For many years, the Quasebarth family has been a fixture around North White High School.
Kirk Quasebarth, a 1985 graduate, was a standout athlete who now serves as the top man for the Vikings' football, wrestling, and baseball teams.
His son, Jake Quasebarth, a 2017 graduate, earned 12 varsity letters competing in all three sports.
Although he had some big shoes to fill, Eli Quasebarth now appears to be on the same road to success as his dad and older brother.
"My dad and my brother Jake have both been big influences for me," recalled the 6-foot, 185-pound three-sport senior athlete. "My dad has been my coach throughout high school and I looked up to my older brother when he was playing sports in high school and college (Rose-Hulman)."
Entering his fourth year as the starting quarterback, Eli has so far completed 39-of-77 passes for 462 yards with four touchdowns and has carried the ball 158 times for 1,796 yards with a whopping 33 touchdowns to guide the No. 7 (Class 1A) Vikings to an 8-0 record.
"My ability to read blocks and run the ball are definitely some of my strengths," explained Eli Quasebarth, who has 528 career carries for 3,899 with 68 touchdowns and completed 178-of-403 for 2,428 yards with 19 scores, "I feel like I need to improve my passing game. It is something I have been trying to get better at throughout high school and our receivers have put in a lot of work this offseason which has helped me out a little bit this year."
Eli has been just as impressive in wrestling by registering a career mark of 91-22, including a 38-3 last winter at the 170-pound weight class. As a sophomore, he qualified for the IHSAA state in the 160-pound weight class.
This coming season, he has the opportunity to achieve the school record for career victories, which is currently held by Jake Quasebarth with 132 wins.
"Wrestling has made me mentally tough and taught me to be good on my feet," said Eli Quasebarth. "Being in the weight room during football has also helped me compete at a high level in wrestling."
Competing as an infielder-outfielder-pitcher for the baseball squad, Eli recorded a .433 batting average with 19 runs batted in and a 3-6 mark on the pitching mound with a 4.34 earned-run average last spring.
"Playing for my dad has been a good experience," said Eli Quasebarth, who started competing in football in the third grade. "He is hard on me. but it has helped me become the athlete I am today."
Getting the chance to work with another son, especially on the gridiron, has certainly been a privilege for Kirk Quasebarth.
"From a coach's perspective, you could not ask for a more dedicated player to the game of football than Eli," said Kirk Quasebarth. "He loves the weight room, was involved in all of our off-season workouts, and attended local camps. He is just a kid that loves to play the game of football."
However, the playing field is not the only area Eli has excelled.
He also owns a 4.43 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and is ranked first in his graduation class of 61 students.
"I have watched Eli play football since his elementary school days," said Kirk Quasebarth. "He loves the game and has developed a great work ethic for the weight room. He has always been focused on getting better, but what I'm really proud of Eli for is being a good teammate, being humble, and being a good role model for younger kids."
Going back to his childhood, Eli has always been a part of North White athletics, thanks to his dad.
"My dad has always been involved with sports at North White, so I don't know anything different," said Eli Quasebarth. "However, it makes me want to get more involved with my community as I get older."
Even though Eli is uncertain of what college he will be attending next fall, he knows what he wants to play if the opportunity presents itself.
"I am not sure if I will be playing a sport but if I did, it would be football," said Eli Quasebarth, who plans on studying business. "That's because it is the sport that I have enjoyed the most growing up."
Before moving on to the wrestling mat, though, Eli and his teammates first want to claim the Midwest Conference crown when they travel to West Central (7-1) on October 13.
"Our team works together well and we are like a family," explained Eli Quasebarth. "Everyone gets along and most of us have been playing together our whole football careers. We are excited about the playoffs coming up, but we know we have a tough sectional and there will be challenging games ahead us."
North White's quest for its first sectional championship since 2000 begins on October 20 when the Vikings host Caston in the opening round of the Class 1A Sectional 43 playoffs.
