We begin our countdown of the top-10 high school football teams in Central Indiana with Cathedral at No. 10:
Last season, for the first time since 2005, the high school football regional was played without Cathedral. The state’s longest sectional title streak ended at 12 when the Irish lost 21-14 to Decatur Central in the Class 5A Sectional 13 championship game.
“It was sour to leave it where we did, especially to Decatur,” said Cathedral senior offensive tackle Tex Elliott. “But you can’t look in the rearview mirror. You have to look forward. I think this year we’re coming for them.”
It was a season of mixed results for Cathedral, which finished 6-6 in Bill Peebles’ first season as coach after leaving Lawrence Central. It was the first non-winning season for the Irish since a 3-7 mark in 2005.
Yet there is optimism around the Cathedral campus this summer, though this will be a young team, particularly on the offensive line. One reason for optimism is at the quarterback position, where senior Orin Edwards returns. In his first full season as a starter, Edwards completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,511 yards and 23 touchdowns (with four interceptions). Edwards is also an above-average runner (237 yards and three TDs).
While Cathedral’s success on offense will hinge on the effectiveness of Edwards, it is just as crucial that the 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior raises the level of play of his teammates.
“Really the development is – this is his offense,” Peebles said of Edwards. “A couple of weeks ago we had a team meeting and we wanted to go through all the routes with the receivers because had two or three sophomores playing because of injuries. I said, ‘OK, let’s meet.’ And he went through the whole thing and I never said a word. He did a great job. The bottom line is when you have a really smart, intelligent quarterback who is a really good leader, the offense becomes your offense. He’s pretty close.”
There are a lot of question marks around Edwards on offense. The Irish could start three sophomores on the offensive line. Cathedral graduated 1,000-yard rusher Chon’dre Cissell and 1,000-yard receiver Bo Sanders, as well as standout tight end Haven Montefalco. But there are a pair of running backs with some experience in 5-7, 150-pound senior Daylen Hall (384 yards, two touchdowns) and 6-foot, 180-pound junior Jake Langdon (103 yards, two TDs).
“Daylen Hall is lightning quick,” Peebles said. “He’s not very big. Kind of like Chon’dre Cissell was for us last year. Jake Langdon is more of our north-south horse.”
Cathedral will be young along the offensive line and at receiver. Elliott, who is 6-5 and 285 pounds, will be something of a mentor for the young linemen. He has already seen plenty of progress through the summer.
“Sometimes I have to be a coach in there and show them how to do it,” Elliott said. “We have sophomores this year who have never seen a (Cincinnati St. Xavier) linemen before. They have to be coached up to face those kind of Division I players. It seems like July was a huge month for us. They went from, ‘I’m a sophomore and don’t know how to play this game’ to ‘I’m a starter and I’m going to go out and get some bodies.’”
As the offense matures, Peebles expects to lean on the defense. There are several playmakers returning on that side, including senior safety Shiloh Means (100 tackles) and senior linebacker Quinton Cannon (68 tackles, nine tackles for loss).
“The reality is that early on the defense is going to have to carry us because of our youth and inexperience on offense,” Peebles said. “We have some good returning players. Shiloh Means is an excellent player. ‘Q’ Cannon has multiple offers. (Defensive tackle) Sean Oldham is healthy for the first time and he’s a load. He’s a guy as a sophomore who gave Emil Ekiyor a hard time one-on-one. When he’s healthy, he can be a major force for us.”
Means is uncommitted, but has a top four list of Air Force, Miami of Ohio, Penn and Yale. Cannon committed to Western Michigan early in July.
Cathedral appeared poised to move back down to Class 4A at the beginning of the summer. But once the Indiana High School Athletic Association altered its tournament success factor formula, Cathedral football was one of the programs effected and was moved back to 5A. So the Irish are back again in Sectional 13 with Decatur Central, Plainfield, Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South.
“For the most part, I think it’s business as usual,” Edwards said. “I think we’ll open up the playbook a little bit more. Last year at this time I was very nervous going in there. I didn’t know the offense all that well. This year I feel like it’s my team and I’m ready to go in there and be a leader. I think we’ll be very good.”
Schedule overview: Cathedral’s schedule is always tough and this season is no different. The Irish play three games in Cincinnati – at Moeller, Elder and St. Xavier, along with another out-of-state opponent, Louisville Trinity. There are also games against Noblesville, Bishop Chatard, Jeffersonville, Brebeuf Jesuit and Center Grove.
Expectation: Cathedral’s record might not look all that different than it did a year ago. But I would expect the Irish to win the sectional this year before running into New Palestine in the regional.
