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So, you go to your local school’s game Friday night. You see the officiating crew, but it’s unlikely you know anything about them. Are they good? Mid-pack? Novices thrown together for the occasion due to the shortage of officials? Here are some things to look for that observers see a lot, unfortunately. There are lots of little nuances that someone trained in officiating can spot, but you’re not going to appreciate. But here are 10 things you can notice from the sidelines, the stands, or perhaps even on TV or streaming, that will tell you whether this is a good crew that pays attention to detail or not. They are, in no particular order of priority or frequency: 1. Do the wing officials “square off” their forward progress spots? Proper technique, other than in goal line situations, is to trail the play up the sideline to the forward progress spot, and then move in perpendicular to the sideline. If that wing official’s route to the spot looks like a banana, that’s a sign of lack of attention to detail that doesn’t bode well for other calls. 2. Does the crew make timeouts look like a local officials’ association meeting? Everyone on the crew has a specific job to do during a dead ball interval. That is not the right time for the crew to all get together and chew the fat. 3. Is the sideline clean? IHSAA officials are under a very clear mandate to properly manage the sidelines. This means no coaches on the field itself at any time, except during charged or injury timeouts, and no one in the 6 ft. “restricted area” when the ball is alive. All coaches are fully aware of this. If the crew is lax in its enforcement of this directive, it’ll likely be lax in other areas as well. 4. Is the goal line covered? Goal line officiating is probably the greatest challenge for a 5-person crew. There is a complex set of mechanics associated with goal line officiating, but they all boil down to one thing: having someone on the goal line in a position to rule on a TD. It’s not easy, and it’s not always possible. But if a kid scores on an off tackle run from the 4 yd. line, and the wing official signaling the TD is at the 2, that’s a real problem. 5. Watch the two officials under the crossbar on a scoring kick (try or field goal). Are they talking to one another before the snap (they are supposed to be identifying eligible receivers and communicating that to one another)? Do they have to look at one another before signaling the kick? They shouldn’t. If the kick threatens an upright, and is above the top of the goalposts, does only the official on that side signal the kick? When both officials signal, do they do it in unison? Attention to details like these spills over into other areas of officiating. 6. Proper use of the beanbag is another such detail. Does the back judge use a beanbag to mark the spot where every punt ends, even if there’s a fair catch, or the ball is downed by the kickers? When the ball is fumbled, do the officials mark the spot of the fumble with a beanbag? Do they refrain from using the bag for marking the spot of a fumble behind the LOS? If a kick was “first touched,” did they mark that spot? 7. What happens during penalty enforcements? All 5 crew members have specific duties during the administration of penalties. Are all the officials moving with purpose? Or is administration left to the Referee and Umpire, while the other 3 crew members just sort of wander around? 8. Does the crew hustle? I see a lot of walking around some Friday nights. That sort of body language can be interpreted as lack of engagement, which can be fatal to your credibility. Good officials avoid it like the plague. 9. How many whistles blow at the end of the play? On most plays, two are plenty. One is better. Too many whistles means too many officials watching the ball … and not paying attention to other responsibilities. 10. How does the crew handle the ball? Proficient crews use well-established ball handling procedures designed to get the ball back in play as efficiently as possible. It’s done with a minimum of delay, and the ball doesn’t spend any time on the ground. Realistically, you cannot evaluate the crew’s performance in many areas without formal training and a better vantage point. But these 10 things to watch for will give you a pretty good idea of what you’re dealing with as a crew.

