Zionsville’s Kellen Riddle has become a big hit on…

Kellen Riddle has always gotten pleasure inflicting pain on his opponents.

“I just loved hitting guys in youth and middle school football,” recalled the Zionsville High junior linebacker. “My dad was my coach, and I was on a team with many of my current high school teammates. I fell in love with the game of football that first season. Everything about it was amazing. I loved the contact, being with my buddies, and learning everything about the game.

“Many of my youth football teammates are my current high school teammates. Guys like (junior defensive lineman) Peter Monahan, (junior defensive back) Parker Deweese, (junior defensive back) Lincoln Morris, and (junior defensive back) Troy Clemmer are all teammates that I’ve had since that fourth-grade regular season.”

The 5-foot-9, 190-pound standout has had plenty to smile about so far in 2026 by averaging eight tackles per contest for the Eagles (7-2), who are in the midst of their first winning campaign since 2021.

“In fourth, fifth, and sixth grade I would just go out there to try and make the biggest hits possible,” recalled Riddle. “My dad also played middle linebacker and he inspired me to play there. I didn’t primarily play inside or middle linebacker until my eighth-grade season, though. I enjoy playing middle linebacker because I get to run the defense, be vocal, and help teammates in every defensive position.”

In addition to a team-high 72 total stops with two for loss, he also has a fumble recovery.

“One of my strengths is my ability to stay low,” explained Riddle, who contributed 26 tackles as a sophomore. “In football, the low man wins and as a 5-9 linebacker, I use that to my advantage. It’s hard being a 5-9 linebacker, especially in a conference like the HCC (Hoosier Crossroads Conference), but you need to play with the cards dealt.”

Although Riddle might be small in terms of stature, Zionsville boss Scott Turnquist believes his other qualities more than make up for his size.

“Kellen has a great desire to be a high-level football player, and he works very hard to achieve a high level of performance,” explained Turnquist. “He has a very high motor and plays with great effort and physicality. He has also worked very hard with his coaches to go above and beyond in his weekly preparation through extra meetings and film study which shows up on Friday nights.

“Like most high school athletes, he will need to continue to work on his understanding of the game in general and continue to grow in his understanding of our defense wholistically. He has made great strides in every area of his performance, and I know that will continue.”

As it turns out, football isn’t the only sport Kellen has excelled in.

“I started playing baseball and swimming competitively when I was five years old and tackle football in the fourth grade,” recalled Riddle. “Playing multiple sports has helped me tremendously because my biggest strengths are my power, strength, aggressiveness, and stamina. I work all different kinds of muscles doing completely different sports and they have complimented each other.

“Baseball has helped me learn how to work hard, how to be specific with what I work on, how to compete, and it’s helped with my overall coordination. However, swimming has helped me with football more than anything. Physically, swimming has helped with my strength, quickness, and overall conditioning. Mentally, swimming has helped me develop grit and patience. With swimming in the winter, I am able to come right out of swim season into football spring and summer practices in perfect shape. I feel better conditioned, stronger, more relaxed, have better body control, and I’m more flexible.

“Meanwhile, football has helped improve my strength and overall power in the water for swimming. It has also helped my rotational power in baseball. It has also just overall helped me learn about life and certain life lessons that I can take on with me. It has also helped me become a more vocal leader in the other sports.”

He has plenty of gratitude for his parents for keeping him busy.

“My biggest influence is my dad,” Riddle said. “He coached me in absolutely everything, especially in football. I feel he is the reason I do what I do and why I’m the way I am. I still play three sports (football, swimming, and baseball) and he’s always been there to support and motivate me from one sport to the next. My athletics and everything I do is a result of him guiding me.

“A close runner-up to my dad is my mom. She is the kindest person I’ve ever met. She’s always attended my football games, baseball games, and my swim meets. My athleticism and genetics come from her. Not many people, if any, can do what she does.”

There is some admiration for his field boss as well.

“I’ve always known Coach Turnquist as the head football coach of our high school team, and I would say he is one of, if not the best, head coaches in the state of Indiana,” Riddle said. “He never ceases to disappoint us, and every opportunity there is to make the team better he takes it. He’s always impressed me as a coach and does an amazing job of keeping everything and everyone in line. He puts in a lot of time and effort and does a phenomenal job with it.

