Fairfield football had a pair of players named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) All-State lists for Class 3-A.
Ethan Hochstetler was named to the IFCA Senior All-State list and Hunter Kauffman was tabbed for the IFCA Junior All-State list.
Both Hochstetler and Kauffman were named to their respective lists as offensive and defensive players.
Hochstetler was a 2023 team captain that was later named Team MVP. The 2023 All-NECC offensive lineman was a 2023 Colts Man of the Year nominee, and in the classroom is a four-year Falcon Scholar Athlete and Honor Roll earner. Statistically, Hochstetler helped Fairfield’s offense to 23 rushing touchdowns, and on the other side of the ball, recorded 92 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and blocked four kicks.
“Ethan has gone from a quiet kid to a leader that has been a positive presence in our program all four years,” noted Fairfield head coach Matt Thacker. “He received the most votes in order to become one of our captains for the 2023 season. He is a young man that hates coming off the field and fought through injuries in order to be on the field for us on a consistent basis. He has given everything he has to Falcon Football and he is very deserving to be named 3A IFCA All-State.”
Kauffman was a 2023 All-NECC Honorable Mention pick at linebacker who picked up the 2023 Heart of a Falcon Award, the Iron Falcon Award and was named the Fairfield Defensive Player of the Year. Kauffman is also a three-year Falcon Scholar Athlete and Honor Roll earner.
On the gridiron, Kauffman had a pair of receiving touchdowns on offense, but made his impact on the defensive side of the ball, making 126 tackles - 10 for loss - along with 3.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.
“Hunter may be the smartest player that I have had the honor of coaching,” Thacker said. “He literally only has to hear something once and he gets it. His size is not overwhelming, but he plays much larger than he is and leaves everything on the field. After the season he was elected as a captain for next year’s team and received the second-most votes, and is very well-respected amongst his teammates. Hunter will only get better and his senior season will be exciting to watch. Hunter is a player that always seems to put himself in the right spot and is also very deserving to be honored with a 3A IFCA All-State award.”
Among other area Class 3-A All-State selections included Nate Parker and Dalton Alber of Tippecanoe Valley; Chase Miller and Julian McMahan of John Glenn; Giovanni Garcia de la Torre, Nick Cline and Joe Boone of Mishawaka Marian; Seth Pruitt of West Noble; and Bishop Williams of Jimtown.