There’s Gonzos telling everyone what to post again. I think he misses arguing with D Tees, I swear to God he does

Jets, Starfires to meet in annual Adams County war Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com To find some of the best small-school football in Indiana, look no further than Adams County. Since 2011, the Adams Central Flying Jets and South Adams Starfires have each won six sectional titles. Each has been a state runner-up in the last couple of years - Adams Central advancing to Lucas Oil Stadium, South Adams in 2020. Both are mainstays in the Class A polls, and their regular-season meeting frequently decides the Allen County Athletic Conference title. This week, the two schools again meet on the gridiron at South Adams. Adams Central (5-0) is ranked No. 2 in the Class A IFCA poll, while South Adams (4-1) is No. 5. “It is the best small school rivalry in the state,” South Adams coach Grant Moser said. “The ACAC conference (title) has gone through one of us since 2016. Both teams have small tight-knit communities that love their football programs and show up in droves to support. It is an incredible atmosphere to be able to witness.” The familiarity makes for a great game. It’s 9.6 miles from Adams Central’s campus in Monroe to South Adams in Berne. “It's a big game for both teams,” Adams Central coach Michael Mosser said. “We know each other well. I think it's neat that both programs have had a lot of success which makes the game even more special. The game is always hard-fought - neither team has really been able to dominate the other. AC does have more wins; however, games are usually very close. It is rare that one will dominate the other. This year could see a lot of the same.” A year ago, Adams Central won both meetings - 48-7 in the regular season and 41-0 in the regional. In 2020, South Adams won a 29-9 decision in the regular season. Led by quarterback Ryan Black, Adams Central posted a 25-21 victory over Eastside - a 2A semistate team from a year ago - and has scored 40-plus points each in consecutive wins over Covenant Christian, Jay County and Heritage in the last three weeks. This year’s success is building on a recent history. The Flying Jets are 118-47 in Mosser’s 14 years in Monroe. “I think the reason for our success is the tradition that we have,” Mosser said. “We have a system and a culture that kids believe in. I think this helps us be successful. Kids love playing football at Adams Central. Last year's success is definitely part of it but it really goes deeper than last season. It's built into the kids and lasted long before me.” The same takes place at South Adams, where the Starfares are 62-26 in Moser’s eight years. “We have total buy-in from players, parents and administration along with great community support,” Moser said. “Our kids have set the culture and now know what it takes to be successful.” South Adams won its first three games before falling 28-27 to Heritage in Week 4. The Starfires bounced back with a 35-19 victory over Monroe Central - another team that has spent time in the Top 10 this season - last week. Quarterback Owen Wanner has thrown for 1,046 yards and 12 TDs to lead South Adams. Maverick Summersett is averaging 6.4 yards per carry on the ground. “Wanner is a good passer and runner. We will need to contain him and not let him pass or run all over the field,” Adams Central’s Mosser said. “Offensively we must be able to run the ball. They have always made that hard on us. They like shifting around a lot and blitzing.” Adams Central’s run game, led by Keehan Blum, will be keyed on as well. “They are the favorites in the 1A north once again,” South Adams’ Moser said of the Jets. “We will need to play mistake free football and find some way to slow down their run game.” Sheridan joins the 700 club When one thinks of small-school success in Indiana, the Sheridan Blackhawks have long been the gold standard. The program reached another milestone last Friday with a 42-0 victory at Clinton Prairie, winning its 700th game all-time. Sheridan, which