GREENFIELD — As he enters his third season at the helm at Greenfield-Central High School, football coach Travis Nolting is seeing signs that his program truly is headed in the right direction.
Whether it was last year’s three wins and successes against the likes of Hoosier Heritage Conference foes Delta and New Palestine, or how his team looked in its recent scrimmage against Knightstown, Nolting believes the Cougars are on the verge of a big breakthrough.
“We, obviously, have some things that we need to improve upon, but we feel pretty confident about the progress we have made over the past three years. Our kids have really bought into our philosophies and continue to improve day by day,” Nolting said.
Nolting continued by saying consistency is a huge reason why he feels good entering his third year.
“The biggest thing that has helped our athletes over the past three seasons now has been the consistency within our program. I have always been a system coach. I believe that philosophy has helped us develop players with the necessary skill sets to be successful within our offensive and defensive schemes,” Nolting said. “Our strength levels have vastly improved as well. The commitment our players now have to our strength program has already begun to pay off and have helped us to close the gap for sure. That was evident in several games last season.
“I knew when I took this job that it would likely be a multiple-year commitment to get to a level where we could compete with the top programs in the conference. I think anyone who really knows how this process works and understands the game of football from a program development standpoint can see that we have made strides from where we began.”
A season ago, the Cougars, like every other program in Indiana, dealt with COVID-19 related issues, as they tried to get on the field. After opening with back-to-back losses, Greenfield-Central was able to shut out Shelbyville before falling 17-14 to New Palestine.
That loss was followed by a win against Yorktown and a loss at Delta before defeating New Castle in the regular-season finale. Greenfield-Central lost to Pendleton Heights in the sectional quarterfinals.
“Last season was definitely different from any season I’ve ever experienced. COVID changed how we approached the game from almost every angle. I think the biggest thing that pops out to most people is the fact that we were able to close some of the gaps from year one with some teams,” Nolting said.
And, the veteran leadership and playmaking abilities of several players came through for the Cougars and helped them succeed.
Quarterback Lance McKee was a huge reason why the Greenfield-Central offensive attack was firing on all cylinders in Nolting’s wishbone attack.
In eight games, McKee rushed for 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also throwing for 313 yards and a touchdown.
However, McKee is gone this season, leaving the keys of the offense to Brodie Mayberry, who had to step in as a freshman in 2019 when McKee was injured.
“Losing impact players is never easy. Lance Mckee was an electric athlete for sure, but we feel very confident in the abilities of Brodie Mayberry. Brodie did an excellent job as a freshman coming in and playing for Lance when he was injured for the last part of that season and helped lead us to our first sectional win in quite some time against Muncie Central. Brodie has now had three years in our offense and is an excellent leader,” Nolting said.
Mayberry played well in the scrimmage last week, according to Nolting.
“Brodie did a nice job of running our option. He is a big, physical runner that is difficult to bring down on first contact and has enough speed to be dangerous in the open field,” Nolting said.
The Cougars are also deep at the skill positions this year with Nolting singling out the efforts of Brady Durnell, Joey Roland, Brayden Herrell and Owen Anderson in the backfield.
Nolting also mentioned fullback Brad Allen, a “hard-nosed runner with great physical strength,” the coach emphasized. Andrew Zellers is also back for the Cougars this season.
A season ago, Zellers rushed for 554 yards and four touchdowns, while Herrell rushed for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Roland added 99 yards and a touchdown. Mayberry gained 138 yards and had a score.
One area of focus for Greenfield-Central on offense is up front on the line.
According to Nolting, much of the offensive line losses have been replaced with experienced players who understand the schemes and have worked hard in the weight room.
“We really feel good about our future upfront players like Reece Hill (6-foot-3, 285 pounds), Brayden Flener (6-2, 295) and Connor Dotson (6-3, 220). All three are sophomores but are very strong and very mobile. The front is also led by seniors Jake Skinner and Larry Bellows,” Nolting said.
“In the backfield we have more depth than I have ever had. Brodie Mayberry at quarterback, Andrew Zellers and Brad Allen both splitting time at fullback and Brady Durnell, Joey Roland, RaShawn Street, Owen Anderson and junior Brayden Herrell all playing at the halfback position for us,” Nolting said.
On the defensive side of the football, the Cougars bring back nine starters and are led by linebacker Spencer Johnson, who recorded 73 total stops a season ago.
In addition, Greenfield-Central brings back Durnell, who notched 66 total tackles, and Street, who accounted for 50 total stops. Joey Roland added seven sacks, while Durnell recorded two interceptions, deflected a pass, recovered a fumble, blocked a punt and blocked a point-after-attempt last fall.
The Cougars open the season at home on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. against Plainfield.
2021 Greenfield-Central Football Schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 20;vs. Plainfield;7:30 p.m.
Aug. 27;vs. Phalen Academy;7:30 p.m.
Sept. 3;vs. Mt. Vernon;7:30 p.m.
Sept. 10;at Pendleton Heights;7:30 p.m.
Sept. 17;vs. Shelbyville;7:30 p.m.
Sept. 24;vs. New Palestine;7:30 p.m.
Oct. 1;at Yorktown;7:30 p.m.
Oct. 8;vs. Delta;7:30 p.m.
Oct. 15;at New Castle;7:30 p.m.
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