N.I.C. - 2024

[PDB26]

10 minutes ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

I understand that having a 3A school that you roll over is not helpful, but play a team like Morton or Portage that is the same thing. Just a bigger classification of school. You need to play games in which your back ups will see playing time against Varsity level players. Also, gives you an opportunity to rest and recover. It cannot be a murderer's row, where your team will be dinged up going into the playoffs.  Keeping a local "rival" on the schedule does more for the community than, an outside pushover. Marian and St. Joe benefit from us coming in to their place. 

But, I admit, I am arguing out both sides of my mouth, complain about the softness of the schedule and then advocate for having softer teams on the schedule to give your team a blow. 

I can appreciate the sentiment about not wanting to be dinged up for the tournament, but I'd rather be better prepared than just healthy. I know garbage time is better than nothing for underclassmen, but I've never been convinced that it's all that valuable--at least against NIC teams. Of course, the jv and freshman games are worse.

I couldn't agree more with your point about Morton and Portage.

[ASJCPUMA]

So 46 sports reported Penn dropped Cathedral and Hammond Morton and cancelled the Carmel contract.  They will play Washington and Riley.  Yeoman states he is glad they were able to keep Valpo and Mishawaka at the beginning of the season.  Apperas softball and baseball are not happy since in 25 they go to playing each NIC team 2 home and home.  It means losing games against better competition.  The other sports were saying they were looking forward to picking up new competition

[PDB26]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:17 AM, ASJCPUMA said:

So 46 sports reported Penn dropped Cathedral and Hammond Morton and cancelled the Carmel contract.  They will play Washington and Riley.  Yeoman states he is glad they were able to keep Valpo and Mishawaka at the beginning of the season.  Apperas softball and baseball are not happy since in 25 they go to playing each NIC team 2 home and home.  It means losing games against better competition.  The other sports were saying they were looking forward to picking up new competition

I hadn't yet looked into how this was going to affect the other programs. It looks like the basketball and volleyball programs benefit from the arrangement with the opportunity to schedule more out of conference games, while all the other programs get locked into full round robin schedules with reduced out of conference opportunities. I'm glad we can count on Dikos to be the one Penn coach to complain publicly about the arrangement, and I hope there are at least some private complaints from the others. 

“I’m not a big fan of this at all,” said Penn Baseball Head Coach Greg Dikos, who has guided Penn to back-to-back State Championships the last two seasons. “The double round-robin does not benefit us as a program. This is forcing us to take off some non-conference teams that we have built a very, very good relationship with over the past couple of years. 

“For example, the high schools that are in the mix of being removed are Lakeshore, Fort Wayne Carroll and Mishawaka,” Dikos continued. “Those are the teams that come to mind but nothing is set to stone yet. 

“We have to trim the schedule up. As an organization, we do not want this to take place, we don’t want to play conference teams twice, we want to be able to see what our team is capable of with teams like Lakeshore and others. We aren’t benefiting from this.”

 

[BLACKGOLD2007]

Dikos should send the JV to play these schools then....

Dikos wants a three peat....do what is best for your team, don't worry about hurting feelings. 

Dikos gets it, Corey does not. 

[BLACKGOLD2007]

On 12/9/2023 at 12:51 PM, PDB26 said:

I can appreciate the sentiment about not wanting to be dinged up for the tournament, but I'd rather be better prepared than just healthy. I know garbage time is better than nothing for underclassmen, but I've never been convinced that it's all that valuable--at least against NIC teams. Of course, the jv and freshman games are worse.

I couldn't agree more with your point about Morton and Portage.

Because Corey cares so much about conference titles, he wont do this, but you want to give your underclassmen good experiences...Have your JV play most of your NIC games....Send the Freshmen to play the rest....who cares about winning the game at this point. We want these young men to get better....well have them play the NIC varsity teams their Freshmen and Sophomore years....Keep the JV playing the JV's of Valpo and Mishawaka but, send them to play Marian and St. Joe...those are good games. Send the JV to play Riley and the Freshmen to play Washington and Adams. I am torn on sending the JV to play Elkhart as well as NP, but if the Elkhart program continues to slide, then screw it. 

pipe dreams. At that point I see the NIC kicking Penn out. 

[PDB26]

55 minutes ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

Dikos should send the JV to play these schools then....

Dikos wants a three peat....do what is best for your team, don't worry about hurting feelings. 

Dikos gets it, Corey does not. 

Dikos has always been a dog on a bone and a bit of a renegade--I mean that in the most positive way possible. So, it's not surprising that he's publicly against the NIC schedule. It's too bad he's not the athletic director.

