Crawfordsville football has arguably the best wide receiver in the Sagamore Conference. Superstar senior Ethan McLemore has saved his best season for last.
At the conclusion of the nine-game regular season, the McLemore has 54 catches for 852 yards and six touchdowns. His 852 yards put him 11th in the state heading into sectional play. He also has four 100-yard games this season.
Against Heritage Christian in week one he hauled in eight catches for 82 yards, and in the SAC opener with Western Boone McLemore churned out 164 yards on just five catches. Against county rivals Southmont and North Montgomery, he had eight for 139 against the Mounties and six for 105 against the Chargers. McLemore hauled in a season high 10 catches for 161 yards against the SAC champion Bruins.
Three years ago when Brad Clark came to CHS and began coaching the wide receivers he noticed right away that he had a special player on his hands.
“Getting to watch a player like E-Mac day in and day out the last three years has been a real honor,” said Clark, who took over two seasons ago as head coach. “He’s a tremendous player, but even more than that he’s a tremendous kid and student. I don’t think he’s missed a single practice in three years. When you put all those traits together you get a special person.
“I remember walking into our first practice and just watching him and thinking ‘who is this guy.’ Being the WR’s coach allowed us to really build that relationship early on and right then and there I knew we had a special player.”
The 852 yards McLemore has accumulated this season are the most in a single season for CHS since 2012 when Jordan Jackson had 739 yards for the Athenians. The last Montgomery County wide receiver to have 1,000 yards in a season was in 2015 when North Montgomery’s Dalton Zachary had 1,039. McLemore, who needs just 148 yards, has a chance to accomplish a similar feat in the sectional game against Speedway.
Instead of bragging about his accomplishments, McLemore is thankful. He knows that without some of the pieces around him on the Athenian team, he wouldn’t have the success he’s had.
“Playing with a guy like KP (Kaden Patton) has helped me a lot,” McLemore said of his fellow senior and the CHS QB. “I’m very thankful to have him throwing me the ball. During the off-season we’d get together and run routes and really develop that chemistry together. We’ve really been friends for as long as I can remember. We’ve played other sports together here at Crawfordsville so being able to have that close relationship has always been something that’s been special.”
A season ago in the North Montgomery game, McLemore sustained an injury that kept him from performing 100%. Yet, he still managed to have 424 yards and six TD’s last year.
“We’ve seen real glimpses of the player that Ethan can be and now I think this season you’re seeing his true potential,” Clark said. “His talent has been on full display with his ability to go up and catch a football. We’ve tried to move him around a lot and get him the ball in some different situations. I think one of the more special things about him is that he’s such a selfless kid. When we were running the ball well against Frankfort, he wasn’t coming off the field with his head down because he wasn’t getting the football, he said coach keep running it. That says a lot about him right there that he’s such a team first guy.”
What makes McLemore’s numbers even more impressive is that in the SAC he’s not only going up against great competition, he’s seeing multiple defenders. He knows he’ll usually draws the opposing defense’s best players, but he also knows he’s not going to back down.
“I have a lot of trust in my coaches that they’re going to put me in the best position to be successful,” McLemore said. “I don’t really fear names no matter who we play. I’ve always been one to handle adversity well. That starts with having confidence in yourself and believing that you can have success.”
With the season that McLemore has had, he’s climbed up both season and career receiving lists. It’s something both Clark and McLemore have kept tabs on. His hard work over the last several seasons has proven him to be one of the best receivers in school history.
“He’s probably going to hold pretty much all of our single receiving records and is near the top of some of those career marks too,” Clark said. “All of that shows that it’s not just about this season, but an outstanding career that he’s had. He’s a great example for our younger guys to look up with how he handles his business day in and day out.”
McLemore will look to continue his senior athletic season as a key member of the CHS basketball team. Whatever the future holds for him, this Athenian has proven he’s one of the best.
