August 22, 2025 • 8 mins
Jake Meiners in the Head Coach of the East Central High School football program. His Trojans battle Lawrenceburg Friday night in the opening game of the 2025 Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown.
Jake joined us on ESPN1530.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Jake joined us on ESPN1530.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Twenty eight away from six.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty sports headlines in just a second.
The twenty twenty five area high school football season is
getting underway this weekend, and the crown jewel is always
the skyline Chile Crosstown Showdown. The first game in that
event features a great rivalry in an awesome setting. It's
East Central at Lawrenceburg. The Trojans head coaches Jake Miners,
(00:26):
who the night before a game, joins this, It's awesome
to have you, coach.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
How are you I'm doing well.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
How are you doing.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I'm doing very well. Kickoff is a little bit more
than twenty four hours away. What is life like as
a coach when you're this close to the season opener?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Well, you know, first of all, the hayz and thevarn
as I say, you know, you spent all summer kind
of preparing for this moment. You know, all the scattery reports,
all that sort of stuff as you've been preparing for
this moment. So really the next few hours just kind
of get quiet, which an interesting deal as a head coach.
Very few times throughout your calendar year is life quiet,
(01:05):
and so life kids quiet. You just kind of you know,
reflect on where you've been so far. I hope you've
taken care of everything. You got your teas across our sorry,
across your teas, dot your eyes and uh you know, uh,
and you go out and you perform well to open
up the season.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
If you were going to get that eyes and teas
thing messed up. As an English teacher, I was going
to call you out.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I'm an English teacher.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I know, I am an English teacher. What am I doing?
Speaker 1 (01:32):
What have you learned about your team over the last
couple of weeks leading up to the opener?
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, I think we we just learned how well our
football IQ is. We've really spent a lot of the
off season kind of building our football i Q kind
of the game within the game, uh, situational football, and
I feel like we've really had a lot of growth
this year. Moving into this year, we bring back a
really experienced group, uh that experience a tough loss at
(01:57):
the end of the season, you know, something that we
have an experience in a few years. So just kind
of regroup, talk through some situational football, and hopefully we
can correct some of those issues moving forward into this year.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Like situational football, you're talking about like specific situations in
a game. Give me an example of something you might
have worked on one day during practice.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yeah, I think just challenging our quarterback a little bit.
Our quarterback is coming back for a second year starting.
You know, you get a certain look and it's third
and four and you have a play call that's called
and it doesn't look very good against that front. Him
having the ability to check into a different play, into
(02:38):
a play that we have talked about that we want
against that front and to go out and execute that play.
You know, that's something that we've worked really hard on
that we've challenged Nolan Maple, our quarterback with and he's
got the football IQ to be able to do it.
So at the high school game, when you're when you're
working with young men, that could be a challenge, you know,
for them to have the confidence to go out there
(03:00):
in the make a check and then to go out
and execute the play.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
This is the first time in a couple of years,
and you referenced this where you're not coming off winning
a state championship.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
You move up to five A in Indiana.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Last year, you finished the season the way you did,
a tough postseason loss, but you guys were young last year,
so how do you build upon the experience your kids
got playing that first season.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
In five A.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, five A was a new world for us. Our
school has never been bumped up to five A do
the success factor in the state of Indiana. So we're
playing in a new environment against bigger schools, you know,
really trying to challenge ourselves and see what we're able
to do. And we end up having a successful year.
You know, we went eight and four, We won a
sexual championship, lost of stuff, won in the regional final
(03:44):
to the eventual state champion, Decatur Central.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
But what I think we.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Did is we were young last year and we made
some inn experienced plays when times got tough. And that's
that's why we put so much stock into that situational
type of football moving forward. It really reminds me of
our team in twenty twenty one that we had a
tough loss in the regional finals and the four A playoffs,
and then we were able to put things together coming
(04:10):
back the following year because just them going through that experience.
You can't simulate that experience and that tough loss, and
you know, I don't have to do a whole lot
of motivation as a head coach that these guys motivate themselves,
they become hungry, and they know what they're capable of.
So it's just trying to put the pieces together. I
think last year the one positive that we took away
(04:33):
that we knew that we could compete in five A
and so we were right there with some of the
top teams. So now it's we have that confidence level
of knowing that we can go out and compete with
the biggest schools.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Jake Miners is with his head coach at East Central,
East Central, Lawrence and Lawrenceburg kick off the Skyline Chile
Crosstown Showdown tomorrow. The game is at Lawrenceburg. You're not
supposed to talk about, uh, the other schools venue, but
that is one of the coolest settings for a heightt
cool football game that your kids will be a part
of tomorrow with that stadium right off Round fifty.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
It really is. It really is. It's one of the
cooler venues because you know, in the state of Indiana,
it sits down in a hole right off Route fifty.
You can haunt your horn, people can yell at it
from the street. You know it'll be a huge, huge
crowd two Deeverroyne County School's going at it. Where we locker,
we actually have to walk right through their tailgating section
(05:26):
called the Jungle. So it's a really really cool atmosphere.
