New quarterback, same expectations for New Prairie football in 2024

NEW CARLISLE — All New Prairie football did in the three years Marshall Kmiecik started at quarterback was win.

The Cougars reached the Class 4A semistate round in 2021, the state finals in 2022 and made a regional appearance last year . In that span, the team went a combined 35-8, winning double-digit games three consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.

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That’s what makes 2024 feel like a new era for the Cougars, as Kmiecik has graduated to play collegiately at Franklin College. This leaves junior Reed Robinson as the next QB up to lead the New Prairie offense, shifting from his running back role of last season.

Robinson could transition smoothly into the role, given New Prairie’s run-heavy offense. As a sophomore, he rushed for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns, only trailing Kmiecik in both categories. He has shown off his arm strength in the other sport he plays, baseball, as he was the team’s primary catcher for ace Tyson Greenwood on the Cougars’ run to a Class 3A state title this past spring .

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“He’s going to be an impact player,” said New Prairie coach Casey McKim of Robinson. “He’s definitely had quite an impact on the baseball field, and so he’s the trigger man right now. He brings a lot of explosiveness, athleticism and some leadership as well. As a freshman, he played JV quarterback, and as a sophomore, he was rotating in the backfield. … He’s a really strong athlete. He has the ability to get some tough yards, but he also has the ability to take it to the house.”

Surrounding Robinson with experienced players

Robinson missed most of the summer to travel baseball, which means others on the offense will be looked at to step up while the junior signal caller adjusts back to game speed.

A valuable running back for New Prairie could be senior Zach Henrich, who had 226 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 41 carries in 2023. On the outside, senior Beau Kmiecik is expected to have a larger role on the offense after catching 12 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Isaac Fronk had four catches last year, but three of them went for touchdowns across 163 yards.

“There’s always pressure coming with the offensive line, but I think we just have to do what we do, dominate the trenches and do our jobs,” senior starting right tackle James Snyder said.

Cougar defense returns top two tacklers

New Prairie’s defense has been stout in recent seasons, and that’s expected to continue with linebackers Hayden Scott and Harrison Groves returning. Both seniors, the two had 113 and 109 tackles, respectively, last season, with Groves adding a team-high eight sacks.

Both Scott and Groves were named to the Indiana Football Digest Class 4A preseason All-State team.

“Aggression, not being afraid of anything, never backing down,” explained Scott is the mindset of the Cougar defense. “When I first started playing, it’s what they instilled into me. It’s what I’m trying to teach the younger guys, being a senior.”

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Others that could help that side of the ball are senior Hayden Whitenack — who missed all of last year with an ACL injury — Beau Kmiecik, and seniors Bryce Bell, Brock Barcevic and Lukis Maupin.

Expectations remain high

Although the Northern Indiana Conference has condensed from 12 to eight teams, the schedule didn’t change much for New Prairie. The only noticeable difference is dropping non-conference foe Lowell for an extra NIC game in South Bend Washington.

The Cougar senior class also has a chance to go four-for-four in sectional championship wins.

“They understand what the standard is,” McKim said. “We want to be playing our best football at the end of the year. Last year, we started with a major hiccup (20-18 loss to LaPorte), but our mentality is always to be the best we can be at the end of the year. … Seeing that, being aware of that, being used to playing deep into the playoffs, all those extra reps they got as scout team players when they were younger — those things add up over time.”

New Prairie High School 2024 football schedule

All times Eastern

▶ Aug. 23: vs. LAPORTE, 8

▶ Aug. 30: @ Goshen, 7:30

▶ Sept. 6: vs. SB SAINT JOSEPH, 7:30 (NIC)

▶ Sept. 13: @ SB Adams, 7:30 (NIC)

▶ Sept. 20: @ Elkhart, 7:30 (NIC)

▶ Sept. 27: vs. SB RILEY, 7:30 (NIC)

▶ Oct. 4: @ Mishawaka Marian, 7:30 (NIC)

▶ Oct. 11: vs. PENN, 7:30 (NIC)

▶ Oct. 18: @ SB Washington, 7:30 (NIC)

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: New quarterback, same expectations for New Prairie football in 2024