Highland: Trojan workhorse

Updated: May 9, 2012 9:42AM

Highland running back Justin Thiele has spent two seasons watching one of the area’s speediest backs, Nigel Palmer, carry the ball for the Trojans. Palmer completed his high school career by running in the 100 meter dash at the state track meet this past spring, but now it’s Thiele’s turn.

Thiele doesn’t possess Palmer’s speed, but at 5-10 and 180 pounds, he’s considerably bigger. And while he might never become as quick as Palmer, he’s working at getting close.

“I pretty much have been working out for football eight hours a day this summer,” Thiele said. “I go to Ignite Sports Performance to work on my speed and my lateral movement. We ran (40-yard dashes recently) and I’ve got my time down to a 4.73.”

Thiele also plays safety for the Trojans, a position he’s already occupied for two years. He’s hoping the added agility can boost his ability to pick off a few passes.

“I’ve got a high goal of a pick a game and 1,000 yards rushing this year,” Thiele said. “(Highland) Coach (Ken) Bye has been preaching that we need to get interceptions this year.”

Besides his personal goals, Thiele, along with the rest of the Highland squad, hopes to up the win total this season. The Trojans have been mired in a horrendous slump that has seen them win only three games in the past four seasons combined. With opening games against Lew Wallace and Hammond and a sectional loaded with similarly struggling programs, Thiele is optimistic that Highland will improve this season.

“We’d like to win all of our games, but that might be unrealistic,” Thiele said. “We’d like to have a winning record this year — I feel we have a good shot at that or even better.”

Thiele would just as soon forget about the last few years, but not in the manner that he experienced last year in a game against Kankakee Valley. While returning the second-half kickoff, Thiele blacked out from a collision with the kicker. He doesn’t remember any of the rest of the game, even after watching himself continue to play on film. It had happened to him previously in eighth grade, again from a collision with a kicker. Both times, subsequent medical exams revealed no damage.

“I mustn’t do well against kickers,” Thiele said. “It’s a little embarrassing to keep getting hurt by the kicker.”

When Thiele isn’t training for or playing football, he’s working on his basketball game. Thiele came off the bench as a 3-point specialist for the Trojans last season. It’s a role he expects to fill again this season.

Thiele would like to play either football or basketball at the next level, but realizes at his height, football is the more realistic option.

Toward that end, Thiele has been focusing on his schoolwork, with math being one of his favorite subjects.

“Math just seems to come easy to me,” Thiele said. “I hope to go into accounting some day.”

Coach

Ken Bye

Coach’s record

At school: 2-18 (third year)

Overall: 107-110 (24th year)

Last season

Lost 28-22 to West Side in first round of the sectional

Key returnees

QB Gunner Grider

FB/LB Anthony Davis

P/K Mike Anderson

Key Losses

RB Nigel Palmer

FB/LB Nick Good

OL Nikko Berrios

Season outlook

For Highland, progress continues to be measured in baby steps. Last year’s 1-9 record didn’t look much different than the two wins over the previous three-year span, but the Trojans were much more competitive. Five of the losses were by single digits as compared to the 40-point blowouts routinely suffered the previous three seasons. A 25-17 defeat at Griffith in which the Trojans dominated everything but the scoreboard was Highland’s best game in years.

2011 is Ken Bye’s third year as coach of the Trojans and much of his team’s success will hinge upon the continued development of junior QB Gunner Grider. With his father, Trent, handling the Trojans’ offensive coordinator duties, Grider split time at quarterback his freshman season before taking over full-time as a sophomore and the Trojans need Grider to evolve into the playmaker they have anticipated. Running back Justin Thiele and fullback Anthony Davis will be operating behind an experienced offensive line.