has been playing football since 1898, is the third program in the state to reach the 700-win mark. Indianapolis Cathedral (771) and Evansville Reitz (721) are the only two with more victories. Mishawaka (665) and Hobart (652) are the next-closest to 700. Head coach Larry “Bud” Wright was a part of 24 of those wins as a player from 1955-58. After graduating from Sheridan and Ball State, he returned to his alma mater in 1966 as the head coach after one year at Mt. Ayr High School - which is now part of North Newton. He has been the head coach for 439 of those victories since then. Wright has led the Blackhawks to nine state championships - the first coming in 1980, the latest in 2007. “The first thing is it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to what you’re doing,” Wright told Hoosierland TV after the milestone win. “In the younger days, I went to probably 15 to 20 clinics every year, listened to the best speakers I could, took things from everybody and started putting things together. The pieces started fitting together. “You also have to have a lot of good people around you. I have been blessed down through the years to have some excellent assistant coaches and fine athletes”. This year’s squad is currently unranked in Class A - it’s receiving votes in the AP poll - but is 4-1 and outscoring opponents by an average score of 40-11. After a Week 1 loss to Western Boone - a Top 10 3A team - the Blackhawks have rolled off four straight lopsided wins. This year’s team features a powerful running game led by senior Peyton Cross, who has 729 yards and eight touchdowns, and junior Zach Bales, who has tallied 429 yards and seven scores. Both average more than 10 yards per carry. Sheridan will go for win 701 this week at home against Taylor in a non-conference game. ICC lead up for grabs as No. 1, No. 2 meet The lead in the Indiana Crossroads Conference is up for grabs this week as 1A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran meets 2A No. 2 Indianapolis Scecina. The game will be played at Roncalli. Both teams are 5-0 to start the year. “The Lutheran game is very big in it positions the winner to win the conference, which is always a goal,” Scecina coach Ott Hurrle said. “This game will help us get a better understanding of where we are in regards to tournament play.” Lutheran, the defending Class A state champion, is averaging 53 points per game. The Saints’ offense is led by sophomore quarterback Jackson Willis, who leads the state with 1,639 passing yards. He thew for 385 in last week’s 50-12 victory over Cascade and has a season-high of 417 in a 54-41 Week 3 win over Triton Central. Willis has more than capably filled the shoes of now-graduated Montasi Clay, who accounted for 4,579 yards of total offense and 65 touchdowns a year ago and is now at Marian University. Micah MacKay has 640 receiving yards and ranks fourth in the state. The Saints have been a perennial Class A power under coach Dave Pasch, winning seven sectionals, six regionals, two semistates and a state title since 2014. They have won 20 consecutive games dating back to 2021. Scecina has been a defensive stalwart so far through five weeks, posting two shuouts and allowing five touchdowns in five games. The Crusaders are building off a strong season in which they went 10-4 and won a regional. They’ve already avenged two of their regular-season losses from last year, beating Speedway 28-7 in Week 2 and Heritage Christian 27-13 last week. A victory this week would avenge the third. “Senior leadership during the off season in getting players to buy in and be at workouts during the summer,” Hurrle said of a key to the Crusaders’ success this season. “Our defense has played very well and has allowed our offense to come along and its getting better.” Hurrle is in his 31st year at the helm of the Crusaders. He has led them to two state titles in 1990 and 1991. Senior Mason Beriault leads the Crusaders’ defense with 48 tackles, while Tamir Woods has 43 stops and 13 tackles for loss. Defensive tackle Adam