ACAC Preview

[FlyingHigh]

We're about 2 weeks away from some real Friday night lights in the ACAC, so let's get some discussion on the 2023 season. I think the top of the conference is clearly AC. They lost 4 starters from a state runner up finish and, more importantly for this thread, a team that beat ACAC opponents by over 41 points per game. Teams 2-4 could get really interesting this year, which is exciting for the conference. Below are my thoughts on conference rankings:

Adams Central (14-1 in 2022) - As stated above, AC ran through the conference last year pretty easily and they only lost 4 starters. One of those starters was Ryan Black who was very important to the team, but senior Jack Hamilton is stepping into the QB spot and will do a great job. I don't think there will be a drop off at all offensively and I see the defense being even stronger. The best case for the Jets is for the conference to provide some competitive games to prep them for another potential run at Lucas Oil.

Heritage (6-4) - Heritage finished in 2nd place in the conference last year after getting over the South Adams hurdle. I think Heritage will be at the top of the fight for 2nd place between the Patriots, Bluffton and South Adams. Heritage has strong numbers and a huge senior class in Coach Kolkman's 4th year leading the program. The Patriots are headed in the right direction.

Bluffton (8-5) - Bluffton returns nearly their entire starting roster after winning a sectional title for the first time since the 1980s. They'll be big and experienced. I think this is the year that Bluffton beats South Adams for the first time since 2015 (and the first time in Coach Kunkel's career). This is another program headed in the right direction that should build off the success that they had last year.

South Adams (8-3) - The Starfires (I still have no idea what the heck a Starfire is) have turned into a really solid program under Grant Moser. The players seem to expect to win and that gives them a leg up in a majority of ACAC matchups. I think Owen Wanner is one of the best players in the conference, but they'll struggle protecting him. The defense will play fast like they always do. SA could knock off either Heritage or Bluffton, but I don't think there's a world where they beat both of them.

Woodlan (4-6) - The Warriors lose their best athlete in Snyder at QB, but they beat Jay County last year so I'm taking them at this spot. I don't know a whole lot else about them.

Jay County (2-8) - Jay County's only wins last year were against Blackford and Southern Wells. Fortunately for them, those two teams are still on their schedule for 2023. 

Southern Wells (0-10) - I think that I read on the GID that Southern Wells had enough numbers that they were struggling to find helmets. That's a short-term issue, but definitely a move in the right direction for the program in the long-term.

[BTF]

On 8/2/2023 at 8:29 PM, FlyingHigh said:

We're about 2 weeks away from some real Friday night lights in the ACAC, so let's get some discussion on the 2023 season. I think the top of the conference is clearly AC. They lost 4 starters from a state runner up finish and, more importantly for this thread, a team that beat ACAC opponents by over 41 points per game. Teams 2-4 could get really interesting this year, which is exciting for the conference. Below are my thoughts on conference rankings:

Adams Central (14-1 in 2022) - As stated above, AC ran through the conference last year pretty easily and they only lost 4 starters. One of those starters was Ryan Black who was very important to the team, but senior Jack Hamilton is stepping into the QB spot and will do a great job. I don't think there will be a drop off at all offensively and I see the defense being even stronger. The best case for the Jets is for the conference to provide some competitive games to prep them for another potential run at Lucas Oil.

Heritage (6-4) - Heritage finished in 2nd place in the conference last year after getting over the South Adams hurdle. I think Heritage will be at the top of the fight for 2nd place between the Patriots, Bluffton and South Adams. Heritage has strong numbers and a huge senior class in Coach Kolkman's 4th year leading the program. The Patriots are headed in the right direction.

Bluffton (8-5) - Bluffton returns nearly their entire starting roster after winning a sectional title for the first time since the 1980s. They'll be big and experienced. I think this is the year that Bluffton beats South Adams for the first time since 2015 (and the first time in Coach Kunkel's career). This is another program headed in the right direction that should build off the success that they had last year.

South Adams (8-3) - The Starfires (I still have no idea what the heck a Starfire is) have turned into a really solid program under Grant Moser. The players seem to expect to win and that gives them a leg up in a majority of ACAC matchups. I think Owen Wanner is one of the best players in the conference, but they'll struggle protecting him. The defense will play fast like they always do. SA could knock off either Heritage or Bluffton, but I don't think there's a world where they beat both of them.

