Over the last nine seasons, Kyle Enright has worked feverishly to put the Decatur Central football team on the map. There’s been three state championship game appearances during that time, including the last two seasons. Over the last two seasons, the Hawks have gone 22-5 and captured the Class 5A state title last year, knocking off Warsaw, 38-24.

“Looking back and reflecting on the previous season is something that coaches do every year. Every season has positive events and negative events, highs and lows, and many things you should learn from for the next season. Having a growth mindset as a staff and with our players is something we value and believe in at Decatur Central. Our coach exit interviews and player exit interviews this winter were great and led us into the offseason with many things we feel as an organization we need to do better and things we did well that we want to continue to prioritize,” Enright told Indiana Preps.

As he enters his 10th season at the helm, Enright does so with a team that is loaded with Division 1 commits on both sides of the football, expectations of getting back to Lucas Oil Stadium and a season that will see his team playing in Class 6A.

“The turnover on a roster is always impactful and sometimes the turnover on staff can make continuity tough. We approach every year with the expectation to play Decatur Tough, a fast and physical brand of football, while prioritizing being great people 1st and great students 2nd. We have had some amazing young men that are true student-athletes that hold others accountable and to the Gold standard that has been set by previous Hawks. So while it is an entirely new season, expectations to live up to the standards that have been set gives us a baseline of where we need to be and where we are going,” Enright acknowledged. 

In hopes of getting back to Lucas Oil Stadium for a third straight season, Decatur Central has enjoyed an offseason focused on leadership, academics, speed, agility and strength training, according to Enright. 

“Our leadership council meets and discusses various topics to improve, our academic counselors stay connected to our young men to help them prepare to be college ready, and our strength coach Adam Lane orchestrates a great program to push our players to be as explosive, strong, quick and flexible as possible. We have had a great offseason with many guys making great gains in all areas,” he said. 

With a handful of key starters back, as well as reserves, can Decatur Central post another 11 win season? Enright sure hopes so.

Senior quarterback Bo Polston leads an offense that also features junior running back Hunter Harvey, senior wide receivers Carson Ison and Kasmir Hicks, senior athlete Fa’Rel Carter, and senior offensive linemen Alec Surber at left guard, Tyler Cooper at right tackle, Caiden Capps at left tackle and Mason Miller at right guard. 

Defensively, the Hawks are loaded with returners and talent as well, beginning with outside linebacker Mykul Campbell. Also in the fold are senior linebackers Brayden Smith and Chris Hill, senior safety Braylon Morris, junior corner back Johnathan Rolling, junior outside linebacker Colton Ison and linemen Cayden Cole, Jordyn Shanks, Bobby Eastes and Elisha Johnson. 

“Our goals for the 2025 season are to win the Mid-State Conference, to be playing our best football in late October/early November, to have a team GPA of 3.25 or higher, to impact the community through servant leadership in a positive way, and to have all of our 22 seniors in position to be successful when they leave DCHS as college students, in the work force or in the military. 

We are excited about the young men we have returning for the 2025 season and look forward to watching them compete under the Friday Night Lights this Fall,” Enright said.