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What the heck did we do to get dragged into the conversation?? Our numbers and socioeconomics (what do you call it..."true enrollment" or whatever) tend to dictate some things. But we have our process and it works for us. (I notice no mention of last Friday night outcomes....) But, carry on I guess....if I could find a Will Smith meme (Keep our/my name out your mouth lol) I would, just not enough time. lol

Kokomo, Jeff meet in Week 9 clash Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com The Kokomo Wildkats are one of 23 teams chasing an unbeaten regular season this week. The Lafayette Jeff Bronchos stand in the way. Two of the North Central Conference’s premier programs meet this Friday at Lafayette Jeff, with the Wildkats seeking at least a piece of the NCC title and the Bronchos looking to play spoiler and build more momentum going into sectional play. Class 4A No. 4 Kokomo is 6-0 in the NCC, as is 5A No. 6 Harrison, which plays winless Richmond this week. Due to the league’s rotation of opponents, the two don’t play each other this year, so they could share the title as unbeatens in conference play. Jeff, which is 5-1 in league play and 6-2 overall with losses to Indianapolis Cathedral and Harrison, is a formidable foe that has won five straight meetings with the Wildkats. It’s also a solid tune-up for sectional play. “Games like this week are fun to play in,” Kokomo coach Austin Colby said. “You don’t get meaningful game with these kinds of implications every week. Starting week 10 in the tournament, every game has massive implications that come with getting beat. So to be able to get into that mindset early and to prepare the way you are supposed to helps.” “Kokomo will be playing for a championship on Friday, and we are hoping to play the role of the spoiler,” Jeff coach Pat Shanley added. “It is great to have a game Week 9 against an extremely well-coached and senior-laden team as we prepare for the playoffs. We know that no matter the outcome of this contest, that this game and this opponent will help further prepare us for the postseason.” Kokomo has had a strong recent football tradition. The Wildkats posted three unbeaten regular seasons under Colby’s father, Brett, most recently in 2015. Two years later, they were the 5A state runner-up. Kokomo is competing in Class 4A this season for the first time. Austin returned to his alma mater in 2020 and led them to 4-4 and 8-3 seasons. “Not many coaches get that opportunity to coach back home and then to have success on top of that is very special,” Colby said. “ My dad had a lot of success here and I got to be a part of it playing and coaching for him. So to carry on the legacy has been a dream of mine all along. To be compared to his success means you are doing something right. It is also special to have him and my brother on the sidelines each Friday night.” This year’s Wildkat squad is keyed by a powerful running game - the double-tight, double-wing offense spreads the ball around to multiple backs. Junior Darrian Story has run for 774 yards, senior Keegan Name 620 and senior quarterback Evan Barker 610. They’ve combined for 28 touchdowns on the ground, running behind a line Colby says “has so much camaraderie and unselfishess as a group.” Defensively, the Wildkats are allowing eight points per game and have held six of their eight opponents below 10 points, including two shutouts. Their biggest win so far was a 14-0 victory over 6-2 Logansport in Week 3, shutting down an offense that’s scoring 34 ppg. It’s led by returning All-State linebacker Shayne Spear, as well as linebakers Jaquan East and Tracy Dowling. Up front, 6-6 Brandon Bennett leads a strong defensive line. “We have had exceptional play on the defensive side of the ball,” Colby said. “Returning seven starters on that side of the ball has helped us in understanding the expectations and how we need to execute at a high level each night and each week in order to be successful. “ Lafayette Jeff has also been a top team under Shanley, who is in his seventh season. The Bronchos posted undefeated regular seasons in 2017, 2019 and 2020 and are 57-15 under his tutelage. The Bronchos are one of the state’s top-scoring teams, tallying 45.8 ppg, led by quarterback Ethan Smith, who stepped into the starting role in Week 5 and is completing 79 percent of his passes for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns. Asa Koeppen (21-461), Abram Ritchie (19-375) and Brandon Jackson (18-247) are all weapons in the receiving game. “Ethan Smith is a true champion,” Shanley