Unlike the All-SAC list, the All-NE8 lists don’t come out until the season is concluded. It was a year that was highlighted by the East Noble Knights running away with the conference and finishing the season with an 11-1 record. Although they were the best team, there was a plethora of talent across the board in the NE8 that made the conference a bit more competitive than expected.
Leo senior running back Nathan Foster led the conference in rushing with 1,507 yards and 19 touchdowns. New Haven Bulldogs senior running back DJ Simpson finished as the only other 1,000-plus yard rusher in the conference with 1,087 yards, to go with 16 touchdowns.
In his first season as the starting quarterback, DeKalb Barons senior Eli McCormick put together an unprecedentedly successful season. He led the conference in passing with 2,122 yards and tied for the most passing touchdowns with 23. East Noble’s dynamic quarterback Rylie Biddle also finished with 23 passing touchdowns and was 2nd in the NE8 in passing yards with 1,891.
Some of the top underclassmen of the conference include breakout freshman at East Noble, Austin Phillips (RB/LB), Huntington North sophomore quarterback Lathan James, East Noble’s junior wide receiver Alex Scott, Tayden Getts (defensive tackle), junior Brett Sauder from Leo (linebacker), and many more.
NE8 All-Conference 1st Team
| Name | Position | School | Grade |
| Rylie Biddle | QB | East Noble | 12 |
| Nathan Foster | RB | Leo | 12 |
| DJ Simpson | RB | New Haven | 12 |
| Jimmy Linker | WR | Huntington North | 12 |
| Alex Scott | WR | East Noble | 11 |
| Xavier Bell | WR | DeKalb | 12 |
| Bo Minehart | TE/FB | DeKalb | 12 |
| Hunter Shire | OT | East Noble | 12 |
| Isaiah Coolman | OT | Leo | 12 |
| Sam Strater | OG | East Noble | 12 |
| Hayden Roberts | OG | Leo | 12 |
| Hunter Smithson | C | East Noble | 12 |
| Ayden Ley | DE | East Noble | 12 |
| Owen Love | DE | Columbia City | 12 |
| Tayden Getts | DT | East Noble | 11 |
| Derrion Treesh | DT | Leo | 12 |
| Bret Sauder | ILB | Leo | 11 |
| Austin Phillips | ILB | East Noble | 9 |
| Alex Phillips | OLB/SS | East Noble | 11 |
| Austin Kirkpatrick | OLB/SS | DeKalb | 12 |
| Gavin Smith | FS | Columbia City | 12 |
| Drake Hall | FS | DeKalb | 11 |
| Kellan Hulburt | CB | Leo | 12 |
| Calvin Dobson | CB | New Haven | 12 |
| Jaxson Johnson | K | Columbia City | 11 |
| Trey Privett | P | Norwell | 11 |
| Xavier Bell | Special Teams | DeKalb | 12 |
NE8 All-Second Team
| Name | Position | School | Grade |
| Eli McCormick | QB | DeKalb | 12 |
| Trace Parrish | RB | Columbia City | 12 |
| Christian Jemison | RB | Huntington North | 11 |
| Donald Gage | WR | New Haven | 11 |
| Luke Tackwell | WR | Leo | 12 |
| Noah Spears | WR | DeKalb | 12 |
| Jack Slater | WR | East Noble | 11 |
| Cooper Bunn | TE/FB | Norwell | 10 |
| Miles Brockhouse | OT | DeKalb | 11 |
| Dorian Bunn | OT | Columbia City | 11 |
| Carson Henry | OG | Columbia City | 12 |
| Trevon Miles | OG | New Haven | 12 |
| Dane Dalrymple | C | Norwell | 12 |
| Zeke Penrod | DE | DeKalb | 12 |
| Cooper Olson | DE | Leo | 12 |
| Tristen Blaker | DT | DeKalb | 12 |
| Grady Baker | DT | Bellmont | 12 |
| Sam Bean | ILB | Columbia City | 12 |
| Eli Schwab | ILB | DeKalb | 11 |
| Isaiah Detmers | OLB/SS | Leo | 10 |
| EJ Morgan | OLB/SS | Norwell | 10 |
| Lance Meriwether | FS | Norwell | 10 |
| Ben Roth | FS | Huntington North | 11 |
| Trey Privett | CB | Norwell | 11 |
| Tanner Mickelson | CB | Leo | 11 |
| Ryker Ball (10) | K | DeKalb | |
| Kellan Hulburt | P | Leo | 12 |
| Gavin Smith | Special Teams | Columbia City | 12 |
Honorable Mentions
Bellmont: Mason White, junior, TE/FB; Braxton Arriaga, sophomore, ILB; Oliver Werling, senior, OLB/SS;
Columbia City: Zach Furthmiller, junior, OT; Carson Carpenter, senior, OG; Zach Furthmiller, junior, OT; Tannor Ellis, junior, P
DeKalb: Brady Culler, senior, RB; Malachi Webb, junior, OT;
East Noble: Andrew Oakes, senior, ILB; Alex Scott, junior, Special Teams
Huntington North: Lathan Janes, sophomore, QB; Gage Joseph, senior, OG; Will Gradeless, senior, C; Walker Goodknight, junior, DE; Gage Clanin, junior, DT; Ben Roth, junior, FS; Gavin Sink, freshman, K
Leo: Paul Woods, junior, RB; Gustin Stuckey, junior, DT
New Haven: Dashawn Debacher, senior, DE; Jacob Langford, sophomore, OLB/SS
3 Biggest All-NE8 Snubs
Koen Quake, East Noble, defensive end, junior
At 6’2, 220, Koen Quake possesses the prototypical size for a linebacker or defensive end at the next level. He finished fourth in the NE8 in tackles for a loss with 13.5, and second in the conference in sacks with 4.5. As a junior, he has caught the eyes of many college programs, including a recent visit to Olivet Nazarene. He’s also visited DePauw University, Marian University, and Trine University this season. There was so much attention on some of his teammates this season that perhaps his accomplishments were slightly overlooked. When he returns for his senior season, this will likely be on the back of his mind. At first glance, he’s the biggest snub that didn’t make the list.
Tre McCraney, New Haven, quarterback, junior
It’s always tough when a quarterback’s stat sheet on the surface doesn’t exactly solidify an All-Conference nod. New Haven’s program continues to grow under second-year head coach Vance Shearer. They only won two games this season (Bellmont & Norwell), and they’re trying to build their program. With Simpson rushing for over 1,000 yards, the offense was primarily built around him. Believe it or not, McCraney led the conference in pass attempts and completions. He was also fourth in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
The one blemish on his stat sheet in 2025 was that he was also second in interceptions. It wasn’t because he’s a bad quarterback; he just threw a lot more passes than other quarterbacks. Even against East Noble this season, he played very well, completing 22 of his 35 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He deserved at the very least an honorable mention.
Cohen Garrett, Norwell, linebacker, senior
Cohen Garrett has played multiple positions during his career at Norwell. For the most part, he played linebacker and some tight end as well. He finished 11th in the conference in tackles for a loss (7.5) and 10th in sacks with 2.5. Much like New Haven, Norwell is another program that is struggling at the moment, but Garrett has been a solid contributor for the Knights all season long. His play this season, and being a senior, he deserved some recognition for his play this season, like the others. There were certainly people who made the list that didn’t put up the state he did this year.