FB: West Lafayette QB Wodicka named Mr. Football

Daniel Wodicka, the quarterback/free safety who led undefeated West Lafayette to the Class 3A state title, has been named the 2009 Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Football. 

Wodicka earned 22 of 51 votes from the Indiana Football Coaches Association’s rating board, 13 more than Warren Central running back Shakir Bell received as runner-up. Six other players finished with at least two votes.

Wodicka, also a basketball and baseball player for the Red Devils, rushed for 115 yards, passed for 158 yards, and had four tackles and a fumble recovery in leading West Lafayette to a 24-10 victory over Evansville Memorial.

“Our coach (Marshall Overley) would always tell us to take praise, say ‘thank you,’ and just keep walking,” Wodicka told the Star. “I think that’s good advice. You don’t get a big head about it.

“Growing up with a brother three years older than me, I never had to worry about that.”

Wodicka’s brother James is a defensive back at Division III Case Western. The brothers talked on the phone throughout the season about each other’s upcoming game.

“It was like nothing was going to get in his way,” James told the Star. “I’d never seen him like that. He’s still a laid-back kid, but there was (a) change in attitude.

“He was going to lead his team to a state championship no matter what.”

As a three-year starter at wide receiver, the younger Wodicka hooked up with Matt Lancaster (now at Illinois State) to form one of Indiana’s top passing combinations.

“Matt got a lot of the credit – deservedly so,” Overley told the Star. “But not once was there a hint or a flavor from Daniel of, ‘I should be doing this’ or ‘I should be getting credit for this.’ ”

To say Wodicka’s transition to the quarterback position as a senior was seamless would be an understatement. He rushed for 1,468 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,181 yards and 26 TDs.

“We tried to put a spy on him and weren’t able to stop him,” Benton Central coach Doug Nelson told the Star. “He’s just so intelligent.”

Indeed. Wodicka boasts a perfect 4.0 grade point average and is on track to become valedictorian. His goal is to study engineering in college at either Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins, or Washington University in St. Louis.

“I think through James, Daniel realized it was possible to manage his time in athletics and in the classroom,” father George Wodicka – head of the Weldon School of biomedical engineering at Purdue – told the Star. “The support he’s received from his teachers and coaches has also been just incredible.”

The 2009 Position Awards recognize top high school seniors in 10 positions. This is the 11th year for the awards, which were added to the Mr. Football program in 1999. Winners were selected by the Indiana Football Coaches Association’s rating board.

The list …

Daniel Wodicka, West Lafayette

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 170

Statistics: 157 of 261 for 2,181 yards and 26 TDs passing with 2 INTs; 152 carries for 1,468 yards (9.7 per carry) and 23 TDs rushing for 15-0 Class 3A state champions

College choice: Undecided

Rod Smith, Harding

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 220

Statistics: 291 carries for 1,855 yards and 19 TDs; 11 catches for 92 yards for 6-5 Hawks

College choice: Ohio State

Logan Young, Delta

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 200

Statistics: 73 receptions for 1,543 yards (21.1 yards per catch) and 16 TDs for 12-1 sectional champs

College choice: Indiana

Leneil Himes, Plymouth

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 255

Statistics: 17 receptions for 500 yards (29.4 yards per catch) and 8 TDs for 9-1 Rockies

College choice: Indiana

James Hurst, Plainfield

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 290

Statistics: Graded at 98 percent for 8-4 Quakers

College choice: North Carolina

Joel Cox, Center Grove

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 275

Statistics: 61 tackles, 18 assisted and 19 tackles for loss; 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumbles recovered for 10-4 regional champs

College choice: Undecided

Blake Lueders, Zionsville

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 245

Statistics: 93 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 INT, 5 TDs for 8-3 Eagles

College choice: Notre Dame

Jake Zupancic, Indianapolis Cathedral

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 185

Statistics: 87 tackles, 1 INT, 3 1/2 sacks for 12-2 regional champs

College choice: Undecided

Alex Butterworth, Heritage Christian

Height: 5’9”

Weight: 175

Statistics: 7 of 10 FGs (long of 52 yards) with no misses under 50 yards; 37 of 40 on PATs; 65.5-yard average kickoff with 88 percent ending in touchback; 4 for 4 successfully recovered onside kicks for 7-4 Eagles

College choice: Undecided

Kollin Carman, Columbus North

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 175

Statistics: 26 punts for 1,058 yards (40.7-yard average) with a long of 55 yards for 5-5 Bull Dogs

College choice: Undecided