said. “Throughout the off-season, he prepared week to week as if he was going to be the starter, despite knowing that he could not play until Week 5. When Keyen (Crowder) was starting Weeks 1-4, Ethan was dialed into everything that was taking place both during practice and in-game. Because of this, he has hit the ground running within our offense. This week will be another great test for Ethan and our offense.” Northeast 8 title on the line as Eagles, Knights meet Conference championships will be decided all over the state this week, but one of the more intriguing matchups comes in the Northeast 8 Conference, where 7-1 Columbia City visits 8-0 Norwell. Both teams are 6-0 in conference play and seeking to win the trophy in a league that’s been dominated by Leo and East Noble in recent years. Columbia City is ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, Norwell No. 4 in Class 3A. “This Friday is going to be electric,” Columbia City coach Brett Fox said. “To have the last game of the season decide a conference title is a dream for any team. The atmosphere will be unreal and we will have to play a great game to come out on top.” “It's going to be a lot of fun,” Norwell coach Josh Gerber added. “Coach Fox and his staff at Columbia City have a really nice team. They have gotten better with each week. It should be a great environment Friday. That big game atmosphere should help us with big games in the tournament.” Norwell is led by a defense that’s allowed just four touchdowns all season. The Knights have posted five shutouts, including last week’s 56-0 victory at Huntington North. They had three straight shutouts of Heritage, Leo and Bellmont earlier in the season. Senior Luke Graft has five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Senior Brody Bolyn has 12.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while senior Aydan Rusu has 63 tackles and 10.5 for loss. “Our defense has been lights out,” Gerber said. “Matt Taylor, our defensive coordinator, does a great job of developing a game plan every week. We play an aggressive attacking style of defense, and our kids love it. Aydan, Luke and Brody are guys that set the tone for us with attitude and effort. We're lucky to have those guys. They want to be the best defense in the state. Hopefully, that success can continue for a while.” Norwell’s offense has been incredibly balanced, led by senior QB Lleyton Bailey, who has thrown for 722 yards. Graft, his younger brother Drew Graft, Drew Ringger and Timothy Bonjour all have at least 300 rushing yards. When Gerber took over in 2016, the Knights were coming off a 1-9 season. After a few building seasons, things began to turn in 2019 when the Knights went 5-6. They’ve since gone 10-2, 11-2 and now 8-0. A year ago, they won their first sectional since 2014. Now, they seek their first conference title since 2009. “It has taken the hard work of a lot of people,” Gerber said. “I'm biased, but I think we have the best coaching staff in the state. We have a supportive administration and community. I also get to coach a great group of kids every day. We have focused on building our feeder program in hopes of being a program that can win consistently. It hasn't been easy, but we are now starting to see the fruits of our labor. Having a lot of talent really helps too.” Columbia City is in the midst of its best season since 2010, when the Eagles went 10-2. After a week 2 loss to Delta, the Eagles rolled up back-to-back shutouts to open conference play, beating Bellmont 49-0 and Huntington North 41-0. They scored 40-plus points in their first five conference games before a 28-13 victory over Leo last week, putting them in a spot to play for the NE8 title. “I am extremely proud of how our team has played up to this point,” Fox said. “It's really fun having a different person step up each week and lead us offensively and defensively. The guys are playing for each other and really putting together a nice season.” Senior Colten Pieper leads the offense with 865 passing yards - 545 to Stratton Fuller. The Eagles are spreading the ball around on the ground, averaging 405 yards per game of total offense. Four backs - senior Justice Goree, junior James Getts, senior Ethan Sievers and senior Josh Arntz - tally between 325 and 600 yards on the ground. “Colten has done a great job of just being himself, trusting his teammates in situations, and just playing with confidence,” Fox said. “Stratton is a dangerous player and having him on our side just makes us a better team.The offensive line has been playing great with us averaging over 300 yards rushing