Lake Central HFC Resigns

[Bobref]

The Region Sports Network is reporting that Rick Good has resigned, after 3 years as head football coach at Lake Central.

[RegionFBFan]

Interesting, but not a complete surprise. This is a loss for LC. He is a good coach. He has Chicago Catholic league ties. It would not surprise me if he heads back that direction.

[Gipper]

Hmmm.  I know he's at KV now, but I can only wonder if LC will reach out to Kirk Kennedy....

[Goose Liver]

I heard some names and Kennedy was not on the list.

[RegionFBFan]

I can’t figure out LC football program. Large enrollment, growing community, great facilities, good in all other boys and girls sports, well established youth football program and three large feeder middle schools. It would seem everything is in place to be really successful.

they have had some competent coaches come through over the years.

What is stopping them from winning at high level?

[Boilernation]

21 minutes ago, RegionFBFan said:

I can’t figure out LC football program. Large enrollment, growing community, great facilities, good in all other boys and girls sports, well established youth football program and three large feeder middle schools. It would seem everything is in place to be really successful.

they have had some competent coaches come through over the years.

What is stopping them from winning at high level?

Great Question! Thought I do think some of the areas of St. John that are rapidally growing on the south end are in the Hanover Central district. Another question would be are they losing good talent to the following schools:

1. Andrean
2. Chicago Mt. Carmel

[CoachMack219]

18 minutes ago, RegionFBFan said:

I can’t figure out LC football program. Large enrollment, growing community, great facilities, good in all other boys and girls sports, well established youth football program and three large feeder middle schools. It would seem everything is in place to be really successful.

they have had some competent coaches come through over the years.

What is stopping them from winning at high level?

Most of your first sentence is false which makes the answer to your question very simple. 

For starters, LC does have large enrollment but it is not necessarily a "growing community" if we're going by enrollment numbers. At this point in 2019, LC's enrollment according to IDOE (for 2019-2021 reclassification) was 3316, fast forward 5 years and according to the new numbers LC is now at 2961, a 355 student decline, and I'm not so sure it will turn the other direction anytime soon because I believe, as Boiler mentioned, most of the southern developments are Hanover's district. Next on the list is "good in all other boys and girls sports," while this is true by Da Region standards, on a State scale the Indians have not won a state championship in any sport since 2012 and the only semi-state wins have come in girls basketball this season, softball in 2015, 2018, and 2021, and boys basketball in 2014 (correct me if I missed any).

Next, the well established youth program hasn't been so well established for quite some time. This is not your father's (or son's) Tri-Town Raiders (now the LC Buccaneers) and they have become less established over the years, sad but true. I'm 99.9% sure of the top Pop Warner programs around here the Tri-Town/ LC one doesn't crack the current top 5. The middle school situation is more complicated with Clark/Grimmer playing together and Kahler on their own. I'm not too sure on the whole dynamic there but it obviously isn't developing any athletes like our southern counter parts (CYO or Public). So while it appears things are in place to be successful, there's a lot of work that needs to be done to right the ship for the Blue Indians and not all of them fall on the former, or future head coach(s). 

I think the above will make the answer to your question rather simple, and if it doesn't then maybe you know something I don't. 

23 minutes ago, Boilernation said:

Another question would be are they losing good talent to the following schools:

1. Andrean
2. Chicago Mt. Carmel

Yes. Have always and will always. 

[RegionFBFan]

A lot here to respond to:

1. Enrollment is still extremely large. Your telling me that you can’t find quality players with close to 3,000 students??

2. If your definition of a good program is winning State titles, I get it to a point but this would imply all other 6A teams in football aren’t good programs besides those in the MIC as they have won every 6A title.

3. I was not aware of the Pop Warner situation. A shame as this was a very good program.

4. Middle school set up still leaves two very large feeder schools. Should be adequate.

5. Andrean, Mt Carmel and Marian Catholic have always poached and will continue to poach.

6. Agree Hanover benefitting the most with the growth in south St. John.

I think there is more to support or lack there of from the Administration. I’ve heard from too many people that there is no desire to be great in football from Administration. Limit budget for football to support an excellent staff is one example that I’ve heard consistently from these same people.

[Boilernation]

38 minutes ago, RegionFBFan said:

A lot here to respond to:

5. Andrean, Mt Carmel and Marian Catholic have always poached and will continue to poach.

 

I could understand another South Side Catholic other than Mt. Carmel poaching Tri-Town if you told me Chicago St. Rita or Brother Rice or even Joliet Catholic. But, Marian Catholic, they poach Lake Central kids? That's surprising to me. They're not exactly a power in HS football. Though they are closer to Tri-Town than the aforementioned schools. At that point why not just go to Andrean?

[Lucy Draper]

25 minutes ago, RegionFBFan said:

I think there is more to support or lack there of from the Administration. I’ve heard from too many people that there is no desire to be great in football from Administration. Limit budget for football to support an excellent staff is one example that I’ve heard consistently from these same people.

