Three state championship game appearances. The Indiana high school Mr. Football Award. The Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award. A 39-5 record in the regular season and postseason combined. These are just some of the accomplishments that were achieved by quarterbacks Morgan Newton ‘09 and Adam Shaffer ‘10 the past three years.

They achieved many things during their tenure at this school, but now have graduated and moved on to college. And with a new head coach and new talent being summoned upon, the challenge of replacing these two successful quarterbacks will be a difficult task.

“Morgan was a phenomenal athlete that could make plays that many could not. Adam’s strength was his decision- making skills on the field. He put himself and others in a position to succeed,” said offensive line coach Brian Spilbeler via e-mail.

Newton led the Hounds to a state championship his junior year, followed that with another appearance in the championship game his senior year, and settling for a runner-up finish.

In Shaffer’s one-year starting, he led the Hounds to an outright Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference title and the State Final, where they lost in a heartbreaker.

According to Spilbeler, senior Scott Stilson appears as the favorite to take over the role of starting quarterback for the team this year. Stilson has been the starting quarterback on the junior varsity team for the past two seasons.

Spilbeler said he thinks Stilson will help the team be successful this year.

“Scott is a very intelligent kid, and is establishing himself as a leader. He is tough, makes good decisions, and has a passion for learning the game,” said Spilbeler.

“I definitely think I’m ready for the upcoming season,” Stilson said. “I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity for a very long time and I’m going to do my best to make it a special season.”

This will be no easy task, as the definition of a special season for our football team has been set at a very high standard.

The team has been to the State Final in each of the last four years, once coming away with a win and the State championship.“Expectations never change,” said Spilbeler.

He said he expects this team to reach that goal because of  its leadership. “I expect that regardless of positions, seniors will step up and fulfill the vacancy left by those that have graduated.

In our program we have many talented players who are all waiting for their opportunity to showcase their abilities. I expect the same for Stilson.”

Stilson said he hopes he can fulfill these expectations because of the things he has learned from playing behind Shaffer and Newton.

“They’re both really good quarterbacks. I’ve learned a lot as a player and a leader from being behind both those guys for the last three years. Hopefully what I learned from each of them will translate into my play on the field,” Stilson said.