The Clinton Central Bulldogs started the 2025 season with back-to-back blowout victories.
But after a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season and a first-round sectional exit, the Bulldogs finished just 3-6.
Head coach Jeremy Fendley stepped down at the end of the 2025 season. This paved the way for former offensive line coach Michael Griffey to take the reins.
Griffey has his work cut out for him. As the top two offensive contributors from 2025, Creed Mennen and Amrin Barrett, both graduated.
“The good news is the entire offensive line outside of one position is back,” Griffey said. “So at least we’re running behind some people that have a little bit of experience.”
Clinton Central also has some key returners at skill positions, including speedster Luke Shelley and tight end Kaleb Robinson, who the Bulldogs have converted to quarterback.
Consistency will be key for Clinton Central in 2026. During weeks one and two of the 2025 season, the Bulldogs outscored opponents 93-14. But from weeks three to seven, Clinton Central was outscored 231-22.
“We had a lot of guys that struggled with confidence, to be completely honest,” Griffey said. “We started a lot of freshmen and a lot of sophomores. With those boys getting another year of confidence under their belt, knowing that just because you get punched in the mouth, the game’s not over, I think that goes a long way.”
The offseason has been key for the Bulldogs; Griffey and athletic director Nick Burlingame have run the summer weights program and seen an increase in players attending.
Clinton Central made a significant investment in a new weight room and is already seeing the returns.
“Some kids that we maybe didn’t see in the past have not missed a day,” Griffey said. “One kid in particular, Braylen Crider, has become a man this summer, and I don’t think he’s done growing.”
As the season nears, Griffey’s philosophy has been to play the team into shape, which includes more scrimmages.
The team started the year with a scrimmage against Southwood, the team that legendary coach Bud Wright took over; they’ve also scrimmaged North Putnam and a three-team scrimmage at Fountain Central.
Griffey looks for the team to be more dynamic on offense in 2026, including more pre-snap movement and a better balance between run and pass.
“Our offense will be way less static,” Griffey said. “With all the shifts and motions we’ve decided to put in, I think you’ll see kids getting more opportunities just because the defense can’t play static football against us.”
Looking to the 2026 schedule, the Bulldogs will start the season with Frankfort, Faith Christian, Clinton Prairie and Sheridan.
“I think our kids want to beat Frankfort more than anybody else,” Griffey said. “I like beating Prairie, and that’s something we haven’t done in a while and need to get back to. But to be honest, the one school I really want is Sheridan.”
The Bulldogs will play Sheridan at home on September 11.
Clinton Central rounds out the schedule with games against Taylor, Eastern, Carroll, Delphi and Tri-Central.
See which games Hoosierland TV will be covering by checking out the 2026 Hoosierland TV Game of the Week Schedule.
Watch the full interview with coach Griffey by clicking below.