David Vantress

HUNTERTOWN — The 2022 Indiana high school football season was one to remember for the Carroll Chargers.

Born out of the devastating death from leukemia of expected starting quarterback Owen Scheele in early June, the 2022 campaign became the best in school history.

It culminated in a Summit Athletic Conference championship, IHSAA Class 6A sectional, regional and semistate championships, and a trip to the Holy Grail of Indiana high school football: The state finals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

At last month’s Fort Wayne high school football day, Carroll head coach Doug Dinan and a select few Chargers were on hand to look forward to the looming season — one carrying the high expectations one would expect from the state runner-up.

The Chargers are ranked No. 5 in the preseason Class 6A poll compiled by the Indiana Football Coaches Association. Defending champion Center Grove is No. 1, and the Chargers’ Week 1 opponent, Hamilton Southeastern, is just ahead of Carroll at No. 4. The 2023 lidlifter will be a rematch of 2022’s frigid Class 6A Northern Semistate game, an instant classic held Nov. 18 at Carroll and won by the Chargers, 21-15 to punch their golden ticket to Lucas Oil.

Week 2 home opponent Warren Central is just behind Carroll at No. 6.

It all starts at quarterback, and the Chargers have one of the best in the Hoosier State in junior Jimmy Sullivan.

In 2022, after transferring from Homestead, the then-sophomore put up huge numbers, completing 184 of 284 passes for 2,203 yards with 27 TDs against just seven interceptions. He also established himself as a true dual-threat quarterback, rushing for nine TDs.

Sullivan led the Chargers to a championship this summer at a new 7-on-7 tournament sponsored by Parkview Sports Medicine, and had a busy summer with offseason workouts for Carroll as well as camps.

Now, Sullivan is looking forward to leading his team to that final step on the climb.

He added that making it to the state finals in 2022 has elevated Carroll’s already high standards even further.

“That’s the standard now,” Sullivan said.

Senior wide receiver Hansen Haffner will be a key target for Sullivan in 2023, building on a junior campaign that saw him record 37 catches for 479 yards with 10 TDs.

The Chargers also return a 1,000-yard rusher in junior Nate Starks, who had 17 carries for 1,234 yards with seven TDs as a sophomore in 2022. Helping open holes for Starks and his teammates will be guys like senior center Jake Wilson and junior offensive tackle Caiden Abbs, son of Trine University head football coach Troy Abbs.

Senior linebacker Cameron Lentz said he and the other seniors have been stepping up to help the 2023 Chargers come together.

“We need to make sure the young guys get their experience so we can build on what we did last year,” Lentz said.

Senior defensive end Ashton Pesetski, meanwhile, said the key to keeping it rolling in 2023 is leadership.

“It starts in the locker room with us seniors and the culture we bring,” Pesetski said at media day. “We want to get these guys involved and comfortable so we’re ready on Day One.”

Dinan said the strong offseason foundation gives his Chargers a big boost heading into the 2023 season. He and his team are especially excited about the two nonconference contests against Hamilton Southeastern and Warren Central.

“The expectations don’t change,” Dinan said. “The culture is the same, and we want to continue to play at a high level. Those first two games against Indy schools are in preparation for the playoffs.”

The Chargers open the 2018 season Aug. 18 on the road at Hamilton Southeastern. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.