MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week: Winchester football

It went down as a 48-8 season-ending defeat. But to Mike Jones and his Winchester Golden Falcons it was simply a reference point — a place to learn and grow.

A young and talented Winchester team indeed has licked its wounds and grown up bigger and better since that 2A playoff defeat last year to Indianapolis Scecina Memorial. The 2014 Golden Falcons are now 8-1, winners of seven straight while outscoring foes 331-48 in that span.

The most recent win was Friday's 40-8 victory over Centerville.

For its vast improvement and win streak, Winchester, a school of about 500 students about 10 miles South of the Ohio border, is the MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week, presented by the Indiana Army National Guard.

"It wasn't the outcome we wanted," Jones said of the season-ending defeat. "But we saw how a championship team went about its business. We saw the caliber of team we want to be. Our young guys competed and they came back in the off-season like troopers. They worked really hard in all facets and are ready for the next challenge."

It helps to have one of the nation's top junior running backs in Kiante Enis, a great nephew of former Penn State great and NFL running back Curtis Enis.

Kiante, a 6-foot-1, 180-pounder, leads the state with 2,560 yards (284.4 per game) to go along with 39 touchdowns. He averages 11.6 yards per carry. He had 466 yards on 28 carries and six TDs in a 49-6 win over Union City on Sept. 26. He's also had games of 393 and 332 yards. He's been held to less than 200 yards only once, and has scored six touchdowns three times.

Last week Indiana University offered him a scholarship.

"He's unbelievably good," Jones said. "He's special. He's extremely fast (was timed 4.3 in the 40-yard dash over the summer), is good in the weight room (has squatted 460 pounds) and he just produces game-after-game. When your worst game (195 yards) is a career night for anyone else, that tells you just how good he is.

"The truth is he plays only about three quarters of every game."

He has the benefit of a superb offensive line that includes 6-5, 315-pound tackle Elijah Chalfant and 6-1, 260-pounder Kainin Frost. That's also helped sophomore Elias Gates (6-1, 160) rush for an additional 447 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensively, led by coordinator Scott Hargrave, the Golden Falcons have recorded three shutouts in the win streak. Amazing, considering the team starts only two seniors on defense.

Junior Titus Edwards leads the squad with 120 tackles, followed by Dillan Williams (97) and Johnathan Thornburg (69), who also leads the team with five sacks. Enis also leads the defense with three interceptions.

A ball-control offense helps keep the defense off the field. Winchester is fourth in the state with 3,507 rushing yards (390 per game). It's had rushing games of 562, 522, 475, 470 and 411 yards. With 4,271 total yards, the Golden Falcons average 474 yards per game.

"We believe in molding our offense around the talent of our kids, rather than the other way around," Jones said. "We do spread our offense and we run a lot of read option."

To help with the team's passing offense and to become more diverse, Jones recently moved sophomore Austin Lawrence to quarterback and former QB Dustyn Hangen, a superb 6-3, 220-pound senior athlete, to tight end.

The move should help the team's playoff drive, a place where it has never gone too deep. Before Jones, a 1989 Winchester graduate, arrived, the Golden Falcons were 1-9. They have since gone 6-5, 7-4 and now 8-1.

"When I first got here, I talked about the playoffs and the kids thought I was crazy," Jones said. "They were like ‘Gosh, coach, we can barely win a game.' But I believe if you ask kids to do something and work as hard or harder than them, they will buy in.

"We have tough kids who believe. Just a couple seasons ago after nine games they were 1-8 and now they're 8-1. That's pretty amazing. You just have to stick to your guns and have faith that you're teaching them all the right things, and then hold them accountable. Kids want to live up to those expectations. They really do. Our kids are living up to them. I'm proud of them."