MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week: Carroll football

Carroll (Fort Wayne) football coach Doug Dinan doesn't hide from it. He fully admits it and wants his players to know it.

"Our goal has never been to be undefeated or to win the conference championship," he said. "Our goal is to win the state championship."

The Chargers weren't close to that mindset from 2005 to 2010, when they went without a winning season while going 19-42. But Dinan took over and all has changed.

They've gone 8-4, 10-3 and 9-3 since, while starting the 2014 season at a perfect 8-0. Not that it's been easy.

Other than a 40-7 win in its opener over Goshen and another rout, 45-17 over Bellmont, Carroll has won five games by a touchdown or less, including back-to-back 22-19 games over Huntington North and Norwell.

They won Friday by a 41-35 count over Columbia City in overtime.

For their perfect start and resolve, the Chargers are the MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week, presented by the Indiana Army National Guard.

Of his team's propensity to pull games out late, Dinan said: "You never know when certain situations are going to happen. We've shown great resolve, commitment to each other and the ability to play hard. Regardless of whether we need a score or we have to make a stop, we've been able to do it. That's a testament to the character and toughness of the kids."

Carroll has utilized two quarterbacks all year, as juniors Aidan Smith and Cody Dinan have thrown for 755 and 530 yards, respectively and combined for 10 touchdown passes.

Four different runners have rushed for more than 100 yards, led by junior Alex Anzeveno. Smith has rushed for 268 and Blake Schumacher, also a junior, has 221 yards rushing. Senior Chase Blotkamp has carried the ball just 13 times but has a team-high four touchdown rushes.

The leading receiver is senior Eric Lauer (23 catches, 500 yards, four touchdowns).

Defensively, junior Dylan Conner leads the team with 60 tackles, including 13 for losses. Other top defenders are junior James Jamicich, junior Tyler Lengerich (seven tackles for loss), senior Eric Dunten (52 tackles) and senior Seth Johnston (seven tackles for loss).

Dinan said it wasn't that hard to turn around the culture of the team and turn the Chargers into a winner.

"The important thing is to understand how to be successful, and that comes through hard work and investing in each other. It takes unity, synergy and being together. There's no secret or shortcut. We don't talk about winning. We talk about hard play and investing in each other.

You learn to expect success and anticipate success. Winning is inevitable if you do the right things."

Teaching a winning attitude is one thing. Getting so many kids on the same page — Carroll has 92 on its varsity roster on MaxPreps – is extremely challenging.

"It's not a one-person job. It becomes a staff issue. A big part of my job is making decisions and delegating responsibility. Everybody's role is significant.

"It trickles down to the kids when they understand how much you've invested in them. It sounds cliché, but it's not how much you know, it's how much you care." Staff writer Colin Ward-Henninger contributed to this report.