Bishop Noll eyes return to gridiron in fall 2020
Two years ago, Bishop Noll suspended its season with only 15 healthy players. In 2020, after rebuilding the program, it returns to a full varsity schedule.
Football: Two years after suspending the season due to a lack of healthy players, the Warriors under coach Wayne Racine are poised to return to the field this fall with a full varsity schedule.
There was no choice in 2018 when Bishop Noll only had 15 healthy football players.
The Warriors, who were playing a varsity-only schedule, had to suspend the season.
To outsiders, the interruption seemed like a death blow to the proud program, which won a state title in 1989.
The Warriors had lost 31 straight varsity games.
Every day, every practice was a struggle.
No one would have blamed the school for dropping the sport.
Football was under siege from critics who deemed it unsafe because of the risk of head injuries.
It could have been a good time to quietly slip out the backdoor.
Bishop Noll coach Wayne Racine had other ideas.
Playing only a junior varsity schedule, Racine used the 2019 season to reboot the program.
Racine sold underclassmen on playing time and the idea they could be part of history, reviving Noll’s tradition.
It has worked so far.
Racine expects to have a roster of between 50 and 60 players.
Noll played seven games last year, winning its first varsity game since 2014 against Chicago Quest. Its 2019 schedule was a mixture of varsity and JV games.
Monday is the first day Indiana high school football teams can be on campus for conditioning. No one is more grateful to start working than Racine.
He said taking a pause was the best way to move forward.
“It was the right thing to do,” Racine said. “We refocused the program and created some buzz. We had a surplus of kids come out. They were kids that had never played. We even had seniors who came out.”
Amaurii Fallen, a senior running back, said it wasn’t easy giving up on varsity football.
“It was definitely a challenge,” Fallen said. “Truly, the challenge came from the people around us. There was a stigma that you guys are just JV.
“We were content. The season helped our younger guys get some experience, and it allowed us to grow as players.”
Willie Feagin, a junior quarterback, said he didn’t view the JV schedule as a step down.
“It wasn’t hard for me,” he
said. “I just wanted to have fun and compete. Coach (Racine) did a good job of keeping us prepared.”
Feagin said Racine is “blunt but he’s a very loving person. Everyone hopped on board for him.”
Racine came to Noll in 2017 after spending most of his coaching career as an assistant at the small college level. He had never been a head coach.
He worked with Ted Karras Jr. at Marian University in Indianapolis and Walsh University in Canton, Ohio.
Racine said it has been a “monumental challenge” to keep moving forward with “lots of ups and downs. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s helped me grow as a person and a coach.”
It’s particularly important for the Warriors to have some face-to-face time after being shut out of athletics since March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Racine needs to keep his players in the game. Literally.
“I’m worried about the kids’ mental health,” he said. “They’ve been locked up for three or four months. They need to be kids. I’m happy we get to practice a couple of days a week. Our kids need to be involved.”
Racine, like everyone, is concerned about the status of the season.
He can’t worry about it. It’s a waste of energy.
It’s one day at a time, a mantra Noll has lived by for most of the last two years.
When the Warriors do return for a full varsity season, it will be a victory.
They don’t plan to go back to where they were.
“Football is important for our school, for the players, for our parents and for the alumni,” he said. “It’s something everyone can be proud of.”