Indiana high school football hires New Coach and …..

It’s time to kick off the Indiana high school football season! A few schools are on the move via the success factor and there’s been some conference realignment.

Here are some more folks on the move heading into the 2024 season:

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QB Connor Cruz (Jr.)

From: Covenant Christian; To: Mooresville

Cruz passed for 2,631 yards and 33 touchdowns last season as a sophomore for Covenant Christian. With the Pioneers, he steps in for Hogan Denny, who graduated as one of Mooresville’s most-decorated athletes ever.

QB Jacob Davis (Jr.)

From: Springboro, Ohio; To: New Palestine

New Pal’s new QB seems to have supplanted junior quarterback Gavin Neal, who passed for 1,469 yards, 14 TDs and ran for 499 yards, five TDs last season. As a sophomore in Ohio, Davis passed for 1,023 yards and nine TDs a year ago. The Dragons are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A to start the season

RB Kendall Garnett III (Sr.)

From: Westfield; To: Warren Central

Garnett rushed for 2,034 yards over the past two seasons for the Shamrocks with 27 total touchdowns (three receiving). He had a monster game in the regional final against HSE, rushing for 223 yards and three scores in Westfield’s 24-21 win. He joins a Warriors backfield that returns seniors Jaylan McMoore (926 rushing yards, eight TDs) and James Clark (559 yards, four TDs).

Coach Max Goodin

From: Decatur Central (defensive coordinator); To: Indian Creek

Goodin coached at Decatur Central in 2017, then two seasons at Lafayette Central Catholic in 2018 and ’19, before returning as the Hawks’ defensive coordinator for the past four seasons.

The 31-year-old Goodin is a first-time head coach. But Kyle Enright, who has led Decatur Central to a pair of Class 5A state finals appearances in his eight seasons, including last November, said Goodin is more than ready.

“… he’s great for kids. They’ll run through a brick wall for him,” Enright said. “He does a lot of things outside of football, whether it’s academics or whatever else. He was that person for us. He’s a student-first person who just kind of gets it. We’re going to miss him but this has been his dream.”

Coach Dan Harris

From: Roncalli assistant coach; To: Scecina head coach

Harris replaces Ott Hurrle, who retired in March after 32 seasons as head coach and nearly five decades on the Scecina staff. A Roncalli grad, the 29-year-old Harris played at Franklin College and has worked on staffs for seven years with Jason Simmons at Noblesville and Ben Davis.

Scecina Hires New Head Football Coach Dan Harris | Scecina Memorial High School

“Coach Hurrle has his imprint everywhere here,” Harris said. “Kids are very disciplined, and they know how to work hard. But I’m young and dumb, so I like to make sure we’re having fun. I think the kids are starting to realize it’s OK to be goofy and have fun and hoot and holler – have some juice. It’s been a work in progress, but I think they are having fun but also working hard. It’s been a tough balance, but I think we finally hit it.”

Coach Josh Miracle

From: Westfield defensive coordinator; To: Westfield head coach

Miracle, 35, takes over for Jake Gilbert, who joined the coaching staff at Wabash College as defensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting as Don Morel will lead the Little Giants for one more season before retiring after the 2024 season.

Miracle established himself as a top candidate to replace Gilbert during his 13 years on staff at Westfield, earning the Frank Broyles Award last season as the top assistant coach in Indiana. For the past 10 years, he has worked as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Shamrocks.

Josh Miracle was named Indiana’s top assistant coach Now, he gets to lead Westfield.

Westfield names Josh Miracle to replace Jake Gilbert as football coach

“Josh is a natural leader. He was named the top assistant coach in Indiana last season.. Josh’s time is now, and he’ll do an amazing job.”

Josh Miracle sees his appointment as Jake Gilbert’s successor as football coach at Westfield a vote of confidence for the entire staff.

“It’s not just me,” Miracle said. “These guys have worked so hard and been given more responsibilities along the way. I might be the name on (the head coaching job) but all of the staff deserves credit.”

Miracle, 35, takes over for Gilbert, who joined the coaching staff at Wabash College as defensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting as Don Morel will lead the Little Giants for one more season before retiring after the 2024 season.

