Wabash River Conference 2025 Outlook

[Donnie Baker]

Due to high demand from some southern members here’s a preseason post for the WRC. Several new coaches, but probably not enough 😎. List your favorites and top players. My official Donnie Baker analist coming soon, I swear to God it is. Beware of The Panthers! 

[KAllen]

Welcome back, Donnie.   Can’t wait for your preseason forecast.    Lots to talk about regarding coaching changes, transfers to and from, graduation losses and upcoming players to spotlight.  In my best Bart Scott, “can’t wait”!!

[Bear54]

Nice to see some WRC chatter this early in the off-season. Are transfers really a thing in the WRC? I thought that was big city stuff. Really only one 'new' coach to speak about. Lots of  key graduation losses for several teams. This season could be a little different than previous years with no clear cut, hands down favorite... yet. Regardless, South Putnam still awaits the 1A teams who rise to the top in sectionals. Linton or LCC await the 2A schools. 

Attica - Coach Dean had a rough introduction into the WRC in his first year as HC. Only 17 points scored, while giving up 491. The defense struggled. Although, I believe the Ramblers will be improved, and may surprise some folks. But they are several years out until they make any impact again in the WRC. 

Covington - Coach Wheeler's crew had a respectable 6-5 outing last season, but were plagued by inconsistency. The Trojans will have to replace one of the toughest RB's to bring down in the WRC in Moore, along with several other seniors. So, getting numbers to come out to play will be important in order for them to maintain and build on the successes they did have. 

Fountain Central - Coach King could possibly have the most coming back with a talented QB and several skill position players on offense as well as several starters on defense. Look for the Mustangs to be much improved from last year. And it's Coach Herb King, so you know he's had all his boys going hard this off-season. He'll have them playing hard when the season rolls around. Some predict a championship season from FC. 

North Vermillion - Coach Crabtree is back after a one year hiatus. His predecessor probably had one of the better one and done stints in WRC history as a HC. The Falcons look to build on last year's surprise season, but will have to do it with a much younger roster. Might be some bumps and bruises along the way. But, like Coach King, Coach Crabtree usually seems to find a way to put it all together. 

Parke Heritage -  Coach Rector and crew had a pretty harsh ending to last season, bowing out to RP 70-0 in the first round of sectionals. Things haven't been the same in Rockville for a while. Can the Wolves tap into some of that old tradition? They may win a handful of games, but won't crack the upper half of the WRC. 

Riverton Parke - Coach Sanders has the Panthers believing in southern Parke County. Only questions RP has are... 1. Who do they replace the two headed monster of Price and Goff with? And 2. Can they really win the games that count by only running the ball? (Although they do run the ball very well behind that massive o-line. Which I hear may have gotten bigger.) They also return nearly everybody on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they were among the tops in the state in 1A. Could be the WRC favorite come October. 

Seeger - Coach Ragan's crew also experienced a rough season in 2024. But I'm sure the Patriots are looking forward to a better 2025. A lot of younger guys got some valuable experience last season. Hopefully, like PH, Seeger can tap into some of that tradition and bounce back. I predict an improved season in the upper half of the WRC. 

South Vermillion - New SV Coach Miller looks to maintain the success that Coach Barrett built for the Wildcats. As with most new head coaches, there will be some rough patches. But the biggest school in the WRC shouldn't have too much to worry about during the regular season. Can SV win in the playoffs? Undefeated seasons are great, but the people of Clinton want some post-season hardware! Lots of expectations for the young, new head coach. 

 

Edited May 12, 2025 by Bear54

[Richard C]

Football season can't get here soon enough.. Excited to see what the WRC has to offer this year. Although I believe those who finished at the bottom last year will finish there again but it is going to be interesting this season. I am going to go ahead an throw my predictions out there for the conference race

1.) Fountain Central- If Herb can win this conference this year I think he will ride off into the sunset on his golden pony.

2.) North Vermillion/Riverton Parke- This is a toss up. The tenderloins have to replace Goff and Price in the backfield and I'm not sure if they can do that. Surely someone has found a way to stop that double wing offense. With that being said having Crabtree back at the helm of NV I think they can be just as competitive as they were last year under the lead of ARod. Crabtree always finds a way to win games. 

3.) Seeger- Coach Ragan will have his guys ready. I believe that they will be better than last year. They will be more experienced and be right up there with the top dogs this year. 

4.) South Vermillion- Coach Miller is young but he is no Gregg Barrett... I heard that SV isn't returning a single yard of offense from last year. I believe they will compete but it will be a struggle for Coach Miller. Can he fill the shoes of the Great Gregg Barrett?