Postseason

Class 4A Sectional 9 (East Chicago, Roosevelt, West Side, Griffith, Hammond, Clark, Morton, Highland)

Schedule

Aug. 19 Lew Wallace

Aug. 26 at Hammond

Sept. 2 at Munster

Sept. 9 Morton

Sept. 16 at Lowell

Sept. 23 Andrean

Sept. 30 Griffith

Oct. 7 at Kankakee Valley

Oct. 14 Hobart

HISTORY LESSON

Season Record

2001 7-4, 2-3

2002 4-6, 2-3

2003 4-6, 2-5

2004 6-6, 3-4

2005 4-6, 3-4

2006 3-8, 1-6

2007 1-10, 0-6

2008 0-10, 0-6

2009 1-9, 0-6

2010 1-9, 0-6

Sectional titles: 1982, 1986-87

Regional titles: 1987

Semistate titles: 1987

Roster

No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos.

3 Logan Chant 5-7 159 11 WR/B

5 Justin Thiele 5-10 170 12 RB/DB

7 Jesse Gerenda 6-3 168 11 QB/DB

9 Gunner Grider 5-10 185 11 QB/DB

11 La’Kice Brooks 5-11 176 11 WR/DB

12 Jordan Pickens 5-7 124 10 QB/DB

13 Tommy Brankin 6-3 140 10 WR/DB

14 Devin Austin 5-10 171 10 QB/LB

15 Anthony Bebley 5-9 147 11 WR/DB

16 Ian Hardy 5-8 161 10 WR/DB

17 Mike Anderson 6-4 180 12 WR/K

18 Pat O’Donnell 5-8 172 11 QB/DB

19 Danny King 5-9 155 10 WR/K

20 T.J. Craig 5-9 130 10 WR/DB

21 Khirey Warner 5-10 185 12 RB/DB

22 Derek Lindsey 5-10 175 10 RB/LB

24 James Gaskey 5-8 155 10 RB/LB

25 Mike McMahon 5-9 174 11 RB/LB

28 Chris Aifuwa 5-8 160 11 RB/DB

29 Matt Holl 5-9 164 10 RB/DB

37 Cullen Gordon 5-8 181 12 WR/LB

38 Jacob Johnson 5-11 171 11 WR/DB

40 Jack McNeil 5-9 196 11 RB/LB

42 Jeff Pasquinelli 5-7 165 10 RB/LB

44 Anthony Davis 6-2 200 12 RB/LB

45 Josh Salazar 5-7 186 10 RB/LB

50 Ryne Kijurna 5-9 212 10 OL/DL

52 Collin Parker 6-3 250 12 OL/DL

55 Luke Polster 5-10 190 12 OL/LB

56 John Chant 6-2 195 12 OL/LB

57 Derek Carr 5-10 190 10 OL/DL

58 Brian Maida 5-10 258 10 OL/DL

60 Nick Glenn 6-3 205 11 OL/DL

63 Andrew Whiting 5-10 212 10 OL/DL

64 Tyler Drake 5-8 220 12 OL/LB

65 Bobby Haskell 5-11 208 11 OL/DL

67 Dominic Dal Santo 5-11 186 11 OL/DL

70 Ryan Posey 6-0 265 10 OL/DL

71 Aric Benton 6-3 291 12 OL/DL

72 John Tiltges 6-2 230 10 OL/DL

73 Jacob Melton 5-10 296 11 OL/DL

74 Troy Welman 5-10 192 10 OL/DL

77 Chris Steele 5-11 252 12 OL/DL

78 Trevor O’Donnell 6-4 315 11 OL/DL

80 Kyle Riordan 5-7 120 11 WR/DB

81 Lucas Baker 6-3 165 12 WR/DB

82 Ben Christensen 5-11 165 10 WR/DB

83 Justin Hernandez 5-9 163 10 WR/LB

84 Billy Keener 5-10 130 10 WR/DB

87 Rayan Frazee 5-6 152 10 WR/DB

88 Brandon McGregor 6-0 140 10 WR/DB

89 Cory Summar 5-9 120 10 WR/DB

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