10/19/2024
A LOOK BACK: Triton Central Football and the Indiana Crossroads Conference.
Now that TC has played its final game in the ICC, I thought it would be a good time to look back at the Tigers’ time in the conference. Hopefully you find this interesting, and you may learn a couple things you didn’t know, remember, or realize…
The Tigers joined the ICC beginning in the 2012 season. I remember being on Coach Gabe Johnson’s staff in 2011, preparing for the transition to the very competitive ICC the next season. At that point we realized, even though TC had just won its first sectional championship in decades, we fell short of the mark when we traveled to Evansville to take on Mater Dei in the famed Reitz Bowl. We didn’t match their level of competition that day. We knew we would face multiple teams as good as Mater Dei on a regular basis when TC joined the ICC.
In short, somehow we had to find a way to take the TC Football program to another level if we hoped to compete every week in the ICC. We’re a small 2A farm community public school. The teams we would face would be bigger, faster, and more athletic than us, so we had to win with discipline, fundamentals, strength, and toughness. Oh, and there have been legendary coaches in the ICC we had to out-coach.
In the first year (2012), under coach Gabe Johnson, the Tigers finished 6-1 in the conference, second only to Cardinal Ritter, who had an undefeated season and went on to represent the South in the 2A state finals. A very respectable first year in the ICC for the Tigers! Things were looking good for the Tigers. But, then Coach Johnson announced he’d be leaving TC and going back home to coach at Bloomington South. We had to find another coach. Oh, Lord.
The 2013 season brought us new TC Head Coach Tim Able. This dude had a great resume, and was a winner in various class levels, with a state championship under his belt. But, could he continue the momentum TC had gathered over the last two seasons under Johnson? Well, let’s see…
After losing one of the most dynamic and impactful players in TCFB history when Dakota Nelson graduated, Coach Able had to find another way to get a very deep team of seniors to trust him and buy into his system. Even with some growing pains, the Tigers went 6-2 in the conference and went on to earn a trip to the section finals, losing a heartbreaker to a very talented Paoli team. While that was disappointing, overall it was considered a very good season, and things were looking good with a very talented junior class who would be returning for the 2014 season.
In 2014, Coach Able’s 2nd season, and TC’s 3rd in the ICC, the Tigers went 7-1 in the conference and won the ICC championship! The Tigers also went on to win a sectional championship, eventually losing a heartbreaker to Mater Dei at the Reitz Bowl again. It was a very competitive game the Tigers had a chance to win. The Tigers went into that game with two key injuries, one being the all-time record holding RB, Jonah Thacker, who dislocated his arm in the sectional final the week before. I truly believe we had the team to beat Mater Dei if we’d been at full strength, but you have to find a way to overcome injuries. It’s part of the game every team has to deal with.
The 2019 season brought the program’s first-ever Regional championship when TC finally got the monkey off their back and beat Mater Dei when they visited the Bud on a very cold and sunny Saturday afternoon. There were so many special things that happened in that game I won’t go into. You’ll just have to go back and watch the highlight video from that game.
All in all, over all 13 seasons in the conference, the Tigers have accumulated the second most number of wins and never had a losing season in the conference, or the season overall. Coach Able’s teams have amassed 108 wins in 12 seasons, an average of over 9 wins per season. He has led the Tigers to 2 conference championships and 6 sectional championships. During Coach Able’s tenure, the Tigers have never failed to reach the sectional championship game. That’s 12 seasons in a row, and still going! I’m not sure what other football programs in the state can make that boast, but it can’t be many.
THE COMPETITION: beginning in the 2012 season, the ICC has produced 28 sectional champions, 18 Regional champions, 8 semi-state champions, and 6 state championships. The 2024 post season promises to add more to that count with some ICC rematches looming over the next few weeks. I’ve always said the ICC is the most competitive small school conference in the state, and the championships prove it. The strong competition every Friday night throughout the season prepares teams for post season play.
Overall ICC team regular season conference wins since the 2012 season:
Indy Lutheran - 67
Triton Central - 66
Scecina Memorial - 63
Beech Grove - 44
Cardinal Ritter - 43
Monrovia - 38 (joined 2014)
Speedway - 26
Cascade - 7 (joined 2021)
Park Tudor - 2
Lapel - 1
Covenant Christian - 0 (joined 2024)
Disclaimer: don’t crucify me if the numbers above aren’t exactly correct. I checked them all a couple times, but there may be a +/- game margin of error.
Beginning next year, the Tigers start a new chapter in a new Hoosier Legends Conference, including Tri West, Beech Grove, Indian Creek, Speedway, Monrovia, Shelbyville, and Greenwood. TC will be the smallest school in the conference and, once again, will have to find a way to take the program to the next level to compete with the bigger schools every week. It’s the TC Football way!
Go Tigers!