“I’ll never forget when I was in seventh grade, and we played a football tournament down on the south side of Indianapolis. He came on down to watch us, and we were killing this team. We had subbed in our backups for defense, and we gave up an 80-yard drive to the other team. When they scored, I was livid. I was screaming at my teammates and just going crazy. He pulled me out of the game, pulled me aside for a play, talked to me, and put me back in the game. I have never taken a piece of advice so seriously. We went on to win the game, but I believe that was the first conversation I had ever had with him. Since then, I have always taken his advice to heart and always tried to apply everything he has said. For the rest of the coaching staff, I would say the exact same thing. The staff that we have at Zionsville is the best in the whole state.”

Riddle is also blessed to have the support of his buddies.

“All my teammates are all my friends,” Riddle said. “From my closest friend group to older and younger guys I’ve met through playing football, they’re all my friends. I was voted team captain this year as a junior, and I’ve loved helping lead the team on and off the field. I had some great upperclassmen mentors-teammates the past few years, and they taught me how to foster relationships with underclassmen to build a close and connected team. The team that we have built has come from upperclassmen from previous years.”

The eighth-year Eagles’ leader feels the same about his defensive stalwart.

“Kellen is a team leader because of the example he sets in his work ethic and preparation,” Turnquist said. “The players see that and know that he has earned the right to lead because he has done what it takes to prepare and that he does that not just for his performance but so that he can also help them with theirs. He is also a leader vocally both through correction and encouragement but also through making calls, checks, and adjustments in game. That goes back to his preparation and understanding of the game plan and his teammates know that when he makes calls or has to make a check or adjustment, they respond because the can trust that he knows the game plan and is making the right decisions. Overall, he has the best interests of the team and his teammates at the center of everything he does which his teammates see and feel. That is the mark of a great leader.”

If he wasn’t tracking down opposing runners, Riddle wouldn’t mind running with the ball himself.

“I am comfortable playing any linebacker position, but I also feel like I could play some running back as a lead blocker and maybe run the ball,” explained Riddle “I played running back in middle school and my freshman year, but switched over to defense permanently after my freshman year. Next year, if we need a guy to lead block or pull across the line, I would be honored to do so.”

With another year ahead of him, he knows there is still room for improvement.

“I’m also constantly working on my speed,” Riddle said. “In seventh grade, I started running sprints at home three-to-four times a week to improve my speed and quickness. That’s a habit I’ve continued with through high school.”

Turnquist is thankful to have a talent like Kellen to lean and rely on again next season.

“Kellen is a player who truly loves the game of football and loves everything about being a part of a team,” explained Turnquist. “He is a player that loves the preparation both in the off-season and during the season and embraces every aspect of what it takes to perform at a high level. He plays with great physicality and intensity and truly loves to compete. When you combine all of those things, you have a player who can have a huge impact on the field, and in the program overall which is exactly what Kellen has done to this point and will continue to do in the future.”

In regards to his future, Kellen hopes it includes some type of competition.

“I really haven’t fully decided, but I would love the opportunity to play football somewhere like Miami Ohio or Purdue,” said Riddle, who currently has a 4.2 grade-point average. “My speed, quickness, and agility are areas I would need to work on as well as getting bigger and faster.

“I would also consider swimming or playing baseball at the right school, but my passion is definitely football. Right now, though, I’m more focused on school and academics than anything.”

Away from the playing field, he enjoys a variety of activities.

“I love to hang out with friends, hike, fish, cook, listen to music, and watch movies,” said Riddle. “I’m super big on movies and I really enjoy them with my favorite being ‘Gladiator’.

“In college, I want to get my bachelor’s degree in engineering or agricultural science, have at least two kids, and go to all seven continents. In going to all these continents, I just want to explore the coolest places all over the world.”

Since finishing as Class 5A state runner-up in 2020 and 2021, the Eagles have managed just one post-season victory (29-28 over Carmel in 2024).

With that being said, Riddle and company are hoping to change that.

“I’ve been playing with a group of guys since elementary school,” Riddle said. “Everyone understands what needs to be done, and everyone understands the expectation. I can always trust my teammates, and it has made me a better player.

“We just need to keep grinding, stay motivated, and continue to grow as a close team. I believe the team has stepped up in becoming a ‘family’ compared to previous years. We just need to keep that mentality going and play for the guys next to you.”

This will be a tough assignment, though, when No. 12 Zionsville hosts top-ranked and two-time defending state champion Brownsburg (9-0) on October 30 in Class 6A Sectional 5 semifinal round action.