5.) Covington- Coach Wheeler had an impressive season last year. But losing Moore and his other seniors I don't think they will be as competitive as they were last year. I'll be curious to see if Coach Wheeler will have his guys ready. 

6.) Attica- Coach Dean has the Ramblers looking better than they have in the previous years. I also heard they have been winning a few games in some other sports. I think they will be better than last year. We will see what's in store for the Ramblers this year.

7.) Parke Heritage- Coach Rector had a rough stretch last year. The  two beatings they took to RP within two weeks was a rough stretch for them... Going to be hard for them to bounce back. I think it is a toss up between the Woofs and the Ramblers for last place in the conference this year... I wish the best for them
 

If you think any different I will tell you you're wrong, I swear to god I will. 

[KDumbwitty]

Happy to see this thread get started.   There's lots to talk about in the WRC and much of it isn't about the players on the field next year, rather who graduated, which coaches left (and came back) and the impact of athletes leaving based on the new transfer policy starting June 1st. 

Graduated Players:

• The impact of players graduating will be seen immediately in the conference starting with Garzolini (3100 passing yards) and Dawson, both who have committed to play D3 football and will do well.  Foxworthy and Sanders will lead the returning QB's, but lead in completely different ways.  Foxworthy will throw more and Herb is not afraid to pull the trigger and run him as needed and often.  Sanders will lead the run-heavy RP offense as a game manager and make very little mistakes.   
• Eight of the top 10 rushers have graduated, lead by Moore (1700) at covinginton and Price (1400) at RP.  Other large contributing losses include Botner and Dawson at NV, Price at RP and Rolison/Graves at PR
• Its easier to say that SV will lose the best WR's in the conference than to list anyone else.   Garzolini three for 3151 yards and every one of them went to a senior (Wallace, Weir, Coleman, Shryrock and Hill).  I think their water boy had more receiving yards than 50% of the conference. 

Coaches:

• Coach Barrett leaving will have the most impact on the conference, not only due to the large graduating class at SV, but it's hard to replace the run he's had the last 8+ years.  His staff is seasoned and their tenure with him makes a difference.   The new transfer policy will most likely benefit Coach Barrett at THS more than any coach in the WRC.  Although it is believed that the prior link rule supersedes the June 1st rule, so no SV players will follow him unless they change residency. 
• Replacing Coach B at SV is Cory Miller.   Although relatively young compared to his peers in the conference, Coach Miller brings with him knowledge of the college game based on his experience playing at Wabash and St Mary's.   How will he respond and follow-up the best team in school history last year?   Who will his staff be?  Will his age be an advantage or lack of experience create growing pains?   And lastly, does SV flip the script on the passing offence and become more balanced or do they keep rolling and let the ball fly?   Good luck to Coach Miller - Wabash Always Fights
• Crabtree returns to NV.  Hell, they even made him a hype video and hired Matthew McConaughey to narrate it.   The boosters at NV must be printing money to make that happen.   Regardless, let's not forget what Coach Rodriquez did last year with a group that most thought would be middle of the pack in the WRC.   Their only conference loss was to SV.  I was able to attend the NV/RP sectional game and wow, was it good.   Literally down to a blocked FG for the win to end the game.  Coach Crabtree will most likely reclaim his old staff and compete as the expected level at NV following a 9-2 during his one-year retirement.  

Transfers:

• Only rumors and whispers at this point.   Let's talk after June 1st. 

Preseason standings prediction:

• Riverton Parke -- Too big.  Too physical and too many athletes in the current group of kids.   
• Fountain Central -- Maybe the best QB in the conference, but can they protect him and stop RP's offense
• Seeger -- Good group of juniors and some added coaches to the staff will help significantly 
• North Vermillion -- Wise man once told me that you can have all the X's and O's, but you must still have the Jimmy's and Joe's.  Give them a couple years to reload
• Parke Heritage -- I really like a couple of their lineman.  Great wrestlers and strong, athletic kids.   Will they have to the skilled kids to push in the top 1/2 of the conf? 
• Covington -- Similar to SV, they lose their QB, top two rushers and top 3 WRs and 4 of 5 of their starting OL.  Their JH numbers haven't been promising the last 3 years.   Let's hope Coach Wheeler can regain better numbers and repeat last season's successes. 
• Attica - It wasn't long ago Coach Ryan good was beating the likes of Coach Moore at PH and Coach Crabtree at NV in sectional games.  The ebb's and flows of 1A football have shown no better example than at Attica in the last 10 years.   With several freshmen playing last year, let's hope Coach Dean can grab some wins in 2025. 

