Carmel’s Jalin Strowder was ready to begin his mission.

The 6-foot-4, 340-pound offensive lineman intended to lose 25 pounds before his senior season.

“Personally, I feel like I needed to make that change,” he said.

Strowder thought he needed to get quicker. Carmel (1-0) was set to implement a zone scheme on offense that would require him to be lighter on his feet at left tackle. He also knew his future college coaches — he committed to Eastern Illinois in June — would want him to cut weight before enrolling.

So after a junior season during which he was named CCL/ESCC White Division co-lineman of the year, Strowder set a goal to get down to 315 by springtime. That wasn’t going to be easy.

Enter his mother.

“I wanted to make sure that I could help,” Robin Strowder said. “So we put our

See Full Page