You know, it's hard to explain, you know it put
it in the words, but it's one of the cooler
environments for high school football that a young man can
go play in. And our guys are looking forward to it.
You know, our seniors have been down there a couple
of times that they enjoy the environment. Lawrenceburgh puts on
(05:48):
a great game day atmosphere, So you know, it's what
high school football should be. It's two communities getting together
cheering on their teams like crazy, and two good football
teams to top ten football teams in their respective classes
going at each other.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
All right, before I let you run, I'm gonna mention
something that is probably only interesting to me, but I'm
gonna bring it up nonetheless. So you know, you do
this and you get game notes right at the professional level,
at the college level and at the high school level.
You know, the game notes, you typically don't expect them
to look like you might get from you know, the
Cincinnati Bengals. Whoever does East Central's game notes is incredible.
(06:24):
I've never seen such thorough game notes and statistical breakdowns
of a high school football team. So hats off to
who is ever in charge of that.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Well, I can tell you his name is Andrew Shaver,
and the guy is incredible. I do not pay him
enough money, that's a fact. He's incredible. He he comes
up with stats that I didn't even know existed. And
I'm a pretty big football fan. I follow the NFL,
I followed the college game, and I didn't even know
they existed. So he does an incredible job. He puts
(06:54):
together a preview for us, does the media guide, and
then every week puts together a preview for it. I
tell him too easy. He can diance these things down
for us a little bit, you know, to kind of
give us the highlights. But you know, Andrew's the best
in the business. I mean, he does an incredible job,
and I'm happy he's a part of us.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, well give it up to him for us, because
I was impressive. I legitimately thought I was like reading
something from Ohio State or UC or something so very
cool or Indiana University. I guess I should say East
Central and Lawrenceburg kick off the twenty twenty five Skyline
Chili Crosstown Showdown. The game tomorrow night kicks off at
seven o'clock at Lawrenceburg High School. Coach, best of luck
(07:34):
tomorrow and all season long. We appreciate the time.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
I appreciate you guys having me on anytime. That's Jake
Minor is the head coach at East Central. They're at
Lawrenceburg tomorrow. If you do not know of what I speak,
if you ever drive on Route fifty there in Lawrenceburg,
the stadium is like right there.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
It is. And I went to a game.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Seventeen or eighteen to that van twenty seventeen or eighteen.
That is one of the coolest places I've ever watched
a high school football game. It's it's a really cool setting.
So Tomorrow night, first game of the Skyline Chili Crosstown
Showdown at seven pm.
Twenty eight away from six.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty sports headlines in just a second.
The twenty twenty five area high school football season is
getting underway this weekend, and the crown jewel is always
the skyline Chile Crosstown Showdown. The first game in that
event features a great rivalry in an awesome setting. It's
East Central at Lawrenceburg. The Trojans head coaches Jake Miners,
(00:26):
who the night before a game, joins this, It's awesome
to have you, coach.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
How are you I'm doing well.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
How are you doing.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I'm doing very well. Kickoff is a little bit more
than twenty four hours away. What is life like as
a coach when you're this close to the season opener?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Well, you know, first of all, the hayz and thevarn
as I say, you know, you spent all summer kind
of preparing for this moment. You know, all the scattery reports,
all that sort of stuff as you've been preparing for
this moment. So really the next few hours just kind
of get quiet, which an interesting deal as a head coach.
Very few times throughout your calendar year is life quiet,
(01:05):
and so life kids quiet. You just kind of you know,
reflect on where you've been so far. I hope you've
taken care of everything. You got your teas across our sorry,
across your teas, dot your eyes and uh you know, uh,
and you go out and you perform well to open
up the season.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
If you were going to get that eyes and teas
thing messed up. As an English teacher, I was going
to call you out.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I'm an English teacher.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I know, I am an English teacher. What am I doing?
Speaker 1 (01:32):
What have you learned about your team over the last
couple of weeks leading up to the opener?
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, I think we we just learned how well our
football IQ is. We've really spent a lot of the
off season kind of building our football i Q kind
of the game within the game, uh, situational football, and
I feel like we've really had a lot of growth
this year. Moving into this year, we bring back a
really experienced group, uh that experience a tough loss at
(01:57):
the end of the season, you know, something that we
have an experience in a few years. So just kind
of regroup, talk through some situational football, and hopefully we
can correct some of those issues moving forward into this year.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Like situational football, you're talking about like specific situations in
a game. Give me an example of something you might
have worked on one day during practice.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Yeah, I think just challenging our quarterback a little bit.
Our quarterback is coming back for a second year starting.
You know, you get a certain look and it's third
and four and you have a play call that's called
and it doesn't look very good against that front. Him
having the ability to check into a different play, into
(02:38):
a play that we have talked about that we want
against that front and to go out and execute that play.