51 minutes ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

Because Corey cares so much about conference titles, he wont do this, but you want to give your underclassmen good experiences...Have your JV play most of your NIC games....Send the Freshmen to play the rest....who cares about winning the game at this point. We want these young men to get better....well have them play the NIC varsity teams their Freshmen and Sophomore years....Keep the JV playing the JV's of Valpo and Mishawaka but, send them to play Marian and St. Joe...those are good games. Send the JV to play Riley and the Freshmen to play Washington and Adams. I am torn on sending the JV to play Elkhart as well as NP, but if the Elkhart program continues to slide, then screw it. 

pipe dreams. At that point I see the NIC kicking Penn out. 

I can't speak to Cory's subjective mind about the importance of winning the NIC relative to anything else, but I agree that it has always been important. There's nothing really wrong with that unless it is negatively affecting the program. 

I think the coaches should strongly consider getting JV players better reps in varsity games. This means starting them, splitting quarters, making sure the game doesn't get to a running clock before they can get in to the game--I'd say whatever means necessary. Freshman football exists, where it can, for good reason, so I'd be against putting that group into varsity or JV games wholesale. However, the coaches should consider removing the physically capable freshman from that team and find a way to develop them at the JV/varsity levels. 

It seems like Elkhart is on its way to being a lost cause with the structure of that athletic department and the alleged infighting there. They could get lucky with a good young coach again, but, until the other stuff gets cleaned up, there's no way to retain those guys long term. 

The big stink in all of this is keeping the series with Mishawaka over an Indy program. Mishawaka is fine on the schedule if they're the third or fourth best opponent, but it's not great (being generous) if they're the second best. However, one positive is it does get the JV and freshman a better game that week since Penn has never found a way to get its younger players onto the field against the JVs from one of the better out of conference programs. 

 

[BLACKGOLD2007]

26 minutes ago, PDB26 said:

The big stink in all of this is keeping the series with Mishawaka over an Indy program. Mishawaka is fine on the schedule if they're the third or fourth best opponent, but it's not great (being generous) if they're the second best. However, one positive is it does get the JV and freshman a better game that week since Penn has never found a way to get its younger players onto the field against the JVs from one of the better out of conference programs. 

 

If you look back into the 90's Penn's schedules were not that strong, but they had two top 5A teams on them. Valpo and BD followed by Mishawaka. The rest of the schedule was not that good. This could have at least mirrored closely those schedules with at least having Carmel an Indy school on the schedule. But, I am just an alum that rants on the internet. 

[PDB26]

1 hour ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

If you look back into the 90's Penn's schedules were not that strong, but they had two top 5A teams on them. Valpo and BD followed by Mishawaka. The rest of the schedule was not that good. This could have at least mirrored closely those schedules with at least having Carmel an Indy school on the schedule. But, I am just an alum that rants on the internet. 

Right, the schedule through the '04 season is at least below average if not objectively bad by today's standards, but playing Valpo and BD was basically good enough for that time. Under Aldrich, Mishawaka had gone from occasionally tough, to pretty pathetic by the late 90's into the 2000s, so we basically only played Valpo and BD back then.

Keeping schools like Cathedral and Carmel on the schedule is the absolute minimum for helping this program be competitive.

Edited December 11, 2023 by PDB26

[BSUKingsmen]

On 12/11/2023 at 11:59 AM, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

Because Corey cares so much about conference titles, he wont do this, but you want to give your underclassmen good experiences...Have your JV play most of your NIC games....Send the Freshmen to play the rest....who cares about winning the game at this point. We want these young men to get better....well have them play the NIC varsity teams their Freshmen and Sophomore years....Keep the JV playing the JV's of Valpo and Mishawaka but, send them to play Marian and St. Joe...those are good games. Send the JV to play Riley and the Freshmen to play Washington and Adams. I am torn on sending the JV to play Elkhart as well as NP, but if the Elkhart program continues to slide, then screw it. 

pipe dreams. At that point I see the NIC kicking Penn out. 

They'll never kick Penn out due to the ticket sales they bring. I wish we would get kicked out. 

[Coach Lou]

Heard Both Elkhart and Goshen have started interviews. I know Elkhart was wanting to get a jump on everyone else who is looking for a head coach.

Elkhart has a number of teaching openings which will help.

[PDB26]

3 hours ago, BSUKingsmen said:

They'll never kick Penn out due to the ticket sales they bring. I wish we would get kicked out.

You're right. It's hard to see a scenario where Penn gets the boot from the NIC. Even trotting out the JV team against certain conference opponents is probably an improvement for the conference in the long run.