Young, another senior, has 11 TFLs. Hurrle also has cited the play of linebacker Calvin Connor, defensive end Jaylen Long and linebacker Keaton Thibo, all seniors, as leaders on defense. Offensively, running back Brandon Fitts-Ramsey has 531 rushing yards, leading a balanced attack. Cougars into the Top 10 After knocking on the door at the end of last season, Greenfield-Central’s Cougars have spent much of the season in the IFCA Class 4A Top 10. The Cougars went 7-4 last season - their third winning season since 2002 - and have started this season 4-1, with the only blemish a 35-28 defeat to defending 4A champion Mt. Vernon. G-C travels to 4A No. 1 New Palestine this week. The Cougars have slowly built from going winless in 2018, the year before coach Travis Nolting took over, to two wins, then three, then seven. Now, they're in the Top 10 for the first time since 2002 and spending multiple weeks there for the first time since the program's heyday in the 1970s - when they won the first Class 2A state title in 1973 and were runners-up two years later. “Four years ago, we established a direction for where we wanted to go as a program. We have committed to that direction and will continue to commit to it,” Nolting said. “Consistency has been a large piece of that direction. I have always believed that program consistency yields the best results. Our seniors have now been in our program for four years and have bought in. I can't say enough about the hard work they have put in over the past four years making Greenfield football relevant once again.” That direction has featured the wishbone offense - a patient, powerful running game that spreads the ball around. It currently features senior fullback Andrew Zellers, who has 655 yards and averages 7.1 yards per carry. Fellow senior Brayden Herrell has tallied 473 yards and 8.0 yards per carry. The Cougars are averaging 348 yards per game on the ground. They rushed for 400 yards in a 35-0 victory over Pendleton Heights Week 4 and 377 yards last week in a 54-7 victory at Shelbyville. Defensively, G-C is allowing 198 yards per game and has shut out two foes - Greensburg and Pendleton Heights. The group is led by senior defensive end Brad Allen, who has four sacks and 11 tackles for loss, as well as junior linebacker Jake Hinton, who has 59 tackles. The Cougars have forced 17 takeaways, led by Kirk Knecht’s four interceptions. This week features a road trip to county and Hoosier Heritage Conference rival New Palestine, with first place in the league on the line. “New Pal is very good. Coach (Kyle) Ralph is one of the best in the state,” Nolting said. “His teams are always well coached and very prepared to play. There are multiple Div. 1 athletes on the field for New Pal which makes them even more dangerous. “In order for us to be successful on Friday Night, we can't make mistakes or turn the ball over and have to battle in the trenches all night.” Other games of note 6A No. 9 Westfield (3-2) at 6A No. 1 Brownsburg (5-0) 6A No. 10 Lawrence Central (3-2) at 6A No. 2 Center Grove (4-1) Zionsville (4-1) at 6A No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern (5-0) Lawrence North (2-3) at 6A No. 5 Ben Davis (3-2) 5A No. 1 Whiteland (5-0) at Martinsville (4-1) 5A No. 2 Mishawaka (5-0) at Warsaw (4-1) Crown Point (5-0) at 5A No. 5 Valparaiso (4-1) 5A No. 6 Castle (4-1) at 4A No. 9 Evansville Reitz (5-0) 5A No. 8 Harrison (4-1) at Lafayette Jeff (4-1) 4A No. 2 Roncalli (5-0) at No. 8 Brebeuf Jesuit (3-1) Franklin (3-2) at 4A No. 3 Mooresville (5-0) 4A No. 5 East Central (4-1) at South Dearborn (5-0) Benton Central (3-2) at 3A No. 1 West Lafayette (5-0) 3A No. 9 Guerin Catholic (3-2) at 3A No. 2 Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (3-2) 3A No. 3 Gibson Southern (5-0) at Heritage Hills (3-2) 3A No. 4 Tri-West (4-1) at Lebanon (3-2) 3A No. 5 Norwell (5-0) at East Noble (3-2) 2A No. 1 Linton (5-0) at North Daviess (4-1) 2A No. 3 Andrean (3-2) at Hobart (3-2) 2A No. 4 LaVille (5-0) at Knox (3-2) Rensselaer (3-2) at 2A No. 9 Lafayette Catholic (3-2)