You know, that's something that we've worked really hard on
that we've challenged Nolan Maple, our quarterback with and he's
got the football IQ to be able to do it.
So at the high school game, when you're when you're
working with young men, that could be a challenge, you know,
for them to have the confidence to go out there
(03:00):
in the make a check and then to go out
and execute the play.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
This is the first time in a couple of years,
and you referenced this where you're not coming off winning
a state championship.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
You move up to five A in Indiana.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Last year, you finished the season the way you did,
a tough postseason loss, but you guys were young last year,
so how do you build upon the experience your kids
got playing that first season.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
In five A.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, five A was a new world for us. Our
school has never been bumped up to five A do
the success factor in the state of Indiana. So we're
playing in a new environment against bigger schools, you know,
really trying to challenge ourselves and see what we're able
to do. And we end up having a successful year.
You know, we went eight and four, We won a
sexual championship, lost of stuff, won in the regional final
(03:44):
to the eventual state champion, Decatur Central.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
But what I think we.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Did is we were young last year and we made
some inn experienced plays when times got tough. And that's
that's why we put so much stock into that situational
type of football moving forward. It really reminds me of
our team in twenty twenty one that we had a
tough loss in the regional finals and the four A playoffs,
and then we were able to put things together coming
(04:10):
back the following year because just them going through that experience.
You can't simulate that experience and that tough loss, and
you know, I don't have to do a whole lot
of motivation as a head coach that these guys motivate themselves,
they become hungry, and they know what they're capable of.
So it's just trying to put the pieces together. I
think last year the one positive that we took away
(04:33):
that we knew that we could compete in five A
and so we were right there with some of the
top teams. So now it's we have that confidence level
of knowing that we can go out and compete with
the biggest schools.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Jake Miners is with his head coach at East Central,
East Central, Lawrence and Lawrenceburg kick off the Skyline Chile
Crosstown Showdown tomorrow. The game is at Lawrenceburg. You're not
supposed to talk about, uh, the other schools venue, but
that is one of the coolest settings for a heightt
cool football game that your kids will be a part
of tomorrow with that stadium right off Round fifty.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
It really is. It really is. It's one of the
cooler venues because you know, in the state of Indiana,
it sits down in a hole right off Route fifty.
You can haunt your horn, people can yell at it
from the street. You know it'll be a huge, huge
crowd two Deeverroyne County School's going at it. Where we locker,
we actually have to walk right through their tailgating section
(05:26):
called the Jungle. So it's a really really cool atmosphere.
You know, it's hard to explain, you know it put
it in the words, but it's one of the cooler
environments for high school football that a young man can
go play in. And our guys are looking forward to it.
You know, our seniors have been down there a couple
of times that they enjoy the environment. Lawrenceburgh puts on
(05:48):
a great game day atmosphere, So you know, it's what
high school football should be. It's two communities getting together
cheering on their teams like crazy, and two good football
teams to top ten football teams in their respective classes
going at each other.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
All right, before I let you run, I'm gonna mention
something that is probably only interesting to me, but I'm
gonna bring it up nonetheless. So you know, you do
this and you get game notes right at the professional level,
at the college level and at the high school level.
You know, the game notes, you typically don't expect them
to look like you might get from you know, the
Cincinnati Bengals. Whoever does East Central's game notes is incredible.
(06:24):
I've never seen such thorough game notes and statistical breakdowns
of a high school football team. So hats off to
who is ever in charge of that.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Well, I can tell you his name is Andrew Shaver,
and the guy is incredible. I do not pay him
enough money, that's a fact. He's incredible. He he comes
up with stats that I didn't even know existed. And
I'm a pretty big football fan. I follow the NFL,
I followed the college game, and I didn't even know
they existed. So he does an incredible job. He puts
(06:54):
together a preview for us, does the media guide, and
then every week puts together a preview for it. I
tell him too easy. He can diance these things down
for us a little bit, you know, to kind of
give us the highlights. But you know, Andrew's the best
in the business. I mean, he does an incredible job,
and I'm happy he's a part of us.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, well give it up to him for us, because
I was impressive. I legitimately thought I was like reading
something from Ohio State or UC or something so very
cool or Indiana University. I guess I should say East
Central and Lawrenceburg kick off the twenty twenty five Skyline
Chili Crosstown Showdown. The game tomorrow night kicks off at
seven o'clock at Lawrenceburg High School. Coach, best of luck
(07:34):
tomorrow and all season long. We appreciate the time.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
I appreciate you guys having me on anytime. That's Jake
Minor is the head coach at East Central. They're at
Lawrenceburg tomorrow. If you do not know of what I speak,
if you ever drive on Route fifty there in Lawrenceburg,
the stadium is like right there.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
It is. And I went to a game.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Seventeen or eighteen to that van twenty seventeen or eighteen.
That is one of the coolest places I've ever watched
a high school football game. It's it's a really cool setting.
So Tomorrow night, first game of the Skyline Chili Crosstown
Showdown at seven pm.
Mo Egger News
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