New coach, strives for greatness at Franklin Central

From 1980 to 1990, there was arguably no better team in Indiana than the Franklin Central High School Flashes. The Flashes won three straight state football championships in 1980, 1981 and 1982, and then played for one in 1986, 1988 and 1989 before winning one again in 1990. That was the last of the state title chases, but first-year head coach Nick Eversole is optimistic greatness can be restored to a program that finished 5-7 last fall. Eversole replaces Grant Lewis. The Flashes bring back quite a bit of talent on the offensive side of the football, starting with senior quarterback Peyton Viewegh, who threw for over 1,000 yards last year. Also back is senior running back Josh Ruley, who rushed for 877 yards and eight touchdowns. Wide receiver Sam Toe, a senior, is a returning starter, while Franklin Central returns the likes of Carlos Lemus, Mason Cook, Evan Adams, Ethan Hutt and Quentin Keese up front on the line. Lemus is the lone senior, while the rest are juniors. Hutt has attracted interest from Miami of Ohio, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois, while Cook has heard from the University of Indianapolis, Wingate University, Taylor and Mount St. Joseph. One player to keep an eye on this season is wide receiver Aiden Ewers, who has offers from Valparaiso, Mount St. Joseph and Illinois Wesleyan and has attracted interest from Yale and Cornell. “We have a lot returning on offense. Our offensive line and running backs should both be strengths of ours. Our passing game has weapons this year that we are excited about as well,” Eversole said. Defensively, the Flashes are young, but have some talent. Leading the way is linebacker Luke Shomaker, who notched 100 tackles and eight tackles for a loss last season. Ewers is a star at defensive back, recording 35 tackles, 18 pass break-ups, two tackles for a loss and one interception last year. Lineman Antone Alexander is back and accounted for 40 tackles, four tackles for loss and four sacks last year. Defensive back Joe Herman is back with his 15 tackles last year. Defensive back Vaughn Taylor is also back. Last fall, Taylor accounted for 40 stops, two tackles for a loss and one interception, while Ben Massey will also join him in the secondary after picking up 30 tackles and an interception last fall. “We are young on the defensive side of the ball, so we are going to find out which of our young guys are going to step up there and produce. We have a few veterans that have produced at a high level that will lead the way,” Eversole said. The Flashes will open the 2020 season on Aug. 21 against Perry Meridian. “We have some great leaders in our senior class .We are really excited to see the impact they can have,” Eversole said.