Greencastle ready for promising campaign

Greencastle's explosive offense will be led by sophomore quarter Cole Stephens, who took the WIC by storm last year.

After getting off to an 0-2 start last year, Greencastle found its footing and reeled off eight straight wins before losing to Linton-Stockton in the football sectional tournament. 

With many pieces back from last season, Greencastle head coach Dave Stephens believes the Tiger Cubs have an ability to not only produce another winning season, but contend in the Class 2A ranks this fall. 

"I don't feel like we are the hunted because we are on the hunt. We are hunting perfection in our craft. External opposition is inconsequential. If we take care of ourselves and relentlessly pursue getting better each day we will win a ton of games," Stephens told The Putnam County Post. 

After a long season that saw drastic changes for the Tiger Cubs in terms of the Western Indiana Conference, going independent and joining the Monon Athletic Conference in the future, Greencastle is just ready to get on the football field Friday when it hits the road for a clash against Monrovia. 

"The off season has been long but it has been great. We faced some incredible competition this summer and feel like we really challenged ourselves," the second year head coach said.

Greencastle's explosive offense will be led by sophomore quarter Cole Stephens, who took the WIC by storm last year. Last fall, Stephens was 154-of-229 for 2,675 yards and 34 touchdowns. He averaged just over 17 yards per pass, while completing 67 percent of his throws.  

"Cole has had huge growth this off season. He has put on 15 pounds of good weight from last year and I think that it will be evident to spectators watching the velocity of his throws and his increased contributions to our run game. He also spent the off season playing for a National 7 v 7 team and faced some of the best athletes from around the country. His understanding of passing windows and being able to throw the football into tightly covered areas has dramatically increased from a year ago," Stephens said of his quarterback. 

The Tiger Cubs also bring back weapons in Ian Williamson, Cameron Pingleton, Brayden Monroe and an offensive line that is big and "nasty," according to Stephens. 

"I am really excited about Ian Williamson. He is 6-foot-4 and really fast with soft hands. We are also blessed with a duo of defensive ends Cameron Pingleton and Brayden Monroe that are dominant at the 2A level. Finally, I am very excited about our offensive line. We return four of five starters from a year ago. The o-line is big, smart, physical, and have a nasty disposition, all the qualities a coach wants from his o-line," Stephens said. 

Greencastle's schedule features a bit of a change, as the Tiger Cubs will travel to Monrovia this week and take on Northview, Linton-Stockton, Indian Creek and Cascade, along with county foes North Putnam, South Putnam and Cloverdale. 

"When other teams raced to get us off the schedule we were left with some huge holes in our schedule. Our Athletic director did a wonderful job of getting us quality games that really challenges our team in a smart way and will prepare us for the post season. I look forward to the challenging schedule," said Stephens, who hopes it prepares his team for a tough Sectional 39 that features Brown County, Linton-Stockton, Mitchell, North Posey, Pike Central, South Vermillion and Sullivan. "Our sectional is a tough one. I feel like there are so many quality and championship level teams in our sectional."  

As for the opener against Monrovia, Stephens said the Tiger Cubs will face a team that is "big, strong and physical."

"I think we are very contrasting teams in terms of playing style. The team that can establish their style of play on the game has a great chance to win," Stephens said.