Journal & Courier Small Schools 2025 All-Area football team
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LAFAYETTE – The Big School All-Area football team is voted on by area coaches to recognize the top players of Class 1A and 2A in the Journal & Courier coverage area.
Meet the 2025 Journal & Courier Small Schools All-Area football team.
Journal and Courier All-Area Defensive team
Emery Deaton, Carroll, linebacker, senior – Deaton made 71 tackles, two for loss, one pass breakup in 2025.
Noah Dodson, Fountain Central, linebacker, senior – Dodson made 106 tackles, four tackles for loss, deflected three passes, and intercepted a pass for 31 yards for the Mustangs that finished 6-5 last season.
Eli Thompson, Central Catholic, linebacker, sophomore – Thompson led Central Catholic with 89 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections.
Tucker Herndon, Seeger, linebacker, senior – Herndon finished 60 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, five hurries, one fumble recovery (40 yards) and one forced fumble.
Logan Metzger, Rensselaer, linebacker, senior – Metzger made 136 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception, five pass deflections, five fumbles caused, and one blocked punt for Rensselaer, who finished 9-3 and captured the IHSAA class 2A sectional championship.
Kooper Charles, Southmont, linebacker, sophomore – Charles made 128 Tackles, 14 Tackles for Loss, five sacks, and one fumble recovery for the Mounties, who captured the IHSAA class 2A sectional title.
Drea Villarreal, West Central, linebacker, junior – Villarreal made 81 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries, one interception, one blocked punt, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three pass deflections while West Central finished with a 10-2 record in 2025.
Bronson Clark, Southmont, linebacker, junior – Clark made 131 Tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, one sack, and two fumble recoveries.
Peyton Grimmett, Seeger, linebacker, senior – Grimmett made 55 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and six pass deflections for the Patriots.
Kingston Ayres, Carroll, defensive lineman, senior – Ayres finished with 17 tackles, one for loss, for the Cougars, who finished 7-4 in 2025.
Joseph Schroeder, Frontier, defensive lineman, senior – Schroeder made 60 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, six sacks, and three forced fumbles for Frontier, which finished 10-1. Schroeder is committed to Taylor University.
Paul Ragan, Seeger, defensive lineman, senior – Ragan led Seeger with 76 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, four sacks, two blocked punts, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles for a team that forced 26 turnovers.
Diego Castillo, Southmont, defensive lineman, junior – Castillo made 34 Tackles, seven tackles for loss, forced three fumbles, recovered two, including one for a touchdown, to cap a productive 2025.
Gage Taylor, North Montgomery, defensive lineman, senior – Taylor made 30 tackles, including one tackle for loss, for the Chargin' Chargers.
Gunner Payne, Attica, defensive back, sophomore – Payne made 66 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, five pass deflections, and one forced fumble for Attica, which won its first games since 2020.
Kyven Hill, Covington, defensive back, senior – Hill led the Trojans with six interceptions and nine pass deflections, along with 51 tackles.
Nolan Acton, Fountain Central, defensive back, senior – Acton made 37 tackles and one interception for the Mustangs.
Aiden Wiles, Carroll, defensive back, senior – Wiles made 52 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one pass deflection, and three forced fumbles.
Landen Musch, Rensselaer Central, defensive back, junior – Musch made 67 tackles, five interceptions and six pass deflections for the Bombers.
Cale Chadd, Southmont, defensive back, senior – Chadd made 42 tackles including 10 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and three special teams touchdowns including two on kickoff return and one punt return.
Joey Metzger, Central Catholic, defensive back, junior – Metzger battled through injuries and still made 19 tackles, one interception and two pass deflections.
Journal and Courier All-Area Offensive team
Aiden Provo, Frontier, offensive lineman, senior – Provo was the lead blocker for an offense that flourished and averaged 47.8 points per game. Provo has an offer from Hanover College.
Holden Day, Rensselaer Central, offensive lineman, junior – Day blocked for a Bombers' offense that averaged 6.3 yards per carry in 2025.
Travis Tinsman, Carroll, offensive lineman, senior – Tinsman anchored an offensive line that helped Carroll average 6.7 yards per carry on the ground in 2025.
Jaxon Fassnacht, Delphi, offensive lineman, junior – The 6-foot-4- and 240-pound Fassnacht trucked defenders and created holes for an offense that averaged 298 all-purpose yards.
John Carver, Fountain Central, offensive lineman, senior – Carver's effort blocking allowed the Mustangs to average 5.3 yards per carry in 2025.
Andrew Sherrick, North White, offensive lineman, junior – Sherrick was a standout for the Vikings with his physicality in the trenches at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds.
Kanin Hickman, Seeger, offensive lineman, senior – Hickman was a force behind Seeger's offense that won games efficiently while averaging 7.6 yards per carry and averaged 13.7 yards per catch in 2025.
Jackson McQueen, Faith Christian, offensive lineman, senior – Scrappy and durable, McQueen proved he could pack a wallop for Faith Christian, which played its first full nine-game schedule this season.
John Smaltz, Southmont, offensive lineman, senior – Smaltz buried nose tackles in their tracks and Southmont captured its second sectional title in three seasons in 2025.
Landon Hughes, West Central, offensive lineman, senior – Hughes plowed and created holes for an offense that averaged 409.5 all-purpose yards per game.
Heath Tolliver, Southmont, quarterback, senior – Tolliver completed 62 of 119 passes for 844 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 689 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Mounties.
Ayden Justice, Frontier, quarterback, junior – Justice was a true dual threat for the Falcons after transferring this past fall from Tri-County. Justice completed 86 of 131 passes for 1,278 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed for 852 yards 17 touchdowns on the ground and averaged 10.3 yards per carry.
Cale Peters, Carroll, quarterback, junior – Peters rushed for 918 rushing yards 16 touchdowns and threw for five touchdowns and 461 yards out of the wing-t for the Cougars.
Mason Meister, Central Catholic, running back, senior – Meister rushed for 589 yards and five touchdowns, along with 33 receptions for 234 yards and one touchdown catch for the Knights.
Avery Stadler, Southmont, running back, senior – Stadler rushed for 1,784 yds and 23 touchdowns on the ground and caught 13 receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Kye Jacobs, Clinton Prairie, wide receiver, senior – Jacobs caught 34 receptions, 498 yards and five touchdowns for the Gophers.
Wyatt Williams, Central Catholic, wide receiver, junior – Williams caught 57 receptions, 630 receiving yards and six touchdowns for the Knights.
Blake Sorensen, Frontier, wide receiver, senior – Sorensen caught 22 receptions, 305 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions for the Falcons.
Austin Thomas, Seeger, wide receiver, senior – Thomas caught 35 receptions, 513 yards and eight touchdown receptions while returning three punt returns for touchdowns.
Keygan Elliott, Delphi, tight end, senior – Elliott led Delphi with 26 receptions, 404 yards and nine touchdowns.
Cory Moore-Walker, Seeger, kicker, senior – Moore-Walker went 46-for-49 on extra point attempts, went 3-for-6 on field goals with a long of 52 yards and drove 26 touchbacks to the end zone in 2025.
John Yallaly, Rensselaer Central, punter, junior – Yallaly averaged 41.1 Yards per punt and dropped five punts inside the 20-yard-line for the Bombers.
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Journal & Courier Small Schools 2025 All-Area football team announced
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