White Pigeon's Lane a great fit for Olivet football

WHITE PIGEON — Caleb Lane is ready to get the next portion of his academic and football careers going.

The White Pigeon graduate will be continuing both of those with the University of Olivet following the completion of the summer. Lane was a big part of the recent resurgence of White Pigeon football, which has seen the Chiefs earn three consecutive district championships. In those three combined seasons, White Pigeon posted a record of 29-7.

Lane said he chose to continue his football career because of his love of the game. He was also a distinguished wrestler for the Chiefs.

"I've always loved football, I think it's the most exciting sport to play," he said. "It's never boring."

Lane found the end zone plenty of time as a runner out of the backfield for the Chiefs. He was able to do so with the help of a solid offensive line and repetition as the Chiefs rarely threw the football.

"I think he has the overall athletic ability and mental toughness to be great at the next level," White Pigeon coach Shawn Strawser said. "He's a hard worker, he can play many different positions. He is stout and already had a college body. I'm sure they will beef him up but he's off to a good start."

Lane said he got involved in the recruiting game a little late, but he's happy with where he ended up. Between showing as many coaches as possible his film and communicating with everyone, Lane ended up with the Comets. There is quite a bit of legwork to be done by the student-athletes in recruiting and Lane said his family utilized all the help that was offered, including getting some help from a recruiting coach.

But now that's all behind Lane and his family. He loves the Olivet facilities and campus. It's a school that is not too big and is relatively close to home, proving distance will not be an issue.

When it comes to seeing the field, Lane said he knows it might not happen right away as a freshman. He prefers the offensive side of the football and was recruited as a tailback, but he will do anything necessary to get onto the field to play.

In the classroom with his studies, Lane says he has aspirations of getting involved in law enforcement and he plans to become a police officer someday. For the college atmosphere, he's looking forward to meeting new people and his new teammates, plus also having a chance to play against former Chief teammates as well.

"I'm not really nervous about anything, I'm looking forward to it honestly," he said. "I'm looking forward to living on campus. It should be a great time."

Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.