Columbus North senior offensive lineman Luke Revell prepares to lead his team out of the locker room before a football game against Southport at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
After losing a large senior class last season, Columbus North football was in need of someone to lead this year’s team.
From early in the offseason, Luke Revell has filled that role. The senior lineman has been the Bull Dogs leader throughout that offseason and through the first two-thirds of the regular season.
“When we started up in February, we didn’t have anyone who wanted to lead, except for me,” Revell said. “I’ve been trying to do it since my junior year, but it didn’t really work. This year, we needed a leader this spring, and Hudson Elwood and myself stepped up, and I believe that the two of us and coach (Logan) Haston really helped bring out a bunch of other leaders in the program, and we’ve ended up that I don’t have to be the only leader on offense because everyone on that field wants to be a leader, so they’re doing their part to the best of their abilities. Whenever one of us is having an off day, somebody else steps up and fills their shoes.”
While Elwood, who was battling for the starting quarterback job, tore an ACL this summer and remains a leader from the sidelines, it has been Revell who has taken charge on the field.
“It was pretty clear as soon as last year ended, and those guys were graduating out of the program that we were going to be looking for leaders,” Haston said. “It’s already a small senior class, so out of those guys, he was a clear option as a returning varsity guy. He has a loud personality, not afraid to call out and hold teammates accountable. I’m really impressed with Luke’s leadership of embracing that role and stepping into it. I think Luke understands that leaders aren’t always liked, and he’s OK with being the bad guy from time to time and making sure his teammates are being held accountable.”
That includes Revell himself. He went through a position change in the offseason, moving from nose tackle on defense to offensive right tackle.
“We felt that a huge need on our team was on the offensive side of the ball,” Haston said. “We felt pretty confident with some guys we had coming up on the defensive line that could give us meaningful snaps. We were a little more thin on the offensive line, so that was a need for us, and Luke has embraced that role really well. He’s still getting some defensive reps, which is making him happy, but that need (on offense) was huge, and he’s done a good job there.”
Revell played on the JV offensive line as a sophomore and got a few snaps on the defensive line in varsity games. Last year, he played exclusively on defense, and he has seen a little action on the defensive line this season.
“I’ve had more experience playing tackle than guard,” Revell said. “I’ve always felt that I’m better at tackle, so I’m glad to be out there. It was definitely an adjustment, but I’ve known since I was a freshman that this was probably going to end up being my role senior year. I miss defense so much, but I accepted it, and we’re doing what we need to do to win.”
Revell figures he will play on the defensive line in college. He has offers to play at Case Western Reserve, Carleton, Hillsdale, Lawrence Tech and Calvin.
A National Honor Society student with a 4.05 GPA, Revell wants to double major in finance and accounting and pursue a masters degree in something business related.
“Hillsdale is a top-15 Division II football school, but I’m likely going to end up taking the Division III route because I feel that I can get a better education at a smaller school,” Revell said. “I will also get more playing time, which isn’t as big of a factor to me. At the schools that I’m looking at, the academic scholarships are so few and far between and so competitive that I’m probably going to end up paying the vast majority of it. But that’s something I’m not too worried about because I look at it as an investment. I’m making a decision for the next 40 years in the next four.”
Revell and the Bull Dogs, who are 3-3 this season, face tough tests the next couple of games. They host Class 5A No. 3 Bloomington South on Friday and visit 5A No. 1 Bloomington North Oct. 6 in games that will decide the Conference Indiana championship.
“Frankly, I’m a little disappointed in us,” Revell said. “I think we’re a better team than what we’ve been showing so far. We’ve been practicing well for the most part, and I know we’ve been building when we need to here. I feel like our three losses are not indicative of us as a team, and that starts with me.”
