INDIAN HILL, Ohio — Indian Hill football coach John Rodenberg walked over to the Tomahawk Stadium sideline Wednesday morning and reflected upon starting a new journey.
Rodenberg is in his fifth season with Indian Hill and 33rd year overall as a high school head coach. It’s his 29th year as a head coach in Greater Cincinnati.
“Every year is a new season,” said Rodenberg. “You get some returners but you’ve got a whole group of new players. The camaraderie is part of it but just coming together and seeing if we can get some goals accomplished.”
Indian Hill (13-1 record in 2025) was a Division IV state semifinalist last season.
This year, the Braves move up to Division III.
Regardless of the division, Indian Hill wants to be playing in Canton in December.
“Everyone wants to be here,” senior quarterback Devlan Daniel said. “Everyone wants to compete. We all have the same goal. Go win a state championship and I don’t think that thought process has wavered from anyone’s mind.”
Defensively, the Braves were excellent a year ago. Some of this year’s top returners including junior linebackers Topher Wachtel (83 tackles) and Joey Jernigan (83 tackles).
“They made the defense really good last year because I didn’t know what to expect out of them because they were both first-year starters,” Rodenberg said. “But, they’re both bigger and stronger.”
Indian Hill allowed an average 161 yards defensively including just 3.2 yards rushing and 9.2 yards passing per game. The Braves allowed just 10 points per game.
“Our defense last year statistically might have been the best defense I’ve ever had in my career,” Rodenberg said. “It was crazy how good we were.”
Senior defensive back Dylan Hartman — a Division IV first team all-state player — returns. Senior cornerback Tyler Fitzgerald brings versatility.
Offensively, the Braves are led by Daniel, a second-year starter at quarterback and four-year varsity player.
Daniel, who is verbally committed to Mississippi State for baseball, threw for 1,192 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025. He rushed for 1,116 yards and 21 touchdowns.
“I just want to be more consistent as a quarterback rather than just a running quarterback,” Daniel said. “I want to be able to have options where we don’t have to run the ball 20/30 times a game. But, we can have an even balance of pass and run.”
Rodenberg wants Daniel to continue to improve upon finding the correct receivers and get the football out of his hand quickly. The Braves have a good group of receivers including Hartman, who had 13 receptions for 371 yards and three touchdowns.
Daniel, a baseball star, has earned the spotlight after moving from running back to quarterback prior to last season.
“I want him to continue to work on his passing game,” Rodenberg said. “I think he throws the ball really well. I think he can actually be a college quarterback.”
Junior tailback Jacob Alexander is a player to watch in the backfield after he rushed for 674 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
“He’s poised to do some really great things because people will focus on Devlan and that can make Jacob even better,” Rodenberg said.
Indian Hill opens the season with two road games including at Roger Bacon Aug. 21 and at Beechwood Aug. 28.
