BEST OF THE BEST: Greencastle's Winslow enjoys All-Star event

Monday, July 16, 2018
Greencastle’s Cade Winslow brings down a ballcarrier in the second half of Fridayu’s Indiana Football Coaches Association North-South All-Star Game.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

INDIANAPOLIS — Joey Paridaen and Cade Winslow were on opposing sides last month in the Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star game in Terre Haute.

Paridaen, who coached Eastern Greene to the Class A state finals last fall before departing to coach Evansville North, was the head coach of the Gold Division team in the WVFCA game.

Winslow was a defensive terror for the Black Division team, which won the game 32-28.

On Friday night, Paridaen and Winslow were united on the South team in the Indiana Football Coaches Association North-South All-Star Classic at North Central High School, with Paridean ironically assigned to coach the defensive line.

The North team scored the winning points on a field goal with 5:58 left, and recorded a 27-24 win.

Still, both Paridaen and Winslow enjoyed their first experience together.

“This is the second all-star game in which I’ve gotten to see him play,” Paridaen said. “I knew what I was getting before I got here this week. He’s just a great kid who brings great energy to the D-line.”

Paridaen likes many different things about Winslow.

“He’s got great hands,” he said. “His personality matches his play, and he’s a fun kid to be around. It was a privilege to get to coach him this week.

“He’s going to do very well at the next level,” he added. “Franklin is getting a great player in him.”

Winslow was glad to have a familiar face around. “He said he’s glad I was on his team this time,” Winslow said.

Winslow started at left defensive end, as the South team rotated personnel frequently.

He admits he played better in the second half, although in the first half the North team ran almost exclusively to the opposite side of the field.

“I’d like to think they were running away from me,” said Winslow, with sweat smearing the eye black on his face on this hot summer night, with a laugh. “But I don’t think it was like that. I didn’t do my best in the first half. I missed a couple of tackles and a couple of sacks.

“I went in the locker room, my teammates talked me back up and I got two tackles in the first series of the second half,” he added. “I played a lot better the rest of the game and did whatever I could to help our team out.”

Nearly every player on both teams has plans to play football collegiately, and Winslow found himself up against the best competition he’s ever faced.

“It’s a big difference from the regular season to the Wabash Valley game to this,” he said. “I came out here and I competed against all these [Class] 6A kids. I know I’m from 3A ball, but I came out and did work and I competed all week long.

The week-long experience is something Winslow will never forget.

“We came in [to the University of Indianapolis] on Monday morning, and I really didn’t know many people,” he said. “It was kind of awkward at first, but we got our first practice in and I got to meet some guys and start talking to them. We developed a bond and a brotherhood really soon, and got really close.

“It was a really fun week,” Winslow added. “I was honored to get to play in this game. We came up a little short in the game, but we played as well as we could play.”

Winslow will report to camp at Franklin next month, and will continue to train hard this summer in order to make a good impression in his freshman year.

“I’ve got about a month until I go to Franklin, and I’m going to keep working hard both in the weight room and running on the track,” he said. “Got to keep that football mentality going.”

Familiar faces

Winslow was one of four players from the WVFCA game to also play in the IFCA game.

The other three — Terre Haute North’s Nathan Barrett [nephew of former North Putnam coach Greg Barrett], Sullivan’s Dakota Caton and Eastern Greene’s Caleb Hamilton — will all be going to play for Indiana State.

Barrett had four catches for 22 yards, while Caton did not play due to a back injury and Hamilton saw time on special teams. Other familiar faces or connected players included:

• Danville receiver Ben Stevens, who caught two touchdown passes;

• Fellow Franklin signee Jayson Mersch of Pioneer;

• South team MVP Cameron Misner from Avon, who North Putnam coach Sam Carnes coached during his underclassmen days;

• DePauw recruits Josh Major (QB from Columbus East) and running back Noah Jones from Evansville Memorial; and

• Warren Central’s Dean Tate, a receiver for the South team who was the only player to play for the Indiana All-Star team in both basketball and football. Tate will play basketball at Division II Purdue Northwest.

North 27, South 24

South 7 7 7 3 — 24

North 0 14 7 6 — 27

South — Ben Stevens 17-yard pass from Cameron Misner (Ben Norton kick), 4:51

North — Christian Covington 1-yard run (Josh Gorball kick), 11:29

South — Stevens 26-yard pass from Misner (Norton kick), 7:16

North — DeAndre Smart 20-yard pass from Carson Blair (Ben VonGunten kick), 0:42

North — Mike McCullough 11-yard run (Gorball kick), 9:14

South — Dean Tate 8-yard pass from Misner (Norton kick), 5:46

South — Norton 44-yard field goal, 11:54

North — Ben VonGunten 22-yard field goal, 10:36

North — Gorball 38-yard field goal, 5:58

Individual statistics

Rushing — South: Washington 4-27, Hoskins 1-9, Tate 2-6, Hogan 2-1, Major 5-(-11). North: Covington 16-108, Rhoades 15-59, McCullough 2-15, Edwards 5-13, Barajas 1-3, Blair 2-1, Knepley 2-1.

Passing — South: Misner 25-42-0, Major 4-8-0. North: Blair 8-13-1, McCullough 6-12-1.

Receiving — South: Tate 9-102, Hoskins 6-70, Stevens 5-129, Barrett 4-22, Washington 1-15, Misner 1-9, Brishaber 1-6, Wilkinson 1-4, Hogan 1-0. North: Smart 5-47, Barajas 3-30, Maceo 3-13, Burkett 2-14, Segal 1-6.