BOURBON — In his second season as head football coach at Triton High School, Zach Whittaker has added an additional layer to the team’s culture.
A leadership council now helps make team rules, discipline decisions and more.
“The main goal is to have the players lead,” says Whittaker, who guided the IHSAA Class 1A Trojans to marks of 8-4 overall and 5-2 in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference in 2023. “We implement the culture and have the players uphold that standard.
“It’s something new we tried this year and it has been pretty successful.”
The group is reading Tom Roy’s leadership book, “Flock: Lead your tribe. Feed your team. Protect your people.”
Whittaker says the council is different from captains voted on by players and Triton has seven of those — seniors Ben McFarland, Connor Stetzel, Tanner Witt-Hoyo and Dante’ Workman, juniors Vinny Prater and Colton Reynolds and sophomore Preston Brookins.
The Trojan’s 2024 motto is “We Over Me.”
The coach reports that Triton enjoyed a productive summer with weightlifting, team practices, scrimmages against four schools (Tippecanoe Valley, Central Noble, Wheeler and Wabash) and a small school division win in the 7-on-7 tournament at Mooresville.
“We were definitely able to get a good gauge on where we’re at,” says Whittaker. “I think our entire team made it to 90 percent of the summer workouts.”
Triton employs a wing-T offensive attack. McFarland and junior Gage Riffle (8-of-18 completions for 133 yards and two touchdowns, a pair of rushing TDs and 12 points scored in 2024) have been the top candidates to replace graduated Cole Shively (team-high 127 points last fall) at quarterback.
Running backs Prater (119 carries for 764 yards, six TDs and 36 points) and junior Jayden Overmyer (78 carries for 502 yards, eight TDs and 48 points), wideouts Witt-Hoyo (three catches for 68 yards) and Workman (32 catches for 807 yards, eight TDs and 55 points), senior guard Esai Lemler and junior tackle Brady Schuh (6-foot-5, 300-plus pounds) are returning offensive starters.
Senior Wayne Reichert was the team’s starting fullback until an injury ended his 2023 season. He has been moved to tight end in 2024.
Other likely offensive starters according to Whittaker are junior wingback Isaac Quintana, center Brookins, junior guard Cohen Stayton and junior tackle Maddox Dennie.
“Overall, we’re pretty experienced,” says Whittaker. “We able to get those guys a lot of reps.
“We’ll have about seven or eight juniors starting but I feel like we are an experienced team.”
The Trojans’ base defense moves from a 4-4 to a 3-4.
“We don’t have a lot of depth on the line, but we have a lot of strong, fast athletes so the 3-4 is going to fit us better with our personnel this year,” says Whittaker.
In the mix on that side of the ball are Prater, Dennie, Lemler and Schu on the line, Lemler (57 total tackles in 2023), Overmyer (46 total tackles and three fumble recoveries), Reichert and Reynolds (team-high 69 total tackles and three fumble recoveries) at linebacker, McFarland, Witt-Hoyo, McFarland and Workman (53 total tackles) in the secondary.
Workman looks to handle kick-off and placekicking duties with Workman and Overmyer splitting punting.
Whittaker is Triton’s offensive coordinator. Brandon Stewart is the defensive coordinator. Other assistants include Aaron Haines, Bryon Overmyer, Steve Watkins and Scott Whittaker.
Triton went 8-4 overall and 5-2 in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference in 2023.
“Judson is going to be the team to beat,” says Whittaker of 2024. “They return starters and quality and went semi-state the last three years. Top to bottom our conference is pretty solid.”
The Trojans open the season at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 at home against 1A LaVille.
After that comes contests at 2A Bremen Aug. 30, vs. 1A Culver Community Sept. 6, at 1A South Central (Union Mills) Sept. 13, at 1A Winamac Sept. 20, vs. 1A North Judson Sept. 27, at 1A Caston Oct. 4, vs. 1A Pioneer Oct. 11 and at 1A North Miami Oct. 18. The last seven regular-season games are in the HNAC.
Triton’s last sectional title came in 2018.