FLOYDS KNOBS — The Floyd Central Highlanders may be like a big puzzle to start the season.
They graduated 21 players from a team that went 8-2 and captured the program’s first Hoosier Hills Conference title (thanks to a perfect 6-0 mark in league play) in 20 years in 2023.
“It’s a huge puzzle out here as we have the pieces to put them in, but where do they go?” Highlanders head coach James Bragg, who is entering his seventh season at the helm of FCHS, asked rhetorically. “Which juniors and sophom*ores are going to step up and be here?”
Tristan Robertson and Mitch Bernardi were two of the biggest graduation losses off an offense that averaged 37.4 points and 410.6 yards of total offense per game last year.
Robertson, a three-year starter at quarterback, threw for 1,852 yards and 22 touchdowns (against only four interceptions) last season. He finished his career as Floyd’s career passing leader with 4,296 yards. Robertson also was the team’s second-leading rusher, with 544 yards, and ran for 11 TDs.
Bernardi, the team’s starting running back, rushed 156 times for 1,042 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2023.
But that’s not all Floyd Central lost. Last season’s top four tacklers — Andrew Gibson (50), Samuel Lockhart (48), Max Milliner (36) and Michael Howe (33) — also graduated.
The Highlanders, however, do return 10 starters (seven on offense and three on defense).
Three starters return on the offensive line. They are seniors Braden Noble, Brody Crump and Will Brown. Noble is the right tackle, Crump left guard and Brown left tackle.
“We’re getting our chemistry down on the offensive line while our quarterback is getting better, and we have our entire wide receiver corps coming back,” Noble said. “I think the offense is going to be good this year.”
Isaac Kaiser leads the returning group of receivers. The senior is coming off of a breakout junior season in which he recorded 43 receptions for 961 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Also back are David Pennington (18 receptions for 191 yards) and Camden Harritt (15 catches for 246 yards and five TDs).
A key newcomer is sophom*ore Donovan Taylor. The New Albany transfer led the Bulldogs in receptions (18) and receiving yards (294) while also topping the team in kickoff return yards (833) and all-purpose yards (1,247).
“We lost a lot of valuable guys and a lot of chemistry was broken up with the last class,” Kaiser said. “The biggest thing is, you can’t get it back, it’s over. It’s a new year and we’re trying to build a new chemistry. It’s a new team and I’m putting myself in a leadership role to get it done.”
Who will throw that trio of receivers the football? That remains to be seen.
Three are currently vying for the job. They are junior Jack Mull and sophom*ores Jaxon Stone and Mac McFarland. Bragg said Mull, who completed his only pass attempt last season, is the frontrunner.
“They all have great qualities in them,” the coach said. “McFarland is getting reps at quarterback, but he’s starting to breakthrough in our wide receiver corps. Additionally, Stone is getting reps at safety. That’s a great problem to have for us because whatever guy is quarterback, then you’re going to see the others on the field in some capacity. It’s our job, as coaches, to figure out where that capacity can help our team the most.”
Another returnee on offense is junior running back Sebastian Robertson. He ran for 336 yards and three touchdowns as a sophom*ore.
Senior Sam Franks is one of the newcomers on offense. He’ll take over for Parker McCullough at center.
“We have guys we know can play, but they have to show it at practice and every day we get better,” Bragg said. “If you don’t have five guys on the offensive line who can block, or four defensive linemen who can take down the run, then it doesn’t matter what scheme we run. We have to control the trenches.”
Senior Wayde Jacobi is one of the three returning starters on defense. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound lineman was fifth on the team in tackles last year with 31.
As new chemistry is built between the Highlanders, they will have to rely on each other in defending their HHC title.
“We know everyone in the conference is going to want to knock us off, not because we’re conference champs but because we’re Floyd Central,” Bragg said. “We don’t take every week for granted and the one thing we talked to the players about is, ‘Every year you might have one loss and it’s not the end of your title run.’ Two years ago, we were 2-1 in the driver’s seat for the conference and we blew it. Just because you take a loss in conference, you still have to be playing and continue to drive for the conference championship.”
The league season begins in Week 4 for the Highlanders, who travel to Seymour on Sept. 13. Then Floyd will host Jeffersonville (Sept. 20) and Columbus East (Sept. 27) before heading up north to Bedford North Lawrence and Jennings County. The final week is Oct. 18 at home against rival New Albany.
The Highlanders host powerhouse Louisville St. Xavier in their season-opener next Friday night. That’s followed by road games at Terre Haute South and Silver Creek.
“The great thing about our schedule is we start out hard and then we get into conference play,” Bragg said. “I will be very interested in the conference makeup. I don’t know who the frontrunner is for this year, as everyone has graduated a ton and it’s all fresh now. It will be interesting how the conference will shake out this year.”
One thing the Highlanders hope to shake is their string of early postseason exits. They've lost their first sectional game in three of the last four years.
“I think the postseason has hurt us because we got the automatic bye,” Bragg said of playing in a four-team Class 5A sectional. “I feel like the last two years we have had a lot of momentum going into the playoffs and then we have a dead week. It’s good and bad, but sometimes I think we overthink the dead week.”
