Franklin County Looks to Forge New Leadership for Tough Schedule Ahead

BROOKVILLE, Ind. – The Franklin County Wildcats took the field for their preseason scrimmage Friday night with plenty of returning experience, but one major question looming: who will fill the leadership void left by last year’s impactful senior class?

Head Coach Wes Gillman acknowledged the challenge, noting that replacing the off-field leaders is proving more difficult than he anticipated.

“What we’re struggling with right now is it’s going to be harder to replace those five or six seniors from last year than I then I realized,” Gillman said. “They were really like the glue to our team. We got a group of kids now, they’re seniors that I think have the talent to do it. It’s just, [do] they have the leadership and the glue to make everything work.”

Gillman emphasized that last year’s success was built on the accountability that group provided. “There’s about five or six of those seniors that held everything together,” he stated. “They made sure everybody else was doing their job… Who can provide the leadership when things aren’t going well? Those are big aspects of a football season.”

That emerging leadership will be tested by a difficult schedule. For Gillman, the true measure of his team’s progress will be how they handle the perennial powerhouses on their slate.

“Every year we try to compare ourselves to Lawrenceburg and East Central,” Gillman said. “What are we going to do those weeks? And Batesville, really, Batesville has been strong… those are the games that really stand out to me.” He added, “I enjoy playing East Central. You see where you’re at really quickly. You see what your kids are made of.”

The Wildcats are not without talent. Star receiver Carter Dozier, who already holds offers from Miami (Ohio) and Akron, returns after an injury cut his season short last year. Still, Gillman knows that in small-school football, talent isn’t always enough. After a heartbreaking 28-21 sectional loss to Batesville last season, a game in which they had four turnovers, he understands how thin the margin for error can be.

“You only get those classes, you know, once every four or five years,” Gillman reflected. “This year’s class, they’re talented seniors. The leadership aspect is what they need to learn.”