Greencastle ready for third year under Stephens

It has been said some football coaches will break the season up into portions or refer to the first nine weeks as the regular season and the playoffs as being when the season truly starts.

Perhaps, no team in Indiana knew this better last year than the Greencastle Tiger Cubs.

An injury riddled regular season saw Greencastle take a 2-6 record into the regular season finale against county foe North Putnam. Starting to get back players from injury, the Tiger Cubs pasted North Putnam, 49-28, and rode that momentum to the sectional final, where Greencastle lost a heartbreaker to Linton-Stockton, 42-39. The Miners would go on to play for the Class 2A state title.

“It was a tale of two seasons. The regular season we were battling a ton of injuries and we had a postseason where we were healthy and were able to make a run,” head coach David Stephens said when looking back to the 2024 season.

The 2025 season features new expectations for Greencastle, as the Tiger Cubs are entering year number three with Stephens at the helm.

As for whether or not Greencastle is where he thought it would be at this point under his guidance, he said yes.

“We are from a strength standpoint. When I took over, we had very few players that were in the 800 pound club in bench, squat and clean. We are sitting at 16 right at the 800 pound club with a few others close. We have seen players really develop skill wise, too. When we got here, passing was a foreign concept. We now have a plethora of quality receivers,” Stephens admitted.

In addition to heightened expectations, the Tiger Cubs find themselves in one of the best conferences in Class 2A now, as Greencastle will play in the newly formed Monon Athletic Conference. Joining them will be traditional powerhouses Western Boone and Cascade, as well as North Putnam, Crawfordsville, Frankfort, Southmont and North Montgomery.

According to Stephens, the MAC will feature quality opponents every week.

“The conference is amazing and will be challenging. I don’t think there are any off weeks during the in-conference schedule. Every week, teams could be on upset alert,” Stephens said.

Looking to make a run at the MAC, Greencastle will lean heavily on junior quarterback Cole Stephens, who has thrown for over 5,500 yards and 63 touchdowns in his career. Joining him on offense will be the likes of running back Cayden Blodgett, and receivers Josh Beck and Trevin Long. Defensively, the Tiger Cubs will lean heavily on Parker Welker, CJ Proctor and Alex Grove, according to Stephens.

One thing that could benefit the Tiger Cubs this year is the number of younger players who had to step in and fill roles last year.

“I think it definitely helps out the kids who got playing time, but some kids that were more role players were put in featured positions. My hope is that manifests itself this year into some really productive, top end players,” Stephens said.

And, as for goals when the season approaches?

“We just want to maximize our potential every day,” Stephens said.