentoring many athletes in New Palestine, while showing Ethan the right way to win on and off the field.
“Todd was a guy that had coached a lot of these kids when they grew up. He worked with them in the youth league and at junior high. He was super involved and an incredible guy, and for the boys that’s hard because they lost a father figure as well. That makes things difficult on your team when you lose that type of person. It can really shake your foundation a little bit,” Ralph said.
“But, the beauty of football is you got a team full of brothers and friends who are going to take care of you and help uplift you. I think, in the midst of all the darkness in a situation like that there is light. A football program like ours where it really is a family and a brotherhood, that was the light for Ethan to get through that time.”
Ethan and his family turned to the football program during their difficult time, which occurred during the Dragons’ first of two straight state championship seasons.
Ethan played in the 2018 state title game only six days after his father’s funeral service, partly because of his dedication to the Dragons and the other because they’re family.
“If I wouldn’t have gone to New Pal, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Coach Ralph, coach (Dan) Buchanan, coach (John) Horan and coach (Matt) Keele, all those guys really helped me a lot,” Sturgeon said.
“When my dad died, it happened fast. No one was really prepared for it, so it was difficult, but having the support from my teammates and my coaches, honestly, is what got me through it.”
Knowing his future is set has Sturgeon ready for one more season at Kelso Stadium.
“When I committed, there was a big weight that lifted off of me, honestly. I kind of sat there for a second after I did it and took a deep breath and was like, ‘Thank, God,’” Sturgeon said.
“That was one of reasons why I told my mom I wanted to commit during the summer. One of the big things was I just wanted to focus on my senior season and not really have that thought in the back of my head.”
Instead, he’s thinking about another potential state championship and maybe 14 more stops at his local sandwich shop.
“I leave right after school, and I go to the Subway by my house, and I get the same thing every time. I get the foot-long, steak and cheese before every single game, then I go home and I take an hour-long nap before I go to the field,” Sturgeon chuckled.
“I went to go watch Lutheran play in the first game that morning of state last year, and when me and my mom left, I told her, I have to stop by Subway. I have to get that sandwich. I went to the one by my house. I had to keep it the same. You have to keep that ritual going, and we won.”