OMG!!! My husband is friends with some football coaches and he tells me that the administration is usually the deciding factor on whether a high school football program is successful or not!!! 💪

You hear about SPOOKY coaching graveyards ☠️ where no coach can reach a reasonable level of success. The reason is almost always because those schools are haunted by apathetic or downright hostile administrators!!!! BOOooOOooOOooOOooOO!!!! 👻 Places like that give me the willys!!! 😱 🍆 

Coaches beware when it comes to bad or apathetic admins!!! 🤡

 

[PDB26]

46 minutes ago, Boilernation said:

They're not exactly a power in HS football. Though they are closer to Tri-Town than the aforementioned schools. At that point why not just go to Andrean?

Maybe that's the answer.

[scarab527]

As someone in the Region once told me: 

"The most important thing for people at LC football games is the band" 

As for why program isn't good, without going into hearsay too much, it starts at the top.

[CoachMack219]

18 hours ago, RegionFBFan said:

A lot here to respond to:

1. Enrollment is still extremely large. Your telling me that you can’t find quality players with close to 3,000 students??

2. If your definition of a good program is winning State titles, I get it to a point but this would imply all other 6A teams in football aren’t good programs besides those in the MIC as they have won every 6A title.

3. I was not aware of the Pop Warner situation. A shame as this was a very good program.

4. Middle school set up still leaves two very large feeder schools. Should be adequate.

5. Andrean, Mt Carmel and Marian Catholic have always poached and will continue to poach.

6. Agree Hanover benefitting the most with the growth in south St. John.

I think there is more to support or lack there of from the Administration. I’ve heard from too many people that there is no desire to be great in football from Administration. Limit budget for football to support an excellent staff is one example that I’ve heard consistently from these same people.

1. There are quality players walking the halls of LC and there are quality players on the current roster. Also, the tri-town community LOVES them some baseball. Do with that what you will. 

2. My definition of a good program isn't winning state titles but you do need to be competitive on a state scale, and do so as consistently as possible (Indy schools figure this out but we can't? LOL). There aren't too many programs at LC (or anywhere in the 219) that fit that description which is why being good is considered to be difficult and more often than not, the REALLY GOOD teams aren't from the 219. Sure, the baseball and softball programs at LC are consistent winners compared to other region programs but good is not always good enough. Especially not when the schools you need to "catch" to be competitive on a state scale are doing elite things, athletically speaking and continue to try and improve upon those practices. 

3. Absolute shame. When I was young they were the top pop warner program in the area by a mile. 

4. You would think, but one could rightfully assume that number 5 plays a role in how adequate the athletes are that leave either of those "feeders" and actually attend LC. Guys like Drayk Bowen (and probably some of his friends by default) for example who have left the LC middle schools for other High Schools would positively impact the LC football talent pool but those kids never walk through LCHS's doors. 

5. Yes.

Also, in reference to your sentence(s) after number 6, I've heard the same. 

[Gipper]

On 3/14/2024 at 8:23 AM, Boilernation said:

Great Question! Thought I do think some of the areas of St. John that are rapidally growing on the south end are in the Hanover Central district. Another question would be are they losing good talent to the following schools:

1. Andrean
2. Chicago Mt. Carmel

You're not wrong there about Hanover!

[Bobref]

2 hours ago, Gipper said:

You're not wrong there about Hanover!

A program on the rise. They’ve only had varsity football for a decade!

[CoachMack219]

Pete Koulianos was hired/ approved as the New Head Football Coach of Lake Central HS at last night's school board meeting. 

[Bobref]

1 hour ago, CoachMack219 said:

Pete Koulianos was hired/ approved as the New Head Football Coach of Lake Central HS at last night's school board meeting. 

Coach Koulianos did a great job starting the Hanover Central program, and then returning Highland to competitiveness. This will be a formidable challenge for him.

[Coach Nowlin]

Perhaps the power to be will finally let an ALUM like Coach K the time to rebuild the once proud lighting Elmers to their glory!!! 

Very happy for my him and wish him nothing but the best returning to his Alma Mater 

 

[Boilernation]

On 4/3/2024 at 7:39 PM, Coach Nowlin said:

Perhaps the power to be will finally let an ALUM like Coach K the time to rebuild the once proud lighting Elmers to their glory!!! 

Very happy for my him and wish him nothing but the best returning to his Alma Mater 

 

When did Coach K play for the Blue Indians?

[Cheez]

21 hours ago, Boilernation said:

When did Coach K play for the Blue Indians?

He played on L.C.'s State Runner-Up team back when Elmer Britton was their head coach... So he was on the team for the 1993-94 school year.

[Boilernation]

6 hours ago, Cheez said:

He played on L.C.'s State Runner-Up team back when Elmer Britton was their head coach... So he was on the team for the 1993-94 school year.

Awesome. I was a Freshman at Portage that year. I went down to the RCA Dome that year to watch Hobart / East Central in the 4A game and then LC / Bloomington South in the 5A game. 
 

Interesting hire. He built Hanover Central. Not really sure if it’s possible to win at Highland. The times have changed there. Maybe he resurrects the LC program.