The Noblesville Millers 2023 football season has had its fair share of inconsistency—blowouts, victories, and losses have splotched the Millers record. In fact, the season can be encapsulated in two scenes:

SCENE 1

Logan Shoffner has found an opening. Passing through a sea of Millers and Tigers, it’s only him and 75 more yards of bright green astroturf to put six points on the scoreboard. He hears the Miller Nation student section start with a soft, surprised cheer, then erupt into a thunderous roar, shaking the bleachers of Beaver Materials stadium. Fishers Tigers 48, Noblesville Millers 22. After the final whistle blows, the crowd goes back to silence in defeat.

SCENE 2

Logan Shoffner has found an opening. Passing through the Spartans defensive line, he could walk into the end zone to put six points on the scoreboard. The Miller Nation student section blasts off again—for the 6th time of the night. Noblesville Millers 42, Homestead Spartans 0, A dominant performance on both sides of the field. After the final whistle blows, students file out of the bleachers in celebration.

These two moments are the reality of the Noblesville football team. The boys in helmets and pads have felt harsh defeat, but also competed with and taken down tough opponents. This year, the Millers are looking to introduce a new passing-focused offense, similar to ones used by opponents in the Millers’ own Hoosier Crossroads Conference, and a big difference from their rush-only offense of previous years.

Senior Logan Shoffner is one of three starting running backs on the team. His wide range of skills, highlighted by his strong physical style and agility make him a dual threat athlete, crucial to both the rushing and passing offense for the Millers this season.

“We’ve shown glimpses of a new offense, but we haven’t put it into full use yet,” Shoffner said. “As the opponents get bigger and stronger, we’re going to have to rely on [the passing game] a lot more.”

So far, Shoffner has lead the team in both rushing and receiving yards. In the opening matchup of the year against Mt. Vernon, Shoffner broke the school’s 41-year-old rushing yards record, set previously by Paul Height in 1982.

“I found out in the offseason that I was close [to the record.] Once I got that big rush against Mt. Vernon, I knew I’d broken it and it was time to celebrate,” Shoffner said. “It was great to do it at Lucas Oil [Stadium] too. That was a crazy atmosphere.”

In that battle against the Marauders, the Millers came home with a 48-30 victory and a passing offense that racked up 190 yards—a mark that wasn’t eclipsed all last season. Beginning the season with a victory against a recent state champion only happens one way: through heavy preparation through the offseason—something junior defensive end and team sack leader Israel Oladipupo says has been executed successfully.

“The entire team gets good work in practicing with the new offense,” Oladipupo said. “Defense has the opportunity to practice against an offense similar to the rest of our conference, and the offense gets to refine our talented receivers.”

Those receivers have proven to be big-play threats at any point in the game, as senior quarterback Jacob Baker averages over 20 yards per completed pass, which is heavily skewed by 70 and 54 yard touchdown passes against Mt. Vernon.

Shoffner has completely bought into the new offense, believing that the skill players: the team’s wide receivers, running backs, and quarterback are talented enough to play winning football.

“We’re relying a lot on our skill players on offense… We’ve all developed. We have the experience and talent to get the job done,” Shoffner said.

Shoffner’s belief is a voice for the entire team, as even the defensive unit led by Oladipupo has their entire faith in the new system.

“We have the capabilities [to be successful]. [We have] receivers that can run routes well, and a quarterback that can really throw the ball well,” Oladipupo said.

Prior to the season, popular Indiana sports blog site 317 Sports Report released their predictions for the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. Their expectation for Noblesville’s football season was nothing more than defeat almost every week: one win, nine losses, and last in the conference. As of week five, the team sits at three wins, and two losses—already eclipsing projection.

“I think we can destroy [the prediction.] We already beat it, but I think we can get six or seven wins,” Shoffner said.

In fact, 317 Sports Report even created an article titled “The Top 10 Most Talented Teams in Indiana,” giving praise to schools across the state. Five Hoosier Crossroads Conference teams were mentioned.

“Carmel is going to have one of the best defenses… Fishers has gotten better every year… HSE has the most college ready players” 317 Sports Report said. Nothing was stated about the Millers.

    The Millers won’t forget that harsh judgement. A graphic, displaying the season’s prediction in big numbers next to the Noblesville logo, was placed on every wall in the locker room each practice, the team uses the photo as inspiration to get fired up and make some noise in the conference this year.

“I know when I got here, everyone talked about Noblesville as a losing team,” Oladipupo said. “We’re going to change something this year. No matter what happens, positive or negative, we’re going to keep going at it.”