15 names to know in Greater Lafayette area football

Friday kicks off the high school football season and while Tippecanoe County has no shortage of standouts and potential all-state players, so to does the surrounding area. Here are 15 players from Greater Lafayette who reside outside of Tippecanoe County that you need to know.

Owen Acton, Fountain Central

The Mustangs have a tremendous football history. In recent years, however, not so much. Now under the guidance of hall of fame coach Herb King, Fountain Central hopes to change that. If so, Acton will be a key piece. The junior transitions to quarterback after rushing for 551 yards and seven touchdowns in addition to 11 receptions for 113 yards last season. Acton also had 81 tackles out of the secondary as a sophomore.

Koby Bahler, Tri-County

New coach Jake West will inherit a program coming off a winless season that did lose many of its best skill players. Bahler, though, did throw for two touchdowns and ran for two as a sophomore in limited opportunities last season and will quarterback West's spread option. Defensively in the secondary, Bahler made 62 stops and have an interception and five fumble recoveries.

Buzz Beiswanger, West Central

Perhaps the best name in the area, Beiswanger is a three-year starter on the offensive and defensive line for the Trojans. Last season, he had 35 tackles, including 6.5 for loss.

Peyton Chinn, Seeger

TJ Ragan takes over as head coach of the Patriots, who spent last season with an interim head coach en route to a 5-5 record. Seeger showed a propensity at times to put up a lot of yards and a lot of points and Chinn was at the forefront, rushing for 1,420 yards and 14 touchdowns while also catching 10 passes for 141 yards and a TD and throwing one touchdown. The senior also plays linebacker and had 60 tackles with 9.5 for loss a year ago.

Jordan Cree, Rensselaer

Last year's Journal & Courier Small School Defensive Player of the Year parlayed a great football season into strong campaigns in both wrestling and track and field. The Bombers move up to 3A this season and are in a tough sectional, but are one of the programs that year in and year out are tough to play against, partially due to the single-wing offense where Cree will be on the front line blocking for Rensselaer's backs. Cree had 82 tackles and nine sacks from the defensive line last season.

Josh Etter, Benton Central

The senior linebacker was a bright spot in a year where the Bison struggled last season. Now in the second year under head coach Andy Standifer, the Bison look to make a jump and Etter will be relied upon in doing so. As a junior, he racked up 81 tackles, including 11 for loss.

Kody James, Carroll

The Cougars went 9-4 and won their first sectional since 2003 in coach Blake Betzner's first season utilizing the Wing-T offense. While Clay Metzger, the leading rusher a year ago, graduates, the Wing-T is designed to feature several backs and Carroll has no shortage of them. Expect a lot of yards to be piled up thanks to James plowing over defenders from his offensive line spot. The senior also plays linebacker for a defense that allowed just 11 points per game last season.

Duncan Keller, Covington

The senior receiver and defensive back ranked among the state's best in receiving yards all last season. Keller will have a new head coach and a new quarterback and it's hard to imagine he could equal or better the 100 receptions, 1,350 yards and 18 touchdowns he put up a year ago in just 11 games. But Covington, now under first-time head coach Mike Cross, is going for a third straight season with a winning record, something that hasn't happened in the Trojan program in almost 50 years. Defensively, Keller also had two interceptions and his play both ways will be instrumental in trying to continue recent success.

Cade Nelson, Delphi

The Oracles probably wouldn't label last year's 7-4 mark successful because they know they let a couple games get away. Coach Jacob Mrockiewicz's team lost a ton from back-to-back seven-win teams but does return its quarterback in Nelson, now a senior. He threw for nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns, but will be asked to do more after a lot of graduation departures.

Eli Quasebarth, North White

Now a junior, Quasebarth was thrown into the fire immediately as a freshman two years ago with expected growing pains. The offense improved immensely last season with Quasebarth at quarterback as a dual threat. He was the Vikings' second-leading rusher with more than 800 yards and 11 total touchdowns. He also had 57 tackles from the secondary.

Kadyn Rowland, North Newton

The Spartans tend to have a big-time back annually and last season it was sophomore Kadyn Rowland. Now a junior, he's coming off a season where he rushed for 1,047 yards and seven touchdowns. From the defensive line, he added 59 tackles, including 15 for loss.

Justin Schroeder, Frontier

Playing for his third head coach in four seasons, Schroeder has been a Journal & Courier all-area player at multiple positions throughout his career. Now under the guidance of Derek Dean, the 230-plus pound linebacker and offensive lineman will be the leader of the Falcons. He was a menace in the middle of the defense last season, collecting 120 tackles, including 15 for loss and three sacks.

Austin Sulc, North Montgomery

The Chargers' strength last season was on the defensive side of the ball and Sulc was a big part of that with 68 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries from his linebacker spot. The junior also has experience on offense, rushing for 381 yards and a touchdown last season.

Daiden Taulbee, Clinton Central

One of the fastest players in this part of the state, Taulbee didn't always get to utilize it on offense a season ago as that side was a struggle for the Bulldogs. Still Taulbee had 552 yards and five touchdowns on 110 carries his junior year. Doubling as a defensive back, he picked off one pass and had 29 tackles.

Wyatt Woodall, Southmont

Woodall just missed 1,000 yards rushing as a sophomore, but did average 6.1 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns for the Mounties. He also added a receiving touchdown and averaged 22.5 yards per reception. The two-way running back/linebacker made an even bigger presence on the defensive side with 107 tackles, including 10 for loss.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.