Woodlan (4-6) - The Warriors lose their best athlete in Snyder at QB, but they beat Jay County last year so I'm taking them at this spot. I don't know a whole lot else about them.

Jay County (2-8) - Jay County's only wins last year were against Blackford and Southern Wells. Fortunately for them, those two teams are still on their schedule for 2023. 

Southern Wells (0-10) - I think that I read on the GID that Southern Wells had enough numbers that they were struggling to find helmets. That's a short-term issue, but definitely a move in the right direction for the program in the long-term.

Adams Central's only roadblock this year will be Blackhawk Christian. Just kidding. With 17 starters returning, is it safe to say that they are the frontrunner to win state? With that many guys returning, my money might be on the Flying Jets to take out Indy Lutheran.

[NE8Fan]

1. AC

2. Bluffton

3. Heritage

4. Woodlan

5. SA

6. Jay Co

7. SW

[Frozen Tundra]

I heard Blackhawk was joining the ACAC. Is this true? And, if so, when is it supposed to take place?

[260AC]

14 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

I heard Blackhawk was joining the ACAC. Is this true? And, if so, when is it supposed to take place?

Just rumor mill.

But as far as FlyingHigh goes hits the nail on the head not much to add. Looking forward to the season 🙂

[Basementbias]

The ACAC is much improved. Bluffton & Heritage showing they are contenders. Jay County outplayed AC in the 1st quarter and a bit in 2nd before AC took control in a 42-7 final. The AC defense has some work to do next week vs Heritage. Though SA lost to Bluffton & Heritage, they fought against Heritage pretty well. Woodlan is improved compared to the prior seasons. If Jay County runs the ball like they did in the 1st quarter, they can be in the race. Southern Wells has a win & played Jay County tough in the 1st half last week. They may not be in the mix but are much improved than before as well. 

[roaringthunderdlr]

2 hours ago, Basementbias said:

The ACAC is much improved. Bluffton & Heritage showing they are contenders. Jay County outplayed AC in the 1st quarter and a bit in 2nd before AC took control in a 42-7 final. The AC defense has some work to do next week vs Heritage. Though SA lost to Bluffton & Heritage, they fought against Heritage pretty well. Woodlan is improved compared to the prior seasons. If Jay County runs the ball like they did in the 1st quarter, they can be in the race. Southern Wells has a win & played Jay County tough in the 1st half last week. They may not be in the mix but are much improved than before as well. 

Jay County has a bright future. May not be a state contender in 4A, but as food for thought, the Jay County 8th graders beat Adams Central 8th graders 28-0. 7th graders also beat the Flying Jets 20-7. This shows that Jay County is finally building up the youth programs to hopefully develop players that may one day turn into stellar varsity players for the Patriots.

Edited September 9, 2023 by roaringthunderdlr

[Basementbias]

5 hours ago, roaringthunderdlr said:

Jay County has a bright future. May not be a state contender in 4A, but as food for thought, the Jay County 8th graders beat Adams Central 8th graders 28-0. 7th graders also beat the Flying Jets 20-7. This shows that Jay County is finally building up the youth programs to hopefully develop players that may one day turn into stellar varsity players for the Patriots.

Maybe but the MS Jets aren't as strong as years past. The 7th grade had hardly any kids out for some reason. I'm not sure about the 8th grade as I wasn't involved in youth with them other than being a board member. About same with 7th grade as I basically tried to explain the offense to the youth coaches & then went to board member only due to work & stepson playing flag in Ohio. Stepson is playing with AC kids in youth tackle this year. 6th grade class is OK, but needs some work & more depth. AC will take a step back a bit after this season. They should still be decent with the juniors & sophomores this year. After that it gets shaky.