That's why I'm staying home. I haven't missed a game, by my own choosing, since 2017, but too many miles for this one. I also hope to get a live stream or at least a radio feed from this "game." I'll be back for the last three games. BTW, for those who care, I had my annual cardiologist appointment Tuesday, and my heart is still pumping blood as it should. I had congestive heart failure in 2000 and I have had a great cardiologist since, Dr. Dennis Dickos at St. Vincent.

Here's MY response!

Typically, I'm looking for that open bar at a wedding ... except for my daughter's upcoming one since I know how her friends drink and I'm on the hook. My wife's family is Southern Baptist which means the strongest thing to drink at our wedding was sweet tea with a lemon in it.

Looking like a cool 65 degree kickoff. Maybe some s’mores for tailgating.

I watch crews for many of these things every game. I’m almost 40 now, but officiated from when I got out of the Marine Corps (age 24) until I got a job that prevented it on Fridays (age 30). I still miss it and keep telling myself when my youngest (10) is out of high school I’m getting back in to it.

I’m not mad but if you try bossin me around I’ll rip out your karate artery

Come on Gonzos it’s only 3 seasons and look who beat them. The 3A Holy Trinity. They’re in the conversation every year. Not much of a fall

You can’t have a conversation about 3A without mentioning West Lafayettes. STATE LAW

Spot on with your assessment. But man, you would have had a blast at my sister's wedding talking like that. 🙂

It's the nostalgia of the Short Stop for me. Too many memories of grandpa taking me there as a youngster.

Sonofa biscuit eater. I'm always late to the fun stuff.

Dats a lotta 🌽 My role at GS includes ensuring the area just north of the end zone is adequately ballasted by my a** in playoff games held during hurricane season so the turf doesn't fly away. And though I commute to Illinois for work, I live in Haubstadt purely for the convenience of being able to stumble home from Sommerfest every year. The only trick is figuring out which direction to go from the beer garden to find my way... Is it a right just past the lemon shake up stand? Or is it left after the walking tacos? They keep moving these damn things. I am a minority owner of the internet. Our corporate distributions are Handsome, with a capital H. Mostly ad revenue from p*rn sites and cat videos, oddly enough. ^^^THIS is nothing positive added, so feel free to call me out on it. Tho, it may be a waste of keystrokes for you. 😉

Lol. The literal idea of this thread is about potential new schools and/or new programs. Why wouldn't a school with a rapidly growing enrollment have the potential to start a football program?? Eat a Snickers man, geez.

So - according to NBC, Immigrants = Trash.......(Crickets on the left)

Dang Catholics! Lord, I apologize for that there.

Perhaps Tippy Valley can give Chatard or Guerin a run at it this year since they are shipped all the way down to WL old sectional which the Catholic/Jesuit trio of Chatard, Brebuef and Guerin have been the cause for no sectionals for RDP since 2018, as they cruise back up north to the 219 for post season play they should find comfort of no Andrean or other catholic powerhouse in that sectional. Hanover Central off to another great start, very good players they have under Coach Parker also should be thought of highly in Sectional 25. beat me to it

Faith Christian has a very good Golf program already, just wanted to add that.

And if they don’t? Only 56?

No.

You’re right! It would’ve been better for us if you were in sectional 32 in 2020. That might’ve moved Southridge back to sectional 31. Brady and the Titans would’ve tasted November football year earlier.

I hug a D lineman every week after the game. Hopefully the coaches smell better.

Sorry. Sometimes it’s hard keeping track of all the memorial fans on here lol on your note here…idk….feels like something warranted. Memorial has a large fan base and big crowds. This just seems like a disrespectful move. i mean I usually argue with you guys…but the fact that they are trying to do this below the belt crap would make me mad if my favorite team had an agreement on sharing a venue with another. just ridiculous to me

Plus it’s pretty obvious that this is an issue between one school who doesn’t care about football at all, and one that may care to much . That’s the funny part. Tell me you know ZERO about the issue without saying you know ZERO about the issue. It’s simple…..stick to the agreement and don’t make changes on the go. There’s more to it. Now they are wanting to deny Memorial the use of live hudl during the game.

The FBI has found more evidence against Trump, They found out Trump colored outside the lines when he was in Kindergarten. The DOJ said no one is above coloring outside the lines. Well that surely will do him in now.......Jeez.....

Spot on with everything. Northfield and Wabash will be close for a half. Coach Shaffer has been preaching to his guys to not take the Peru Tigers lightly. We'll see if they have listened to his message. I wonder if Valley's scoreboard can show triple digits. Might just find out tomorrow night 😉

“So I assume the ACLU decided to file the lawsuit in Owen County because they thought that Ms. Hanlon would be more sympathetic to issuing such a preliminary injunction, than if they say filed the lawsuit in Marion County or Allen County?” The case was actually filed in Monroe County. Judge Owen was assigned the case under Indiana’s procedure that allows parties to obtain a different judge than the regular sitting judge under certain circumstances. Either the parties agreed to Judge Hanlon, or she was selected under a more or less random procedure. She was not sought out by the Plaintiffs.

