There’s a new feel around Cathedral High School football. It’s not that the annual goal of a state title has changed entering the 2023 season. But the Irish want to win it at the highest level – and as Cathedral head football coach Bill Peebles sees it, that called for a bit of a change. “We've definitely turned up the heat,” Peebles said. The Irish, who lost a Class 6A state semifinal to eventual state champion Center Grove in 2022, enter ’23 again as one Indiana’s top Class 6A teams. The objective for a program that has won a state-record 14 Indiana state titles: Win in 6A. It’s an objective Peebles said the program embraces, and one it is working to achieve. “Our mantra this offseason has been, ‘If you want to do something you've never done before’ – and we’ve never won a 6A title – ‘you have to do things differently than you’ve done it before,’’’ Peebles said. “If you keep doing the same thing and it has not been accomplished, you're not going to get better. “We’ve done things a little different this year. We felt like needed to get stronger to be competitive in the 6A level.” Peebles added, “Teams have as much talent as us. That wasn't always the case. In 4A or 5A, some years we put the most talented team on the field. Inevitably every year there are going to be a handful of teams in the state of Indiana that have as much, if not more, talent than us at the 6A level. “We have to be prepared for that.” The Irish, who went 10-2 and lost to Center Grove, 33-10, in the postseason in 2022, return a balanced team in 2023 – one that must overcome the loss of multiple core players now playing collegiately. “We’re trying to fill those holes,” Peebles said. “Part of our program, the offseason is to develop leadership qualities. Part of that is handling adversity, being in tough situations. It's about not panicking. not folding and turning on each other. When things get rough, you have to rely on each other instead of just relying on yourself. “That's a big part of what we do with our leadership training in the off season.” The ‘23 Irish figure to be led by quarterback Danny O’Neil, who will play collegiately for the University of Colorado. One of the top quarterback prospects in the nation, he has passed for 55 touchdowns in the last two seasons. “He's like a coach on the field,” Peebles said. “He's obviously a talented kid. He’s a great leader for us and he has been through some pretty big-time environments. He was at Elite 11 this summer and has been I the big-game environments the last couple years—big crowds and big scenes. He knows what to do and the guys will be following him this year. “We can do a little bit more with Danny just because he's a three-year starter. He's an incredibly intelligent kid. In the pros, there’s discussion of, ‘What do you want to do? How do you want to do it?’ That doesn't happen in high school a lot. He's savvy enough and has been around enough we can have those conversations and I trust his input.” Among others key to the Irish in ’23: Senior tight end and Miami (Ohio) commit Zach Meeks, senior tight end/wide receiver Keith Long, junior offensive lineman Nicolas Neale, senior middle linebacker Oscar Kirch and senior linebackers Devaughn Perkins, Hosia Smith and Jackson Weingart. “Those guys are our leaders on the defensive side,” Peebles said of Perkins, Smith and Weingart. Peebles called the secondary “probably the biggest question mark,” with five starters from 2022 having graduated. He also said the offensive line should be solid, with three new starters who are strong young players stepping into the roles. The Irish will open the season with a home game on August 18 followed by a road game at Class 6A power Brownsburg. They close the season with a home game against Center Grove. Peebles said he doesn’t worry about the Irish being a good, competitive team. Rather, the question is whether they can navigate what is expected to be a very good Class 6A field during a long, trying postseason. “I feel like we have a good team are the question is, ‘Can we stay healthy enough?’” Peebles said. “We're not super deep. Everybody wants to be deeper. I think that we have a good enough team to compete, especially if we improve the defensive secondary. Are we going to be good enough to overcome Center Grove? Are we going to be good enough to beat Brownsburg or Ben Davis or Warren Central? “The postseason will be a gauntlet. Literally, there's not a week off. It's going to be five weeks of brutal games. You have to stay healthy and regroup if you survive. It’s six weeks of really tough games.