2025 Team Preview: East Central Set for Year Two in Class 5A

The Trojans won their first 5A sectional championship last season.

Head Coach: Jake Meiners (65-13 in 7th year at school)
2024: 8-4 (Sectional Champs, lost Regional 21-16 to Decatur Central)
Graduated 23 seniors: Carson Pieczonka, Bradley Flowers, Brendin Kolter, Gabriel Campbell, Jacob Gagnon, Parker Manning, Gavin Berting, Matthew Roy, Miles Inman, Cole Sebastian, Alex Kuhn, Nathan McFee, Tyler Cook, Logan Bleh, Braden Becknell, Emmit Trent, Remus Reatherford, DenZell Wallace, Wyatt Metcalf, Wyatt Smith, Anthony Darpel, Issac Williams 

Crunch Time Episode Featuring East Central: Crunch Time - July 28, 2025 - Crunch Time - Eagle Country 99.3

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Following back-to-back state championship winning seasons, East Central jumped to Class 5A in 2024 based on tournament success factor. The Trojans found success at the higher level, winning their first 5A sectional title in program history. 

At the regional, the Trojans were four yards away from defeating Decatur Central, who went on to win the state championship. 

With a year of playing in the 5A state tournament under their belt, East Central aims to make a deeper tournament run in 2025. 

"We experienced a few tight losses that are pretty winnable games for us. That is something we have focused on this off-season, is how we can win those games that are tightly contested. For us and our program, our first year up in 5A, to win a sectional championship (first time in school history), its a huge accomplishment for our group," said head coach Jake Meiners.

Should East Central win a regional championship this season, they will have earned enough tournament success points to stay in Class 5A the next two seasons. 

This year, East Central is part of the only 5A sectional that has five teams in it, which means there will essentially be a play-in game to get to an even number of four. Whiteland has been added to the fray with Columbus East, Franklin Community, Seymour, and East Central. 

East Central lost 23 seniors to graduation including All-State offensive lineman Wyatt Smith, linebacker Carson Pieczonka, and defensive back Gavin Berting (each were named to the IFCA 5A Senior All-State Team).

Other notable departures include starting offensive linemen Logan Bleh and Wyatt Metcalf, tight end Anthony Darpel, defensive linemen Brendin Kolter and Braden Becknell, linebackers Cole Sebastian and Alex Kuhn, cornerback Matthew Roy, and kicker Nathan McFee. 

OFFENSE

East Central scored 31.3 points per game last year and is returning a majority of their offensive starters. 

The Trojans are led by IFCA Junior All-State running back Ryan Minges. As a sophomore, Minges ran for 1,517 yards and 25 touchdowns (9th most in school history). Fellow junior Colton Bellman formed a nice one-two punch with Minges, running for 408 yards and five touchdowns. 

Senior quarterback Nolan Maple is back for his second year as a starter. He threw for 807 yards on just 125 attempts with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. His top two targets from a season ago are back. Senior Ethan Feldkamp caught 21 passes for 349 yards and four touchdowns. Eli Sehlhorst had 11 catches for 159 yards and one score. 

Aaron Mayer and Carson Ibold are back as pass catchers and speedster Trevor Perkins should see time as a receiving threat. 

Another name to know is Parker Wegman. The sophomore wide receiver has drawn some rave reviews from coaches and players this off-season. 

On the offensive line, senior Gavin Osterman and junior Samuel Kreimer are returning starters. They will be joined by Noah Brown, who is back after missing his entire sophomore season due to injury. 

Logan Colyer, Hank Timon, Cody Riehle, and Evan Deters are also expected to see time. DJ Miller is also in the mix. 

DEFENSE

Defensively, the Trojans return at least one starter at all three levels. In the secondary, senior Nyden Euson and sophomore Troy Sebastian are slated to start at the safety spots. Euson made 48 tackles and four interceptions in 2024. Sebastian showed his potential with 27 tackles, an interception and forced fumble. 

Noah Long, previously of Yorktown, brings plenty of experience to the Trojans' secondary. Carson Dorsey, Carson Roth, and Mitch Karaus provide depth. 

At linebacker, East Central is led by senior Jake Beare. He is the Trojans' top returning tackler from a season ago with 48, including seven for a loss. Jake Lutz, Ben Bond, Jared Cox, and Will Graf are battling for starting spots. 

Trey Nishime is back as the starting nose tackle. He had 21 tackles (3.5 for a loss) in 2024. He will be joined up front by the likes of Hank Timon, Luke Bovard, Parker Schneider, Jake Sillis.   

SPECIAL TEAMS

Last season, senior Nathan McFee went 25-25 on extra point attempts and 3-5 on field goals. He split time with returning kicker Leland Kahny, who made 22-of-25 extra points and his only field goal attempt. Kahny was a manager for the team as a freshman. Liam Cox, a soccer star at EC, has been punting and kicking in practice. 

GOALS & EXPECTATIONS

"The number one goal is to win every Friday night. But are you improving on a weekly basis, are you improving on a daily basis. All these guys are working on a different craft. Can they put together their craft and work on it on a daily basis and improve, and then as a team are we gelling together and improving. In the years we've had a lot of success are the years we continue to improve," said Coach Meiners. 

"We can't really think about going out and winning championships yet. We all want to sit here today and we want to win a state championship. Can we continue to improve and can we get to a point where we are the best possible football team we can be every Friday night, and if we can do that I truthfully think the outcomes will take care of themself," Meiners added.