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Winslow excited to continue career with Grizzlies
Cade Winslow had one of the best football seasons in the state for Greencastle last fall, leading the Tiger Cubs to the sectional championship and earning first-team all-state honors on every list that exists.
Winslow, also named to participate in the prestigious North-South Indiana All-Star game in July, signed last week to play collegiately for Franklin College.
Like many people from smaller high schools, Winslow likes the intimate setting that Franklin offers opposed to the sprawling campuses at much larger schools.
“I have always wanted to play college at a place like Notre Dame,” Winslow said. “Obviously, I’m not 6-6 and 300 pounds. Franklin came calling, and when I took my visit there I fell in love with the campus and the team.”
Franklin is a regular winner of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title and entrant in the NCAA Division III playoffs, a fact that was also attractive to Winslow — who played nose tackle for the Tiger Cubs.
“It felt a lot like Greencastle when I went there,” he said. “I will be playing defensive end mostly, but in some defenses I could stand up and play linebacker or be an edge rusher. They play a 4-3 defense, and being smaller I have quick feet and I feel it’s a good setup for me.”
Winslow noted that Franklin graduates all four of its defensive ends this spring, so there will be opportunities for him to get to play sooner than most freshmen.
“There are some big shoes to fill there,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to getting there and seeing what I can do.”
Winslow now weighs 210 pounds, and the Franklin coaches want him to increase that number to about 225.
Winslow’s list of other high school awards is lengthy:
• He was named as member of the all-WVFCA team, representing 29 high schools from Indiana and Illinois;
• He was named first-team all-Region 6 by the IFCA;
• He was named first-team all-state by the Associated Press; and
• He was named Class 3A first-team all-state by the IFCA.
Winslow recorded 19 by himself, accounting for 104 lost yards by opposing teams, as the Cubs had 70 sacks for the season.
Winslow also ranked 28th in the state with 138 tackles, an average of 11.5 per game.
He admits the amount of recognition he has received has been pretty surprising.
“The first award I got was at our winter sports banquet and I was the team MVP,” he said. “I never thought I’d get that award as a lineman. Coach [Meyer] had us write down our goals at the beginning of the season, and I said I wanted to be all-state, play in the North-South All-Star Game and play in the Wabash Valley Coaches Association game.
“I was preseason honorable mention all-state, and that motivated me because I really wanted to be all-state,” Winslow added. “Once I found out I was IFCA all-state, that was one of the best moments of my life. I’ve worked pretty hard, and it felt good to have all these awards to come.”
Winslow credits his defensive ends this year — senior Jacob Meyer and junior Gavin Bollman — as big reasons behind the success of the Tiger Cub defense this year..
“Having to worry about blocking three guys, instead of one, allowed all of us to be able to be successful,” he said. “It allowed me to maneuver and go wherever I wanted and not get double and triple teamed”
Winslow admits that the move to nose tackle wasn’t popular with him at first.
“At first, I hated it,” he said. “I didn’t want to line up against the center all the time. I was used to lining up one-on-one against guards and it was easy. When I got used to playing nose, our defense formed more around the three of us. It worked out well.”
Meyer will miss the leader of his team’s defense, and sees nothing but good things in his future.
“He had a tremendous year, and he was a great leader for us,” Meyer said. “He’s deserving of all the accolades he was given. He was a key part of our defensive unit, and I’m proud that he’s going to Franklin.”
Winslow was a three-year starter for the Tiger Cubs, and Meyer saw signs of his excellence early.
“I’ve been around him for a lot of years now,” he said. “He had a lot of ability, and he got better and better as his career progressed. He’s done what I expected him to do.”