Returning IFCA 5A all-state center Carlos Leon anchors offensive line that will feature two as-yet named starters

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

In football, the best path to glory sometimes starts with giving up a glory position for a less glamorous one.
For example, Carlos Leon played running back and then quarterback before switching to offensive line in high school. He traded highlights and roars of approval from crowds for swollen knuckles and quiet, lonesome pride.
And he hasn’t had reason to regret that deal for a second.
The Indiana Football Coaches Association named five O-linemen to its 5A Junior All-State team in 2024, and Leon was one of them.
The snaps of his youth at running back and quarterback just might have laid the foundation for him gaining the prestigious honor earned by snapping the Chesterton offense into action and blocking so efficiently.
“Definitely understanding all the positions helped a lot from a leader standpoint,” Leon said. “It helped me become a better leader, and playing quarterback helped my footwork.”
The O-line was a strength on last year’s team, which was evident from Week 1, when the blockers had a hand in 381 rushing yards, 228 from Brady McCormack and 126 from Andrew Goveia.
The blockers called themselves The Hogs and they gave the Trojans as strong an offensive line as they had had in years.
“I think it started kind of at the beginning of the year with Coach (Rob) Kania talking about where we could be as an offensive line,” Leon said. “It motivated me and everyone else around me to be as good as we could be and that’s how we gained so much success. That first game against Hobart was just awesome. That showed us everything that they had been talking about. It showed us how good we could be.”
The two biggest blockers on that line, Ryan Gray and Hunter Buza, have graduated, but seniors Tyler Nevious and Braxton Ozug join Leon as returning starters.
Senior Jack Gearhart, juniors Daniel Neito and Kameron Elliott and sophomore Malik Oueslati are among those fighting for the remaining two starting spots on the line.
“Two big spots to replace. We’re having smaller guys coming in, but I think they’re going to step up to the plate,” Leon said. “I think they’ve been pretty good so far. I’m pretty excited. I was a little worried about it, honestly. I didn’t know who was going to step up, but they’ve impressed me.”
Head coach Mark Peterson has been trying his blockers at multiple positions during the summer and said Leon has played some at guard.
“It could go either way,” Leon said. “I think I’m better at center and Coach Kania likes having me there.”
Leon said he would like to play college football and has heard from the coaching staff at Taylor University, an NAIA school in Upland that plays in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association.
Chesterton football fans next can see Leon and teammates in action in a scrimmage vs. Andrean on Tuesday, July 22 at Westchester, a 5:30 p.m. kickoff.