“I think the nice part is that I’ve had a say and influence in 13 years on this staff,” Miracle said. “I think it’s helped that I’ve had to navigate some things and my purpose in coaching is to love, lead and grow. I don’t think our mission changes. I’ve had a great opportunity with Jake to learn and grow and I’m looking forward to more great experiences with this program.”

Miracle’s relationship with Gilbert goes back to his playing days at Wabash. Gilbert, a 1998 Wabash graduate, coached at Wabash as an assistant for five seasons from 2006-10 before taking the Westfield job. During his first stint as an assistant at Wabash, Miracle, a 2007 Hobart graduate, was a player there.

“Jake and I have been together for 17 years,” Miracle said. “He had a big impact on me. He took a chance on me when he came to Westfield, and I was able to do my student teaching there. He’s been a friend and mentor and anything else you can imagine along the way. He gave me more opportunities and responsibilities as he explored other avenues (Gilbert ran for Westfield mayor last year). I knew at some point this opportunity could present itself, but you just take it day by day. The best job is where your feet are.”

Gilbert called Miracle “beyond ready” for the job. He coached on a staff that won a Class 5A state championship in 2016 and was a 5A runner-up in 2013 and 6A runner-up in 2020 and ’21.

“Josh is a natural leader,” Gilbert said. “He was named the top assistant coach in Indiana last season. He has called the defense in three state championship games. Josh’s time is now, and he’ll do an amazing job.”

Miracle and wife, Renee, have three sons, ages 6, 4 and 2. In addition to his football coaching duties, he has also been the head coach for the boys and girls track teams at Westfield for the past 12 years. Miracle was also active in helping build the Westfield youth football program, an area Gilbert identified in helping to build the program when he arrived at Westfield.

“We lose a great friend and mentor within our program, but Jake is the right man to lead Wabash,” Miracle said. “He built such a great program here and family culture that we want to continue.”

Miracle said he may not have known it at the time but growing up in Hobart, a community with a storied football history, helped set him on a path to coaching.

“Hobart football reigned supreme,” Miracle said. “Playing in the Brickie Bowl was a big deal. Early on, you find yourself getting teammates to go play to live up to the expectations.”

The staff at Wabash also had an impact on Miracle. Chris Creighton, now coaching Eastern Michigan, was the coach at Wabash when he arrived in 2007. Tom Allen was also on the staff that year in his first college job after leaving Ben Davis.

“I had some special coaches there and was able to stick it out for four years,” Miracle said. “I learned a lot from the likes of coaches like Chris Creighton and Tom Allen, in addition to coach Gilbert.”

Coach Rajshawn Mosley

From: Christel House; To: Beech Grove

A Tech grad, Mosley played two seasons at Northern Illinois before finishing his college playing career at Indiana State. He served as an assistant coach at Perry Meridian and Lawrence Central before taking the Christel House head coach position last season, going 3-6. Mosley replaces Brandon Winters, who went 12-19 in three seasons leading the Hornets.

Coach Sam Otley

From: Roncalli offensive coordinator; To: Roncalli head coach

The first Roncalli alum to lead the program, Otley, 31, was team captain and offensive MVP as a senior for Indiana Football Hall of Fame coach Bruce Scifres. The 2011 Roncalli graduate has been an assistant coach on the staff for the past eight seasons, including the offensive coordinator role in 2022 and ’23.

Otley, the oldest of five brothers who all played football, has a deep connection to Roncalli, extending back three generations. After playing fullback at Franklin College, he returned to Roncalli as a fullbacks and tight ends coach in 2016 when Roncalli finished 15-0 and won the Class 4A state championship in Scifres’ final season.

Roncalli football hires alum, assistant Sam Otley as head coach

“(Scifres) was a great mentor for me as a player and then working with him for a year,” Otley said. “My experience with him and understanding what it means to be a leader was important to me. Mike Leonard was another Hall of Fame coach I was fortunate enough to play for (at Franklin). Learning what championship football looks like from those two guys, you can see the process behind it and what it means to establish a championship team and culture. Those relationships mean a great deal to me.”