Sounds like the high schools are following in Notre Dame’s footsteps.

Was that The Ice Bowl on the frozen tundra of Lawrence North?

Stevie Nicks is such a badass she wrote an entire album about how her ex sucked, then made her ex play the music and sing about it.

I'll give him some credit - this is about as long as he's been on vacation without begging to be allowed back.

Bold prediction this week: 5 SIAC teams will have a win this week

Even Three times!

Lol. The Fishers High School football team exists because of the new Fishers High School. Period. Citing Fishers practicing in the summer before the official start date of class isn’t the “got ya” you think it is.

2025 - those guys are all sophomores, so they're just now seeing the field. They've lost three games - by nine to Center Grove, by two touchdowns to a very good Ben Davis squad and by 12 to a very improved Lawrence Central team. I think more just shows the MIC is a meat-grinder. WC may be (and probably is) one of the top 7-8 teams in 6A but you can be a top team in 6A and still be in the lower half of the MIC because of the difficulty of the conference.

SW Indiana gets plenty of talk the way it is on here. It’s nice reading up on multiple other programs from all around i wouldn’t worry about trying to feature anything in particular…you’re doing great the way it is

I have it on background that GS has been actively recruiting out of state for a new QB1. He probably won't be ready this week, but should be by the time we hit the Mt Vernon/Princeton/Boonville home stretch. The hope is that those three games will get him familiar with the offensive scheme by the time sectionals roll around. Word is that he's not quite the speedy running QB that GS historically has had, but Coach Hart really wanted to get back to that pocket passer type of guy since we had some success with it last couple of years. I did hear something about possibly having some eligibility issues, but I'm sure the GS admin can get that sorted out. #ThinkFastRunFast #FastChad #Homeschooled

I don’t think laville will be tested till the Judson game . I think they will roll over Knox and probably won’t face a real good passing team till sectionals ……. That being said Triton did push them in the first half and they answered the bell with flying colors! That’s what good teams do .

There are some days I wish Memorial was still playing 3A. And there are some days I REALLY WISH Memorial was playing 3A. lol

When the Northern State Conference split up, Bremen, Glenn and Jimtown should have grabbed up Valley, Rochester and Fairfield to form a new conference. It would have been a very solid northern Indiana football conference! They could have also pulled in Mishawaka Marian and Culver Academies to make it an 8 school conference if you don't mind the private schools in there. It's not too late!! Someone make it happen! 😃

The confusion arises because (1) field goal attempts are not all that common … especially in JV games, and (2) under the NF code, a kick try fails and the play is dead when the kick is blocked. That’s why varsity crews remind one another before a field goal attempt that “the ball remains alive.” Not an excuse, just an explanation.

LOL. You think? You saying Linton (who has lost to MD 4 straight years with very solid teams (3 games at home)) could win handily over MD is bolder than me saying Harrison would beat Boonville by 2 scores... But maybe we'll get to see if Linton can end the losing streak to MD this year. They would meet for a trip to LOS, so it would be a great environment at either place. Time will tell if my thoughts about Boonville are off base or not. Believe me there's nothing I'd rather see than them knocking off Reitz or Jasper this year.

Great album.

This feels like a late winter/early spring thread. Everyone is getting antsy from being cooped up all winter, HS football has been over for months, the state championship games are all talked out, DT has seven parallel contraction threads and is on his ninth "Screw you guys, I'm going home" tour (Eric Cartman voice), and there is absolutely nothing else to talk about. I kid, I kid. But yeah, can't imagine any truth to this. I have zero insight, but it just doesn't make sense.

Sagarin #2 vs Sagarin #243... Is this the biggest discrepancy in rankings for a non-conference game ever?

Pujols has 698... Just saying.

Is there a possibility they declined the penalty to get the ball? Possibly the WH didn’t know/offer loss of down aspect? MS games are a good place for young officials learning or trying new positions.