INDIANAPOLIS — Operation Football is back for a 29th season, and we've got a huge game to kick things off this week.
Warren Central is on the road at Center Grove Friday.
Can anybody beat the Trojans?
It might be up to Warren Central head coach Mike Kirschner. He said he's ready for the new year.
"I'm happy to be back," he said. "This is year 39 for me, and you're right, we're going to have a really, really tough test. (Head coach) Eric (Moore) does an unbelievable job at Center Grove. Winning 28 straight in 6A is almost not even fathomable, but with him, it is. We're looking forward to, but it's going to be tough."
13Sports director Dave Calabro asked Kirschner how good his squad could be this year.
"We're gonna be OK," he said. "We've got to fill in some holes. We've got some kids banged up that aren't going to play for a while, and when they get back, we'll be excited. We're going to be young in spots and old in other spots, so we're going to have to grow up, and it's like we always tell them, it's a journey, not a destination."
Kirschner agreed with Dave's assertion that there's still a love for football in Indiana and at Warren.
"Oh, there's no question," said Kirschner. "We've got 190 kids on the roster, 9 through 12. They worked really hard in this off-season, I was really pleased with what we were able to get done in the weight room. My first year to this year was a big adjustment and a big improvement for us, but football is still growing. It's not dying. It's not going anywhere."
Dave asked Kirschner if he had a prediction for this year's 6A powerhouses.
"I don't know," Kirschner said. "You got to look at Center Grove, Cathedral, Carmel, Ben Davis, you know, and LC, I think, is getting ready to have a breakout year."
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