NEW CARLISLE, Ind. (WNDU) – The New Prairie Cougars are aiming to add a stronger passing element to their already run-focused offense.
“We are still going to be pretty run heavy. That’s going to be our bread and butter, but we are going to bring in a dynamic passing game,” says head coach Ryan O’Shea. “We are going to unleash Reed Robinson a little bit and let him throw the ball around and make sure this offense isn’t so predictable.”
O’Shea is entering his first year as head coach of the Cougars after spending the past five seasons at the helm at Lakeland High School. And with the team riding a streak of four consecutive sectional championships, he is determined to build on that success and keep the winning tradition alive.
“Coming into a program that has a lot of tradition and a lot of expectations is awesome,” O’Shea says. “I like having those expectations, and we are going to work really hard to meet those.”
Having a leader like Reed Robinson return is huge. As he enters his senior season, he’s ready to make a strong impact in the new offense.
“I want to try to get 40 touchdowns total. So, last year I had 30 — 19 running, 11 passing,” Robinson says. “I am more of a runner for sure. Just maybe a little more passing touchdowns. I think with (Coach O’Shea’s) new offense he is bringing to the table, it is going to be a lot more passing but we are still going to be run dominant.”
Fans can expect this group to bring a completely new mindset this upcoming season.
“The extra discipline that we are trying to bring to this program and try to make sure that teams are trying to beat us and we aren’t trying to beat ourselves,” O’Shea says. “That’s the main goal for us in year one here. Making sure that we are playing good, clean football and making other teams earn it.”
“Losing 10 seniors on defense last year is a big deal,” Robinson adds. “From a defensive perspective, being able to as an underclassman work as hard as you can in the weight room over the summer and just learn from the great defensive coaches that we have here at New Prairie. I think that is what they can expect. Just a hardworking, dominant, gritty football program.”
New Prairie opens the 2025 season on the road at rival LaPorte on Friday, Aug. 22. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CDT (8 p.m. EDT).
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