[roaringthunderdlr]

On 9/9/2023 at 6:20 AM, Basementbias said:

Maybe but the MS Jets aren't as strong as years past. The 7th grade had hardly any kids out for some reason. I'm not sure about the 8th grade as I wasn't involved in youth with them other than being a board member. About same with 7th grade as I basically tried to explain the offense to the youth coaches & then went to board member only due to work & stepson playing flag in Ohio. Stepson is playing with AC kids in youth tackle this year. 6th grade class is OK, but needs some work & more depth. AC will take a step back a bit after this season. They should still be decent with the juniors & sophomores this year. After that it gets shaky.

Understandable, but AC is a very strong program and it's very surprising to see that.

[Basementbias]

52 minutes ago, roaringthunderdlr said:

Understandable, but AC is a very strong program and it's very surprising to see that.

Think it's probably a mix of both after Friday night. Jay County is improving at all levels and AC may have a slight regression after this year. Though I think the MS teams will improve as well as the youth. Really excited we are adding flag for Pre-k through 4th grade at AC. Hopefully that solves the problem the 7th grade has this year of 9+ kids who waited to play any football until 7th grade. Just because Coldwater & Marion Local do not start until then, doesn't mean it will work for all programs. Those 2 programs are blessed to have minimum of 6 ft height and big strong kids in shape from 160 to 300 lbs (pure muscle no fat).

[roaringthunderdlr]

8 minutes ago, Basementbias said:

Think it's probably a mix of both after Friday night. Jay County is improving at all levels and AC may have a slight regression after this year. Though I think the MS teams will improve as well as the youth. Really excited we are adding flag for Pre-k through 4th grade at AC. Hopefully that solves the problem the 7th grade has this year of 9+ kids who waited to play any football until 7th grade. Just because Coldwater & Marion Local do not start until then, doesn't mean it will work for all programs. Those 2 programs are blessed to have minimum of 6 ft height and big strong kids in shape from 160 to 300 lbs (pure muscle no fat).

How do those Western Ohio programs breed those kinds of kids? It is a historical reason? Is it because of the community? Are the youth development programs great? Marion Local could probably be competitive with some of the biggest schools in Ohio.

[Basementbias]

1 hour ago, roaringthunderdlr said:

How do those Western Ohio programs breed those kinds of kids? It is a historical reason? Is it because of the community? Are the youth development programs great? Marion Local could probably be competitive with some of the biggest schools in Ohio.

German Catholic genetics mixed with a strong farming & family oriented background. They are predominantly catholic kids that attend public schools. They do not start football until the 7th grade. They believe that youth football teaches bad fundamentals. I don't disagree, but don't fully agree either. I think if you have the right people to be an extension of the high school & middle school in your youth programs, it could succeed. You have to control "daddy ball" (both definitions) and make sure the kids are executing the same fundamentals & plays the HS/MS do properly.

[roaringthunderdlr]

3 hours ago, Basementbias said:

German Catholic genetics mixed with a strong farming & family oriented background. They are predominantly catholic kids that attend public schools. They do not start football until the 7th grade. They believe that youth football teaches bad fundamentals. I don't disagree, but don't fully agree either. I think if you have the right people to be an extension of the high school & middle school in your youth programs, it could succeed. You have to control "daddy ball" (both definitions) and make sure the kids are executing the same fundamentals & plays the HS/MS do properly.

This answered it. Thank you

[Bonecrusher]

3 hours ago, Basementbias said:

German Catholic genetics mixed with a strong farming & family oriented background. They are predominantly catholic kids that attend public schools. They do not start football until the 7th grade. They believe that youth football teaches bad fundamentals. I don't disagree, but don't fully agree either. I think if you have the right people to be an extension of the high school & middle school in your youth programs, it could succeed. You have to control "daddy ball" (both definitions) and make sure the kids are executing the same fundamentals & plays the HS/MS do properly.

Bingo! All programs have peaks and valleys. but down here where football is king, the schools with solid youth programs seem to be more consistent top performers.

Case-in-point, my youngest son was the only kid in his 7th grade class that played youth football prior to then.  The first part of the season he already knew and had a good grasp on what the coaches were trying to teach the other kids.  Imagine if all the kids playing that year had enough experience to know most of the fundamentals they teach at that level, and already have an understanding of a very simplified version of the offense/defense that the school ran - they would have been so far ahead.  One of our opponents, who is the textbook definition of a perennial powerhouse team, had a fantastic youth program.  They hit the ground running in 7th grade and it was very easy to tell the difference between them and schools like ours whose kids were just trying to figure it out. 