Roncalli hires from within for fifth football coach since 2016: ‘We have a lot to prove.’

A surprising note, perhaps, about Roncalli’s new football coach: He is the first Roncalli alum to lead the program.

Sam Otley, 31, was the team captain and offensive MVP as a senior for Indiana Football Hall of Fame coach Bruce Scifres. The 2011 Roncalli graduate has been an assistant coach on the staff for the past eight seasons, including the offensive coordinator role in 2022 and ’23.

Now, Otley is the first Roncalli graduate to coach the Royals.

“I was surprised to learn that when they mentioned it,” Otley said. “It is cool because the program is special to me and has been for a long time. I think it’s a testament to the program that they are willing to believe in me as an alum and product of the program to keep moving it forward and carry on the tradition.”

“He was a great mentor for me as a player and then working with him for a year,” Otley said of Scifres. “My experience with him and understanding what it means to be a leader was important to me. Mike Leonard was another Hall of Fame coach I was fortunate enough to play for (at Franklin). Learning what championship football looks like from those two guys, you can see the process behind it and what it means to establish a championship team and culture. Those relationships mean a great deal to me.”

Otley is just the 11^th coach in Roncalli’s history, which includes 10 state championships, most recently in 2020 in Class 4A under coach John Rodenberg. Roncalli nearly did it again in 2022 in Eric Quintana’s first year as coach, falling in overtime in the semistate to East Central, which won the state title that year and again in 2023.

Quintana who led the Royals to a 16-9 record over two seasons and was the 2022 Marion County coach of the year, resigned in April citing “philosophical differences.”

Including Scifres’ final season, Otley is the fifth coach to lead the program since 2016. Otley’s connection to Roncalli and the stability it brings likely worked in his favor.

“Stability is important,” Otley said. “That’s something I did bring to the table, being on the staff as long as I have. There is some consistency and that’s something we talked about in the interview. I’m a common face here and the kids know who I am and what I’m about, especially at this point in the spring. I’m proud of how the kids have reacted to change and the momentum that we have going.”

After graduating so many key senior players from the 2022 team, last year was expected to be a rebuilding year for Roncalli. The Royals finished 4-7 with a 17-9 loss to Mooresville in the sectional semifinal.

“I’m not going to give a win-loss projection, but we had a lot of talented young football players who got a taste of varsity football early on in their careers,” Otley said. “I’m excited. We have a lot to prove, and they are working their tails off. That’s my goal to continue to develop everybody and continue day by day with the attitude and effort we’ve been getting from our senior leaders.”

Otley played on four conference champions and teams that advanced to the second round of the Division III playoffs three times at Franklin College, earning team captain status as a senior. He coached on the staff at Franklin and North Carolina Wesleyan before coming back in 2016 to Roncalli, where he also coached the offensive line and running backs. Otley was also an assistant for the boys track and field program.

With Roncalli’s history as a running team and Otley’s background as a fullback and line coach, it would make sense to expect the Royals to follow in that tradition.

“At Roncalli we kind of wear that badge of honor to pound it down teams’ throats and win the line of scrimmage,” Otley said. “But our offensive philosophy will be multiple and balanced when we need to be. We’re going to play sound, fundamental football.”

Otley will teach advanced physical conditioning and work with the athletic department managing the strength and conditioning program.

“Naming Sam Otley as our head coach comes with great excitement,” Roncalli athletic director David Lauck said. “He’s a longtime assistant coach in our program and has been mentored by some outstanding high school and college coaches during his football career. He is a Roncalli alumnus, understands and lives our mission and vision and bleeds red, white and blue.”

Roncalli opens the season on Aug. 23 at Southport.

“I come from a long line of Roncalli football players,” Otley said. “My faith and development as a young adult is something I carry with me still today. My experience at Roncalli provided a strong foundation for my faith and influences me to want to impact these kids in a meaningful way. I can’t wait to get to work.”

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Tags: Indiana high school football

Indiana high school football hires New Coach and …..

QB Connor Cruz (Jr.)

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