a game. Having six guys rotating on offensive line, five of them seniors and the sixth a junior, allows us to be aggressive on offense.” Defensively, Fuller has four interceptions. Dominic Chacon leads the defense with 54 tackles, while Arntz has 48 stops and seven TFLs. South Putnam facing No. 1, then No. 1 again The Class A No. 6 South Putnam Eagles will see a No. 1 team this week - and then do it again next week. The Eagles close the regular season with a home game against 2A No. 1 Linton, which is their final tune-up before next week’s Sectional 47 opener at Class A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran, the defending state champion. “We love the challenge of playing the No. 1 team in 2A and then the No. 1 team in 1A,” Eagles coach Chuck Sorrell said. “We knew that Linton would be a tough game when we signed up to play them. We have to play physical. They are a very physical team and they have a lot of talent. Coach (Brian) Oliver does a great job of getting his teams ready to play. It will be a fun and exciting night at Wildman Stadium. Two ranked teams, both with the same goals of winning a state championship.” Linton is 8-0 and scoring 51 ppg, led by senior dual-threat QB Hunter Gennicks, who is a 1,000-yard passer and rusher this season. Oliver will be seeking his 100th career victory at the helm of the Miners this week. He has led the Miners to a state title in 2016, a state runner-up appearance in 2015 and a regional title in 2013. A year ago, the Miners went unbeaten in the regular season, then dropped a 28-27 decision to eventual 2A runner-up Evansville Mater Dei in the sectional semifinal. South Putnam comes into the game with a 7-1 mark - the lone blemish a 57-34 loss to unbeaten 3A No. 8 Owen Valley in Week 2 - and is coming off an impressive 49-20 victory at Heritage Christian, which was ranked in Class 2A. “We talked all week about going to someone else's neighborhood and being able to win the fight,” Sorrell said. “We had the best week of practice that we have had in my four years here. We talk every day about earning respect. Our goal was to get off the bus and be completely focused and ready to play.” Sophomore QB Wyatt Mullin has thrown for more than 1,100 yards, running an uptempo, no-huddle offense that is scoring 52 ppg. Senior RB Luke Switzer is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark rushing, while sophomore Wyatt Switzer and junior Drew Hill are the top receivers, both with more than 20 catches. Seniors Ethan Harcourt and Brock Heavin lead a talented offensive line. “When we installed this offense this summer, we wanted to get all of our skill players involved,” Sorrel said. “We have had multiple games where five or more players have scored touchdowns. We go into each game with the mentality that we will run power and counter with Luke Switer and Peyton Crickmore and screens to Wyatt Switzer and Drew Hill. Once that is established we are able to take a few chances down field to Zach Dorsett and Logan Tomaw.” Both teams have great football traditions. Linton has won 14 sectional and 10 regional titles in its history. South Putnam has 12 sectional and six regional titles. Both teams have a state championship trophy in the case - South Putnam’s from 1986, Linton’s from 2016. That success breeds success. “South Putnam is a football community,” Sorrel said. “Everyone that stands along the fence on Friday nights played here. Most of the kids that play for us, their families played for us. They want to win and all of our programs from first grade up through varsity win. While a lot of programs are struggling to increase the number of kids playing football, every level of football here the numbers increased.” Top 6As to face off It’s not the Final Four, but for the second time this season, the top four teams in Class 6A meet on the same weekend, as No. 1 Brownsburg travels to No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern with the Hoosier Crossroads Conference title on the line. Both teams are 8-0. Meanwhile, No. 3 Cathedral (6-1) travels to No. 2 Center Grove (7-1) in their annual Week 9 game. The teams have met annually in Week 9 since 2014, and every game but two has been decided by one score. Last year, CG won 21-6. Both have won back-to-back state titles: Center Grove in 6A, Cathedral in 5A. The Irish are back in Class 6A due to the IHSAA’s Tournament Success Factor. Tourney time The IHSAA drew the pairings for the upcoming state tournament Sunday. Classes A-4A will all begin Friday, Oct. 21 with seven and eight-team sectional fields. Classes 5A and 6A, because they have 32 