FAIRLAND -- Triton Central quarterback Jace Stuckey has a wealth of offensive options this season.
The six-foot, three-inch junior signal caller helped the Tigers show off during a 7-on-7 summer competition hosted by the Indianapolis Colts. Triton Central finished fourth in the event with losses to Brebeuf Jesuit and Ben Davis.
“We had an outstanding summer,” said Triton Central coach Tim Able, prepping for his 10th season in Fairland and 29th overall as a head coach.
The Tigers challenged themselves against much larger schools like Zionsville, Decatur Central, Delta and Greenwood with the goal of it paying off later this year.
Able also stressed work in the weight room to get physically stronger to face not only Indiana Crossroads Conference foes but also potential postseason matchups in October and November.
“Last year our weakness was our weakness,” said Able. “We had to get stronger. Our kids have worked hard at that. We are still not where we want to be at because we’re still pretty young.
“It’s a team that we knew had strength enough to win games last year but not enough to dominate. We are more of a speed team, a little more of a spread out team. We have a quarterback that can throw the ball long and quick.”
The key is how much time will Stuckey (photo) have in the pocket and how effective can the run game be against quality opponents?
“We have more confidence throwing it because Jace has matured,” said Able. “He has played all winter and spring and summer. He’s gone to multiple, multiple (colleges and universities) and thrown for them. That experience allows him to gain the respect of the passing game. Teams will game plan for him but if they are going to worry about the pass, Ray (Crawford) will be glad. And if they worry about Ray, Jace will be glad. Whatever they choose to do, so be it.”
Crawford enters his junior season with 2,576 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career stat sheet. With junior Brayden Wilkins, who broke Triton Central’s 200-yard sprint record during track season, joining him in the backfield, Able equates them to “thunder and lightning.”
Senior wideout Brad Schultz spent much of the offseason working with Stuckey. After an injury-plagued junior season, Schultz also has his sights on playing at the next level.
“I think we can be a really explosive offense,” said Stuckey. “We have the keys to make it happen. We just have to execute week to week.”
Triton Central travels to Milan Friday for its preseason scrimmage. The Tigers will be the first opponent to take the field at Milan since it installed artificial turf in its football complex.
The Tigers open the regular season on Aug. 19 against Cascade before traveling to New Castle in week two.
