New Palestine High School in Indiana is a lineman factory. With countless big men in the trenches graduating from the powerhouse and defending state champions, high school teams around the country are trying to find the Dragons’ secret sauce.
Yet there’s surprisingly little flash or flare to it. At the Indiana Football Coaches Association state clinic two weeks ago, head coach Kyle Ralph, in front of a bustling room full of high school coaches, highlighted how the school develops and trains its top athletes on a shoestring budget: running up hills, handing out workouts on paper, and welding used metal objects together to form a sled.
One young prospect who figures to feature prominently in the program over the next two years is Class of 2028 defensive lineman Sam Hirschy.
“I started playing football when I was six years old in kindergarten,” Hirschy said. “I had a lot of cousins and uncles who played in college and my grandpa coached CYO football for a lot of years.”
Little did Hirschy know in kindergarten that his efforts on the field are starting to pay off. The 6-foot-4, 258-pound edge prospect earned his first Power 4 offer from California two weeks ago.
“It meant a lot to me. it was my first Power 4 offer,” Hirschy said, who has since added an offer from Auburn. “It’s a great feeling when a school like that believes that you can play there. The Cal coaches called Coach Ralph during workouts and he told me to come over and that Cal was on the phone. I was excited and the coaches said they had seen my film and offered me right then.”
The Golden Bears offered Hirschy, and it’s easy to see why: he could easily be the top defensive lineman in the state with the ability to play inside or on the edge. Hirschy is very good on twists and stunts, taking great pursuit angles to the quarterback and running backs, wrecking havoc on the pocket and wrapping up running backs in space. His tall, long, 6-foot-4 frame is hard to block, and with two more years to go in New Palestine’s strength and conditioning program, the sky is the limit for his potential.
“The love for the game,” Hirschy said on what motivates him to play football. “I like hanging out with teammates in the locker room and challenging each other on the field. I enjoy the physicality of football. I like the teamwork aspect of it too – eleven guys all having to work together for one goal. Not many dudes are tough enough to go bang heads with people for two to three hours.”
Hirschy picked up his first offer from Bowling Green State on Feb. 1 before his offer from California. He will visit Indiana today.
“I’m mainly looking for academics,” he said on what he’s looking for in a college program. “I realize my football career won’t last forever and I need a good education. I’m used to winning, so I would like to be a part of a winning program too.”
Photo credit: IndyStar