[DoctorShrimpPuertoRico5]

Here we are, T-Minus 3 months from Kick off in the WRC. A lot of things have changed and alot of stayed the same. Transfers are moving due to the new transfer rule. Coaches are gone, coaches are back. I love WRC Football.

conference lineup in my opinion. 
1. Fountain Central, the pony’s didn’t graduate too many. They return the best QB in the conference and an all state LB. Dodson also was a mean runner in their offense. I think they will build off of what they started last season. How long does Herb stay? Not sure but he’s here this season. 
2. Riverton Parke, they have a lot graduated but they also return a lot. Jett Lesniak is a player to watch in my opinion. I think he’ll turn heads, I’d like to see a race between him and North Vermillion’s Shawn Martin. They got a big lineman from SV this year and think they will be well off. That offense is a tough one to stop. 
 

3-4. this is where it gets interesting for me. I think it could be a toss up. North Vermillion’s got Crabtree back along with Earl. They return corner stones on defense and will need some guys to step up offensively. Crabtree is a winner and I’m sure has them killing the workouts this spring and summer. Seeger also could slide here. Seeger was a strong running team last year. If they can get pieces put together they could be a force to be reckoned with.

5. I think Barrett’s departure is going to hurt the Wild kitties. They graduated so much last year. New HC will have work cut out. I think they will be interesting 

6. who does Covington have? They graduated everyone except smith that I can recall. Cayenne Pepper is gone, moncrief is gone, Christoph is gone, Waddell is gone. I think they’ll pull some games out but not sure how many.

7. Call me crazy but I like what Dean is doing in Attica. I think they’ll finally get the long desired win that they’ve been longing for. I think Attica got the right guy in at the helm and I think they’ll play games closer

8. Parke Heritage, not too long ago they were contenders but that 70-0 murder they endured is hard to get past. Down year for the woofs. At least they still have basketball running strong

Edited May 13, 2025 by DoctorShrimpPuertoRico5

[ThePrince]

LOVE to see a WRC thread before the summer even gets here! Couple of coaching changes and a tiny bit of competition for the top spot in the WRC this upcoming season. In my mind there are really only two teams competing for the title.

1. Fountain Central - The KING is still going strong and I don't think anyone will have enough power to slow down his masterly crafted offense. With the best backfield in the conference in Foxworthy and Dodson, I don't see them scoring under 40 points a game. Those of you thinking Coach King will "ride into the sunset" are wrong. I don't think he'll ever give up coaching (that's only because I don't want him to) I truly believe he has a good 10 years of coaching at his peak before he retires. I simply have FC at 1 over RP because of The Coach King.

2. Riverton Parke -  Man oh man do they have some big boys up front or what?! Rumor is they have multiple guys squatting over 400 pounds and some are into the 500s!!! With the line that they have I don't think it will matter too much who is running the ball. They will miss their two headed monster from last year, but I think they will still find success in running the ball. Is this the year they are crowned champion?

3. Seeger - They didn't lose a lot from last year. Coach Reagan is doing a good job over there and I think he will continue win as well. I think they bounce back after that tough 3 win season

4. NV - The return of Crabtree. One of the best coaches the WRC has ever seen (behind Herb of course). He has a lot of work to do with the under class men, but we all know that he will figure out ways to win ball games. 

5. SV - Call me crazy but I think SV hired the perfect guy to come and replace Barrett. A hometown kid with the desire to WIN. I think a lot of people will count SV out this year but I think Miller will keep things on track. 

6. PH - Let's not count PH out yet. All of the past season their head coach was gone. It's tough to win games when the head coach isn't there. I'm pretty sure coach Rector will be at PH all summer and for the fall. 

7. Attica - Love coach Dean and what he's done at Attica. He had those boys playing hard all season. I think this will be the year they can score some points and be in some ball games.

8. Covington - Covington lost everyone and I think it will be a tough year for them. The good thing is that Wheeler is doing a great job and I do not think that they will stay at the bottom of the WRC for very long. From what I'm hearing is that they need more kids to come out to field a team this upcoming season. 

