MILAN INDIANS

Head Coach: Ryan Langferman (111-73 in 17th year at school)
2024: 8-4 (lost 31-28 in Sectional Championship)
Graduated 10 seniors: Logan Burton, Mason Green, Ethan Pierce, Jacob McGuire, Ayden Potts, Jeremiah Johnson, Maxx Bonnlander, Trenton Langferman, Joaquim Allen, Mason Johnson

Milan was a handful of plays away from capturing a sectional championship in 2023. From September 8 to October 27, the Indians won seven of eight games, before falling to North Decatur (31-28) in the sectional championship game.

Flipping the script to 2024, head coach Ryan Langferman hopes his team takes a similar approach by playing their best going into sectional play.

"We had high hopes going into last season with a strong senior class. We were able to put a nice stretch together. It was kind of one of those years we won the games we were supposed to win, lost a couple close ones to Lawrenceburg in week three and North Decatur in the sectional championship. Overall, it is hard to be upset with 8-4, but our goal every year is to win a sectional and we fell a little bit short of that goal last year and that is what we are gearing for to make a run at again this year," said head coach Ryan Langferman.

Playing as an independent since 2021, Milan has not had a conference championship to chase during the regular season - making a sectional championship their primary goal. The Indians have come close. Over the past five years, Milan has lost three sectional championship games by a combined 10 points.

The Indians hope to put an end to the "close but no cigar" narrative this fall. Coming off an 8-4 campaign a season ago, there is plenty of talent returning.

Milan's roster is highlighted by 2023 IFCA Junior All-State selections Landon Stanley and Dylan Offill. Stanley anchored an offensive line that paved the way for 3,141 rushing yards a season ago. For Offill, he was among the state leaders in interceptions with seven.

"Dylan is just an athlete and he goes and makes plays. Playing receiver on offense and playing safety on defense is something you have to do to survive in 1A football. Dylan had a great year last year at safety, and we are looking forward to him coming back there. Landon will have to play both sides of the ball for us more this year. He did play both sides last year, but we tried to get him off the field for some breaks. He's not going to come off the field much this year," said Langferman.

The Indians also return junior quarterback Wyatt Marsh. In his first season as a starter, he threw for 731 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 250 yards and seven scores.

"As a sophomore quarterback last year, our goal was for him to do his job and do it well. I think now with a year under his belt, as a returning starter as a junior, I look for Wyatt to take more control of the offense," said Langferman.

He added that Marsh throws a beautiful deep ball but has room to grow in other facets of the game.

Marsh will have a solid run game to lean on with the return of Austin Green. Last year, he split carries with his brother Mason and still ran for 1,216 yards and 14 touchdowns. As the feature back this season, Green could be in for a big season.

"We are looking for him to kind of pick up the yards we are losing from his brother graduating," said Langferman.

Seniors Cameron Gilb and Dylan Offill figure to get carries this season too, in addition to picking up blocking assignments as wings. John McKeown is penciled in as the starting fullback.

At wide receiver, the Indians will lean on returning starter Micah Norman and the aforementioned Dylan Offill, who is a bit of a "Swiss Army knife" for Milan. Grant Langferman and Noah Morgan are competing for snaps at tight end, replacing former All-State player Ethan Pierce.

"It's hard to replace an All-State player. That's going to take some time for us, and we are certainly going to miss Ethan. I had a conversation with Ethan last year and I said part of your legacy here at Milan is going to be getting the next guy ready to take your spot. Ethan took it very serious working with Grant and some of the other tight ends."

Defensively, the Indians surrendered 15.6 points per game last season. Dylan Offill and Austin Green lead an experienced secondary. Brady Alcorn, John McKeown, and Micah Norman are expected to round out the back end.

Up front, the Indians return seniors Landon Stanley and Brandon Simms. Sophomores Grant Langferman Zane Richardson is ones to watch after combining for 60 tackles and 14 for a loss as freshmen.

Senior Carson Betz has been described as "unblockable" from his linebacker position this offseason. He missed most of last season with an injury. Sophomore JJ Mutz and junior Josh Pettit figure into the linebacker plans as well.

The Indians will face early tests from a trio of 3A opponents in Rushville, Batesville, and Lawrenceburg. Since 2014, Milan has gone 11-19 against these EIAC teams. The 2024 schedule also features an October 4 home date against Providence. The Pioneers finished last season ranked fourth in Class 1A, going 12-1 overall and losing 14-7 in the Regional to eventual state champions Indianapolis Lutheran.

"I think our goal is always the same with the regular season. We want to be playing our best when sectional comes around. We know those first three games might be a little rough for us, but if it helps us get better and helps us get our players in the right spots, we're happy with it as long as we're at our peak during sectional time," said Langferman.

While the goal is clear this year for Milan, things could be different as it pertains to the regular season in 2025. Coach Langferman tells Eagle Country 99.3 that athletic director Suzie Fiddler is working with other athletic directors to bring back the Mid-Indiana Football Conference.

"Our schedule might look a little different in 2025, but right now we are focusing on the 2024 season and the nine regular season games we have to play," said Langferman.