[FlyingHigh]

Week 5 Preview

Heritage @ Adams Central:  Easy choice for game of the week in the ACAC and likely NE IN if it weren't for Carroll and Snider matching up this week. There's been some comments made by media and others questioning whether AC is as good as in the past because of some slower starts. This team is certainly different than past years. Not as explosive at times, but they've shown moments of it. I honestly think that people, including Ft. Wayne media members, are tired of AC being good and are hoping that the Jets fall off. I'm hoping that the Jets show up big in their first legitimate conference test in the last two years. They have potential to be as good or better than the past couple of years if they turn things on from the opening kickoff. The work is cut out for the Jets, as Heritage's QB is looking like he can carry this team to a level of success that they haven't seen in years. If AC plays up to their capabilities, I think they win by 20+. It could also be a one-score game, which could go to either team, if AC comes out flat.

Bluffton @ Jay County: Jay County came out and played hard last week against a much more talented AC team. Bluffton should be able to win handily with their physicality. I could see this being close at the beginning.

Woodlan @ Southern Wells: Woodlan seems to struggle on the offensive side of the ball a little more than on defense. I expect the Warriors to win this one, but it will be closer than in recent years.

South Adams @ Monroe Central: Last time SA lost two conference games in a row? 2018. They hit the road in a non-conference match-up that should get them back on the winning track. 

 

[Bonecrusher]

1 hour ago, FlyingHigh said:

Week 5 Preview

Heritage @ Adams Central:  Easy choice for game of the week in the ACAC and likely NE IN if it weren't for Carroll and Snider matching up this week. There's been some comments made by media and others questioning whether AC is as good as in the past because of some slower starts. This team is certainly different than past years. Not as explosive at times, but they've shown moments of it. I honestly think that people, including Ft. Wayne media members, are tired of AC being good and are hoping that the Jets fall off. I'm hoping that the Jets show up big in their first legitimate conference test in the last two years. They have potential to be as good or better than the past couple of years if they turn things on from the opening kickoff. The work is cut out for the Jets, as Heritage's QB is looking like he can carry this team to a level of success that they haven't seen in years. If AC plays up to their capabilities, I think they win by 20+. It could also be a one-score game, which could go to either team, if AC comes out flat.

Bluffton @ Jay County: Jay County came out and played hard last week against a much more talented AC team. Bluffton should be able to win handily with their physicality. I could see this being close at the beginning.

Woodlan @ Southern Wells: Woodlan seems to struggle on the offensive side of the ball a little more than on defense. I expect the Warriors to win this one, but it will be closer than in recent years.

South Adams @ Monroe Central: Last time SA lost two conference games in a row? 2018. They hit the road in a non-conference match-up that should get them back on the winning track. 

 

Would love to see Heritage pull this one out, but realistically it seems - from what I've read - AC should be the favored team.  If ya'll were playing anyone else, I'd be pulling for you.  Good to see Heritage working their way back up the ladder.

Talk about timing, the wife and I are going to be visiting family in IN, and we'll be up there next Friday.  If we were going to be there this week, I would have tried to check this one out.  Last time I been to AC I was still in high school!  Hope it's a good competitive game.  A blowout either way does neither team any good at this point.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Bonecrusher

[Basementbias]

Bluffton vs Heritage this week. Do the Tigers beat the Patriots & create a show down for the crown the next week vs AC?

[roaringthunderdlr]

1 hour ago, Basementbias said:

Bluffton vs Heritage this week. Do the Tigers beat the Patriots & create a show down for the crown the next week vs AC?

Will be a good one. Give me Bluffton by a tad. AC demolishes them next week.

[FlyingHigh]

1 hour ago, Basementbias said:

Bluffton vs Heritage this week. Do the Tigers beat the Patriots & create a show down for the crown the next week vs AC?

Little to no doubt that Bluffton wins by 2 scores.

[Basementbias]

6 hours ago, FlyingHigh said:

Little to no doubt that Bluffton wins by 2 scores.

