10 years ago, the Northeast Eight Conference was formed, and in the years since, there has been a since of consistency from the usual top tier teams. In recent years, it has consistently been a three-horse race between Columbia City, East Noble, and Leo. East Noble made it to the state finals for the second time in five years in 2024.
On that coaching staff was longtime defensive coordinator Ryan Robertson-a 2008 East Noble graduate and a 2012 graduate out of Taylor University-invested most of his entire life into East Noble Athletics. However, a opportunity arose, and after 12 years on the coaching staff, Robertson departed East Noble to become the head football coach at DeKalb. A press release on the hiring of Robertson can be found below.
DeKalb has had a history of success in several sports. The 1980s and even the early 90s were seen as the glory years for DeKalb Football. From 1984-1997, DeKalb had a winning record in all but one season (1987). In that span of time, the Barons claimed 8 conference titles, 5 sectional titles, 2 regional titles, 2 semi-state titles, and hoisting the 1986 Class 4A State Championship. However, that success has dried up in recent memory-well, not to the level that the program once had under legendary coaches Dale Hummer and Ron Kock. In the last 26 years, DeKalb has posted five winning seasons (previous one coming in 2023) and zero conference or postseason championships (none since winning the NHC in 1996).
While these struggles have been noted for a while, it is not for a lack of trying. Over the past decade, DeKalb has slowly built the program back up from a brutal stretch of three winless seasons between 2010 and 2013. The Barons have been competitive in recent memory winning at least four games in each of their last three seasons. However, DeKalb envisions higher expectations as the school has been investing more into their football amenities-which includes a turf field and recent upgrades to their football complex.
Because of that, the hire of Robertson is not a huge surprise considering where things have been trending with the program. When speaking with Robertson, DeKalb wants to find themselves in the mix for a NE8 title.
“We expect to be one of the best teams in the area when the playoffs come, giving us a chance to avenge a loss we might get during the season.” said Robertson.
DeKalb is assigned to Class 4A Sectional 19-that includes some heavyweight contenders like Bishop Dwenger, Columbia City, East Noble, Leo, and Wayne. To say it is a challenging sectional would be a major understatement. This is not the first time that the Barons have had these expectations before as they won 8 games in 2019 and finished in third place with a NE8 record of 7-2.
If DeKalb wants to achieve those goals, the Barons will have to exercise some major demons. Since 2008, DeKalb has posted a combined record of 6-46 against conference contenders Columbia City, East Noble, and Leo. The Barons have favored a little better against Columbia City as their last win came in 2019 against the Eagles, but recent meetings would suggest otherwise. As for the other two, it has been one-sided up to this point. DeKalb has never beaten Leo in their 12 meetings all-time, and the Barons are currently on a 20-game losing streak against arch rival East Noble.
At times last season, DeKalb showed promise that they could compete in the NE8 and the best competition in the area. However, the Barons struggled with the small details, and penalties/turnovers became a common occurrence. The funny thing about that 2024 season was the Barons were literally ONE stop away from starting that season 2-0, but they were unable to stop Garrett quarterback Calder Hefty from reaching the end zone in overtime, leaving the Baron faithful saying ‘What if’.
That is here and there, but now it is an opportunity for DeKalb Football to surprise people in 2025. Robertson said he has seen substantial growth over the offseason, and that starts with the basics.
“We will be fundamentally sound on all levels,” said Robertson. “Our kids are starting to trust what we are trying to do.”
Robertson is confident in his skills position on both sides of the ball as the Barons return explosive wide receiver in defensive back Xavier Bell. When Bell has the ball in his hands, he can absolutely turn on the jets-which is why you see him returning a lot of kicks/punts. DeKalb returns two athletic tight ends in Zeke Penrod and Bo Minehart. Zeke-known for his strength and height on the basketball court-can be the big x-factor for this Barons squad. As for Bo, this is a name that is pretty familiar to the DeKalb baseball program. Much to the same of Miles Brockhouse-who will play both ways as a offensive and defensive lineman.
Since Caiden Hinkle graduated, DeKalb will have a backfield by committee with Brady Culler and Drake Hall leading the way. The signal caller will turn to the 5’11 veteran Eli McCormick-who played in 7 games as the backup to Will Weber , completing 18-54 passes for 237 yards and 1 touchdown pass to 3 interceptions. Robertson said his skill guys ‘can run around and make plays in space’.
However, DeKalb’s success in 2025 will hinge on their success on the defensive side of the ball-an area that has been a struggle for a while now. DeKalb has allowed 29 or more points in each of their last four seasons and has not had a season with less than 25 points scored against since 2019 when they allowed just 21.9. Standouts Nic Ley, Graham Blythe, and AJ Ross have graduated. This means that Culler (a four-year starter on defense) and Owen Schackow to lead the linebackers unit, while the secondary will consist of Noah Spears, Bell, and Connor Schmidt.
“We are learning a new system and that takes time,” said Robertson on DeKalb’s defensive scheme. “You also can never stop working on tackling. We will get better at tackling in space.”
DeKalb will open their 2025 season on Friday August 22, when they host longtime rival Angola in the ‘Old 27 Derby’. In the all-time series dating back to DeKalb’s inaugural season in 1967, DeKalb leads the series 25-18-1.