 

[SBFootballFan6]

On 12/14/2023 at 10:14 AM, Coach Lou said:

Heard Both Elkhart and Goshen have started interviews. I know Elkhart was wanting to get a jump on everyone else who is looking for a head coach.

Elkhart has a number of teaching openings which will help.

Elkharts opening never showed up on their district website, can you have a process without a posting?

[Coach Lou]

Elkhart has named Coach Curry the Defensive Coordinator this past season their new head coach.

Coach Curry is a Elkhart Grad.

[NICParentalFigure]

The appointment of Travon Curry as the head coach is a thrilling choice. Being a local hire, Curry has been a witness to both the triumphant moments and the stumbling blocks of the program over the years. I'm curious to see if student-athletes will be drawn back to Elkhart under his guidance, and how he'll boost the program with the athletes walking the halls. The most intriguing aspect will be Coach Curry's selection of his staff; it's an exciting prospect that fresh faces and new ideas may be introduced with new staff members.

[ASJCPUMA]

2024 schedules are stating to come out on John Harrell's football.  NIC is playing week3-9 conference games.

Changing up where some games have been played

St. Joe plays Marian earlier and not at the end of the season  Marian now closes with Riley  Elkhart ends the year with Adams

Riley has picked up FW Wayne

See what else comes out 

 

[Coach Lou]

I have heard that there are not many staff changes coming with Elkhart. 

Coach Curry pretty much sticking with the previous coaches.

[ASJCPUMA]

The final 3 names for the new nickname for St. Joe are:

RAMS
HUSKIES
BUFFALO

[npcougar15]

16 hours ago, ASJCPUMA said:

The final 3 names for the new nickname for St. Joe are:

RAMS
HUSKIES
BUFFALO

do any of these have any specific meaning with St. Joe? Or are they just generic names?

 

But if I had to pick one, I'd go with Buffalo. It has a ring: St. Joe Buffalo. Buffalo used to roam the area and obviously were very important to Native American Culture so it kind of plays on the old "Indian" nickname. 

Edited January 21 by npcougar15
grammar

[ASJCPUMA]

Nope.  There have been surveys with suggestions.  They brought it down to the top 20 then the final 3  They have had the students /and SJ family involved.  The favorite among those who were close to Fr. Bly is the Rams.  He had told people for years that if the Indians ever had to go it should be the Rams.  I hope not the Huskies since Hartford, Michigan which the tribe went after also, chose that one.  The only one close to the name was the Workermen after St. Joseph the Worker 

[BLACKGOLD2007]

On 1/21/2024 at 2:04 PM, ASJCPUMA said:

Nope.  There have been surveys with suggestions.  They brought it down to the top 20 then the final 3  They have had the students /and SJ family involved.  The favorite among those who were close to Fr. Bly is the Rams.  He had told people for years that if the Indians ever had to go it should be the Rams.  I hope not the Huskies since Hartford, Michigan which the tribe went after also, chose that one.  The only one close to the name was the Workermen after St. Joseph the Worker 

Change buffalo to Bison....that sounds good. 

Here come the St. Joseph Bison!...Touchdown Bison....

Kingsmen slay the Bison. 

Kingsmen slay the Huskies....sounds like pet abuse. 

[PDB26]

5 hours ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

Change buffalo to Bison....that sounds good. 

Here come the St. Joseph Bison!...Touchdown Bison....

Kingsmen slay the Bison. 

Kingsmen slay the Huskies....sounds like pet abuse. 

Buffalo is bad.

Next fall Bison would be good.

Rams even better. 

On 1/21/2024 at 2:04 PM, ASJCPUMA said:

The only one close to the name was the Workermen after St. Joseph the Worker

I might have been pulling for this one based on uniqueness. A little awkward maybe. Probably more awkward if shortened to Workers.

[WolvesOnTheProwl]

Probably off topic since it’s a football forum but when Elkhart consolidated I really thought they’d be a powerhouse in a few sports. But i just saw the boys basketball team just won their first game in late January. My question, are there any boys teams at Elkhart that are really strong?

[BLACKGOLD2007]

On 1/25/2024 at 10:24 PM, PDB26 said:

Buffalo is bad.

Next fall Bison would be good.

Rams even better. 

 

I think if they wanted to keep it Native themed Bison would be the route to go. Rams are found throughout the old testament, so for a Catholic school that makes sense. 

[Coach Lou]

For some reason we are really struggling in athletics right now. I too thought when we combined things would be much better.

[Coach Lou]

Elkhart High has an enrollment of over 3100 students and their combined football/basketball record is 4-23.

I thought combining Central and Memorial would bring about a more competitive athletic program.