Can their defense stop Kobe M?

[FlyingHigh]

5 hours ago, Basementbias said:

Can their defense stop Kobe M?

Not to the extent of AC’s defense. Shut them out and shut him down. They’ll do enough to win, though. 

[Basementbias]

Curious to see if Jay County ruins SA's opening of the turf tomorrow as well.

[FlyingHigh]

Since the ACAC is all but wrapped up in terms of a champion, let's turn to post-season success for the conference. A handful of our teams have a decent to really good chance of winning their round 1 game of sectional.

Adams Central probably has the best chance of winning its sectional. We play SA in the first round and I don't see a chance for them to pay revenge to the Jets for the 2019 Regional upset. I do think that Southern Wells has a chance to win their first round game against North Miami. I don't think either of those two teams would have a chance against Madison-Grant, though. AC is likely on the road for at least a couple of weeks after the 1st round if they keep winning. If the Jets can get healthy, I don't think there's much of a chance for anyone to stop them from getting back to Lucas Oil. 

Bluffton has the next best chance of winning its sectional as I see it. They definitely got the short end of the stick on their draw, as they'll have to beat the 3 next best teams in the sectional to win it. Alexandria has a weak schedule and after watching Bluffton against AC on Friday, I think they'd be tough for most 2A schools to beat. Eastbrook has tradition but they lost to the Tigers last year and Bluffton returned basically everybody. I would say that all of those returners also improved quite a bit from last year. I'm not sure about Eastbrook, but that is an unfortunate 2nd round matchup for both teams assuming they both win round 1.

I like Heritage's chances of getting to the sectional final. They will knock off Woodlan without much of a problem, as that program is in major rebuild at this point. Garrett could be an interesting round 2 matchup. They won't have any problems getting past Bellmont. I don't know much about Yorktown or Delta, but they both have very similar Sagarin ratings to Heritage. This could be a fun sectional.

Finally, I don't think Jay County has a chance at all to touch Kokomo. The most realistic best case scenario for the conference is to have 3 sectional champions: AC, Bluffton and Heritage. I'd say it's more likely that we just have 1 or 2 teams crown sectional champs, but I'll be rooting for the conference throughout and I'm excited to hopefully see the ACAC well-represented in the tournament.

[Basementbias]

Next few years, Bluffton may be the team to beat in the ACAC as their middle school & youth teams are really good. Bluffton really outplayed AC last Friday but turned the ball over 3x. I like their offensive scheme compared to the first 2 weeks. Really didn't see much of their Heritage game, but you could tell they've been focusing on AC defensively since week 1. AC could have some down years coming up as the MS & youth tackle teams have struggled. Hopefully they will figure it out when they all play together as they have some individual talents. Though we were thinking similar in the 2020 (J Collier), 2021 (B Heyerly), & 2022 (G Cook) grades back then as well and kids stepped up like A Currie & many others.

[FlyingHigh]

1 hour ago, Basementbias said:

Next few years, Bluffton may be the team to beat in the ACAC as their middle school & youth teams are really good. Bluffton really outplayed AC last Friday but turned the ball over 3x. I like their offensive scheme compared to the first 2 weeks. Really didn't see much of their Heritage game, but you could tell they've been focusing on AC defensively since week 1. AC could have some down years coming up as the MS & youth tackle teams have struggled. Hopefully they will figure it out when they all play together as they have some individual talents. Though we were thinking similar in the 2020 (J Collier), 2021 (B Heyerly), & 2022 (G Cook) grades back then as well and kids stepped up like A Currie & many others.

I'm not sure how a team who got shut out and lost 24-0 can outplay the team that beat them. They turned it over, which means the ball was taken from Bluffton 3 times and another on downs. I would be highly surprised if Bluffton has focused on AC since week 1. That's a ridiculous statement. Their bigger goal going into the season was Kunkel beating Grant Moser for the first time ever. The next challenge was Heritage, a game that could've gone the Tigers way but didn't. Their players on D are just really good and their staff had a good plan, especially in a bad weather game. 

For someone who claims to be "involved" in the program, you sure do have few positive things to say about it.