[KAllen]

 

Predictions:

1. Riverton Parke – I’ll admit it, I’m bias.  I pick them to win every game.   Senior QB, every OL starter returning and a move-in or two that could help them up front.   Yes, they lost Price, but they’ve also had an all-state RB in two of the last three years.   The next man up at RP is McConnell, Lesniak and Vester (finished 2^nd in the state in kick return avg).  52 players on the roster gives them the ability to play several players one way.  
2. Fountain Central – Circle week 3 vs RP as a “must-see” game.  Last year’s game ended 46-6, but don’t expect that in 2025.  FC had some of their big boys at the WRC weightlifting contest this year and were impressive.    With losing seasons in 3 of the last 4 years, I see FC rebounding and competing with RP for the WRC crown.
3. Seeger – Last year’s sophomore class will continue to grow and compete for the top 3 in the conference.   Like RP and FC, they return nearly every player on their roster, making them another favorite to place in the top 3 in the conference.  
4. South Vermillion – I’ll give Cory and the Wildcats over the Falcons only because both of his parents are from Montezuma and RP grads.   With a bloodline like that, he always gets the tie.  With that said, he will have to replace an entire set of skilled kids and a couple starting OL that represented nearly his entire offense in yards/TD’s.  
5. North Vermillion –  Its hard not to appreciate the work that Coach Rodriquez did with the 2024 Falcons on the field.  9-1 in the conference and a tough loss to RP in the sectional capped a great season.  Coach Crabtree will build around Martin and Griffen.  NV will be a tough out again in 2024.  
6. Parke Heritage – Coach V brought some great looking kids to the WRC weight context.   I personally think the Burgess kid will be one of the top DE’s in the conference this year.   Great wrestler, strong and great head on his shoulders.   Their OL will be much improved, but do they have the skilled kids to put points on the scoreboard this season? 
7. Covington --  Hopefully Coach Wheeler gets the numbers he needs to continue rebuilding the Trojans.  Just a couple years ago, the Trojans were 8-2 and competing for the conference championship.  
8. Attica --  Attica will improve this season simply by their freshman and sophomores gaining experience the hard way.   They have 3-4 games on the schedule that are winnable this season.  Here’s to hoping they knock down a few W’s.  

 

[WRC123]

I think its pretty simple this year

1. RP - Too much to handle and too physical. I believe they will dominate every WRC team this year. They may only pass the ball 20 times all season but that's all they will need to do. Smash mouth football in Panther County this year!

2. FC - Big gap between them and RP. @KAllen this will NOT be a "must see" game. RP will have running clock at halftime. Look for a similar score as last year.

3. Seeger - With everyone they have returning I could see them putting up a fight with FC and end up being #2

4. NV - Only because Crabtree is back. They lost a lot of talent but he'll have them ready to play

5. SV - Coach Miller will figure things out. He's a great guy and I'm hearing that SV is happy to have hired him

6. PH - If they could get some of the basketball athletes out they would be dangerous. 

7. Covington - Sounds like a number issue in Covington. After losing a solid senior class it might be rough for a couple years 

8. Attica - Hopefully they can keep some games closer this year but I think they are still one year away

[adambetz]

If you have the power to delete this comment please do so

Edited May 19, 2025 by adambetz

[DoctorShrimpPuertoRico5]

Has any team other than the Tenderloins gotten any transfers? @KDumbwitty has any little birdy told you anything? You said let’s come back after June first, let’s talk transfers

[Donnie Baker]

53 minutes ago, DoctorShrimpPuertoRico5 said:

Has any team other than the Tenderloins gotten any transfers? @KDumbwitty has any little birdy told you anything? You said let’s come back after June first, let’s talk transfers

Tenderloins is the new Visors. I swear to God it is 

[KDumbwitty]

On 6/18/2025 at 12:05 PM, DoctorShrimpPuertoRico5 said:

Has any team other than the Tenderloins gotten any transfers? @KDumbwitty has any little birdy told you anything? You said let’s come back after June first, let’s talk transfers

Lots of unnamed sources unwilling to confirm player transfers until school officially starts.  Social media is abuzz with stories and predictions recently from statewide football media. 

 

 Transfers that can be confirmed are coaches -- Earl to NV, Petrillo to FC.   

[Donnie Baker]

2 hours ago, KDumbwitty said:

Lots of unnamed sources unwilling to confirm player transfers until school officially starts.  Social media is abuzz with stories and predictions recently from statewide football media. 

 

 Transfers that can be confirmed are coaches -- Earl to NV, Petrillo to FC.   

Word on the beat is several FC parents wanted to see Earl stay and take over 

[KAllen]

On 7/10/2025 at 2:19 PM, Donnie Baker said:

Word on the beat is several FC parents wanted to see Earl stay and take over 

Austin P stayed at SMOWC to coach there.   Heck of a football player at PH.