The Owensboro Times selected Owensboro Catholic senior Noah Todd as the 2018 All-County Football Defensive Player of the Year.
When he first got started in sixth grade, Noah Todd didn’t expect to become such a powerful force for a varsity football team.
Until then, baseball was all he really cared about playing. It didn’t take long for him to decide to switch directions.
“I just started playing because I liked to hit people,” Todd said. “I really didn’t expect it to go anywhere. Baseball was still my favorite sport at the time, but I grew to love football.”
Now, he’s coming off a senior season in which he largely had his way with opposing offenses. Though he started the season at inside linebacker, Todd switched to defensive end and was able to thrive all year.
“I didn’t really play defensive end the first couple games of the year,” he said. “I thought going back into that position, I had a pretty good year.”
Head coach Jason Morris said he moved Todd to the outside because it was a better fit for the team. With some of the younger linebackers coming along, the Aces needed some help on the defensive line.
“We moved Noah back to defensive end, and it cut the field in half basically because teams wouldn’t run at him,” Morris said. “When they did, they didn’t have success. Noah is a product of hard work and a kid that showed up every day in the offseason.”
Morris said especially in this final season, Todd really dedicated himself to working harder and became nearly unblockable.
Todd finished the year with 77 tackles — 44 solo — to go along with 11 sacks and a fumble recovery. Morris said one of the biggest improvements for Todd was to stop thinking as much.
“His experience and will to be dominant took over a little bit,” Morris said. “In the past, he was just a good kid doing exactly what he was coached to do. This year, I felt like we unleashed him a little bit and he really benefited from that.”
Todd said he was also able to thrive with the trust from his coaching staff and teammates because they know he’s always going make whatever play is necessary.
“I bring a lot of discipline and a great attitude,” Todd said. “Everybody knows I’m going to get my job done and they don’t have to worry about me. That’s a big weight off some of the coaches shoulders.”
Todd was able to help lead Owensboro Catholic to an 8-4 record that included a seven-game win streak. Wins over Owensboro and Apollo during that stretch were the most memorable for Todd.
After giving up the lead in the second half, the Aces fought back for the win over Owensboro. Todd got a sack on Red Devils’ quarterback Will Warren on the final drive to help seal the victory. He said his best performance, though, came two weeks later against the Eagles.
“In the Apollo game, I think I had my best game of the year,” Todd said. “I had two sacks and I just caused havoc the whole game.”
Morris also said the game against Owensboro helped set up several weeks of positive results.
“Noah was the glue to our defense,” Morris said. “In my opinion, he was the biggest reason for our defensive success from when we started our run of wins there in week three against Owensboro.”
Todd also contributed on offense, finishing with 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Morris said one of the best attributes of Todd is the ability to play wherever necessary in all three phases of the game.
“The biggest thing Noah brings is his versatility,” Morris said. “He brought reliability and a work ethic and all the things you look for in a senior leader.”
