Indiana Football Coaches Association announces 'Good Works' team for 2023
Kyle NeddenriepThe Indiana Football Coaches Association announced its 2023 “Good Works” team to recognize players, groups and entire teams who have committed themselves to serving others. According to the IFCA: “All nominees have served in an extraordinary way and are tremendous representatives of the power of football to make a difference in our communities.”
The 2023 Good Works team
Gavyn Blake and Jaren Fortney and the Mississinewa football team
Mississinewa football players participated in local food drives, including Home Plate and We Care, providing holiday meals and personal care items for families in need. In addition, players have participated in community clean ups, spread mulch at city hall and helped a local church and community members with moving projects. Blake and Fortney are seniors who have been highly involved in community service all four years of high school.
Cailix Dillon, Zeke Sherry and William Baker from Harrison (West Lafayette)
In leading the Raider football volunteer program, Dillon, Sherry and Baker performed a plethora of service hours, saving local nonprofits time and money. The players moved furniture, tables and appliances to set up and break down multiple events. In advance of Memorial Day, Harrison’s team placed hundreds of flags on veterans’ graves. The trio also provided and supervised activities for children while single mothers participated in programs at a local church.
Trey Dobson, Greenwood Christian
Dobson volunteered at the Great Harvest food pantry, packing shopping carts and delivering them to cars. He led the football portion of Grace Assemblies summer camp sports camp. Dobson has traveled to Spain the last three summers to volunteer at Camp L’Arcada, a sports camp in northern Spain, teaching Spanish high schools how to play tackle football.
Nate Long, Martinsville
Long is a student board member for on the Habitat for Humanity at Martinsville High School. He facilitated the school-wide build to help a family build a home. He attends monthly meetings and organizes building groups any donations that they will need.
Avery Merchant, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian
Merchant serves his church on the Worship team, Youth Leadership team and at Vacation Bible school. In addition, he served on two mission trips, volunteered at the Life Action Family camp and works at YMCA summer camps as a counselor.
Nicolas Ramos, Scecina
Ramos is a member of the campus ministry team, serves at his parish and serves on the tutoring team for the guidance department at school. He also coaches youth wrestling and clears elderly neighbors’ driveways for free.
Columbia City football team
The team participated in Read Across America Day, traveling to four elementary schools to read to students and talk to them about the importance of reading and schoolwork.
Danville football team
Over the summer the entire team participated in a trash clean-up day, helping to make a more welcoming entrance to the school. The team hosted a trick-or-treat event for all elementary students in the community on Halloween, passing out candy and playing games.
Delta football team
The football team read to second grade students in three elementary schools to promote literacy awareness. Players talked to students about the importance of reading early and often, while also highlighting the valuable lesson contained in each of the stories they read. The team has distributed more than 1,000 books since participating in the program.
Fairfield football team
The Fairfield team completed several community service projects throughout the year. The “Read with a Falcon” program for elementary students occurs monthly. Players volunteered at the Elkhart County Fair and a local restaurant. Finally, the team helped the Fairfield Food Pantry move to a new building.
Fountain Central football team
Players helped construct a greenhouse for a local special needs student, saving the family thousands of dollars. After a local tragedy, the team greeted elementary students as they returned to school in a tremendous showing of unity and support. Fountain Central stepped up for the family of a longtime chain crew member by volunteering for yard work and honoring the family during a game. Lastly, the team partnered with the VFW to honor veterans during a home game in the fall.
Garrett football team
As part of the United Way Day of Caring in DeKalb County, the team scraped, painted, power washed, weeded, trimmed, cleared brush and planted new grass at the homes of two elderly local citizens. The team also collected and delivered items for Garrett’s St. Martin’s Free Health Clinic.
Kokomo football team
Kokomo sold t-shirts and collected donations to raise over $1,000 from the student body for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Milan and Batesville football teams
The two rival high schools teamed up to “turnover hunger” for the Ripley County Community Foundation. The teams sought out donors for each turnover the Batesville and Milan teams forced. The funds supported the Weekend BackSack Program, which sends a backpack of food home with students that otherwise would not be provided food on the weekends.
North Miami football team
North Miami players volunteered for over 400 hours collectively. They performed yard work, moved items for a local church, delivered food through the United Way, and helped move items for the school corporation over the summer.
NorthWood football team
The Panthers collected donations for a local food bank, set up and worked booths during the Apple Festival and participated in the annual Christmas parade. NorthWood earned rookie of the year award for its success in the Indianapolis Colts Blood Drive.
Plymouth football team
The Plymouth football team partnered with an organization called “2nd and 7.” The main goal is to inspire the next generation of readers and leaders. The organization sends free books to the high school and the football team reads them to the district second graders.
Evansville Memorial football team
The team volunteered with the Evansville Habitat for Humanity. The team painted the entire interior and helped to raise two exterior walls for a new home.
Scottsburg football team
The Scottsburg team collected and distributed diapers and other baby supplies to assist Scott County mothers in need. Scottsburg rang the bell with the Salvation Army and volunteered to read at local elementary schools. Within the community, players delivered mulch for the elderly and volunteered for Music on the Square events and the Scottsburg Fall Fun Fest.
Fort Wayne Snider football team
Multiple players mentored 10 elementary school students through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Each high school student paired with a specific elementary student for the past three years and worked with their “buddy” through a prescribed list of activities. Additional players volunteer at Erin’s House for grieving families.
South Vermillion football team
The team led the entire corporation in raising funds for the “PS We Love You” fund and Riley Children’s Hospital. By selling “Tackle Childhood Cancer” t-shirts, hosting Carnival for the Cure, a corporation wide hat day, miracle minutes at all home sporting events, and through support of the local community, the Wildcats raised over $10,000 to go towards Precision Genomic testing for children battling cancer.
Western and Northwestern football teams
The Western and Northwestern teams paired together to participate in a food drive to benefit homeless veterans in Howard County during their annual “Battle for the Bell” rivalry game. Each team collected canned food items during the week leading up to the game and on the night of the game.
Whiteland football team
In April, Whiteland was hit by an F-3 tornado. The team organized themselves into work groups and spent the next week traveling to the three hardest-hit areas of town working cleanup for those they knew and those they had never met.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.