teams each, will have a bye week and kick off their four-team sectional tournaments Friday, Oct. 28. Indianapolis Lutheran (Class A), Andrean (Class 2A), Indianapolis Chatard (Class 3A), Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (Class 4A) and Center Grove (Class 6A) will look to defend their titles. There will be a new champion in 5A as Indianapolis Cathedral is now in 6A. Other Week 9 games to watch 6A No. 5 Carroll (Fort Wayne) (8-0) at Fort Wayne Wayne (2-6) Lawrence Central (4-4) at 6A No. 7 Carmel (5-3) 6A No. 10 Elkhart (7-1) at 4A No. 8 New Prairie (7-1) 2A No. 8 Fort Wayne Luers (4-4) at 5A No. 1 Fort Wayne Snider (7-1) 5A No. 2 Merrillville (7-1) at Chesterton (3-5) 5A No. 5 Bloomington South (6-1) at Seymour (6-2) 5A No. 9 Valparaiso (5-3) at Lake Central (4-4) Delta (3-5) at 4A No. 1 New Palestine (8-0) 4A No. 2 Roncalli (7-1) at 4A No. 3 East Central (7-1) 4A No. 6 Evansville Reitz (8-0) at 2A No. 4 Evansville Mater Dei (6-2) Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (5-3) at Yorktown (6-2) 3A No. 1 West Lafayette (8-0) at Western (5-3) 3A No. 2 Gibson Southern (8-0) at Boonville (6-2) 3A No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard (5-3) at Cincinnati Elder 3A No. 5 Western Boone (7-1) at Lebanon (6-2) 3A No. 6 Hanover Central (8-0) at Calumet (8-0) 3A No. 7 Lawrenceburg (7-1) at South Dearborn (7-1) Southmont (6-2) at 3A No. 10 Tri-West (6-2) Lowell (5-3) at 2A No. 2 Anderan (6-2) 2A No. 3 LaVille (8-0) at Culver (5-3) 2A No. 6 Lafayette Central Catholic (6-2) at Hamilton Heights (6-2) Speedway (5-3) at 2A No. 7 Triton Central (6-2) 2A No. 9 Eastbrook (6-2) at Mississinewa (5-3) 2A No. 10 Eastside (6-2) at Angola (6-2) Rochester (7-1) at Maconaquah (6-2) Traders Point Christian (4-4) at 1A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0) 1A No.2 Adams Central (8-0) at Woodlan (4-4) 1A No. 10 Sheridan (7-1) at 1A No. 4 Carroll (Flora) (8-0)

Had a couple hours this afternoon, so I worked up sectional champions (and beyond) between 1985 (start of the all-in tournament) and 1999, that were in the bottom half of the Sagarin Ratings in their respective class at the end of that regular season. In other words, these are the teams that would not have made a tournament had the field been cut in half by Sagarin Ratings before the tournament started. Class A usually had less than 64 teams in class, which alters things a bit. There could well be a few schools I missed here, but I don't think many. Here Goes: 1985 West Vigo (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 50th of 64, Ranked 5th in Sectional 1986 Rensselaer (2A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 43nd of 64, Ranked 6th in Sectional 1987 Center Grove (5A Sectional and Regional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 33rd of 64, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1987 Northwood (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 35th of 64, Ranked 2nd in Sectional 1988 Evansville Central (5A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 34th of 64, Ranked 5th in Sectional 1988 Logansport (4A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 33rd of 64, Ranked 4th in Sectional 1988 Northwood (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 37th of 64, Ranked 2nd in Sectional 1989 Andrean (4A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 43rd of 64, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1989 Greensburg (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 47th of 64, Ranked 4th in Sectional 1989 Tri County (1A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 32nd of 57, Ranked 4th in Sectional 1990 Evansville Harrison (5A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 46th of 64, Ranked 5th in Sectional 1991 Manchester (2A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 38th of 64, Ranked 5th in Sectional 1991 South Putnam (1A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 29th of 56, Ranked 2nd in Sectional 1992 Cascade (2A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 45th of 64, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1993 Charlestown (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 40th of 64, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1994 Harrison (5A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 45th of 64, Ranked 6th in Sectional 1994 Rockville (1A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 34th of 55, Ranked 2nd in Sectional 1995 Brown County (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 36th of 64, Ranked 4th in Sectional 1995 Leo (2A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 45th of 64, Ranked 6th in Sectional 1995 Lapel (1A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 39th of 54, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1996 Charlestown (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 40th of 64, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1996 FW Luers (2A Sectional, Regional, and Semistate Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 39th of 64, Ranked 5th in Sectional 1997 Northwestern (2A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 33rd of 64, Ranked 6th in Sectional 1998 Arlington (5A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 33rd of 64, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1998 Jeffersonville (5A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 45th of 64, Ranked 6th in Sectional 1998 Yorktown (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 38th of 64, Ranked 6th in Sectional 1998 Lake Station (2A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 33rd of 64, Ranked 2nd in Sectional 1999 Muncie South (4A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 41st of 64, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1999 Mt Vernon Posey (3A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 41st of 64 Ranked 5th in Sectional 1999 Lawrenceburg (2A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 33rd of 64, Ranked 3rd in Sectional 1999 Clarksville (1A Sectional Champs), Sagarin Class Rank 35th of 62, Ranked 5th in Sectional

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/10/12/ihsaa-deaf-school-indianapolis-football-quarterback/69519331007/

Is it Friday yet?

I had cataract surgery on my left eye today, so I won't be in attendance for this game. Everything is OK but my doctor doesn't want me out in the night air so soon after surgery. I guess I'll just be a keyboard jockey Friday night.

WTF? The FBI "offered" a million bucks for evidence (that didn't exist)? https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/11/politics/steele-dossier-fbi-durham-danchenko/index.html https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/republicans-react-report-fbi-offered-steele-1m-proof-dossier-claims Republicans blast report that FBI offered Steele $1 million for proof of dossier claims by Brady Knox, Breaking News Reporter | October 12, 2022 01:20 PM Republicans expressed shock and outrage after a report emerged that the FBI offered MI6 agent Christopher Steele up to $1 million to prove his salacious allegations against former President Donald Trump in his now-discredited dossier. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) described the revelation as a "disgrace," while others said it was an absurdity unbecoming of the foremost domestic intelligence and security service. Many pointed to the incident as evidence the FBI is corrupt and must be reined in. "You can't make this stuff up. But I think it just underscores how out of touch and how political the FBI has become," Jordan said in an appearance on Fox Business, later adding the episode "further validates what we all know, which is that the FBI is purely political now, going after their political opposition." "What a disgrace," Donald Trump Jr., son of former President Donald Trump, said regarding the news. "Steele never got the money because he could not 'prove the allegations.'" "Well, duh," the House Judiciary GOP Twitter account wrote, mocking the FBI's performance. "The FBI allegedly tried to payout $1 million to corroborate reports about President Trump that Hillary Clinton’s campaign fabricated," Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tweeted. Many of the allegations in Steele's dossier have since been debunked, such as the claim the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia, which was undermined by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's 2019 report. A watchdog also found the DOJ and the FBI put forth at least 17 “significant errors and omissions” related to the FISA warrants against Trump's 2016 campaign associate Carter Page and the FBI's reliance on the discredited dossier. If Republicans win control of the House in the November midterm elections, Jordan will be poised to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee. The Ohio representative said he would use his new position to open investigations into the FBI over the Steele dossier, as well as several other recent incidents that Republicans decry as overreach.

Depends. Is the game being played north or south of the 49th parallel? 🙂

In 2 years, mine increased 33K. Rather than it being a federal thing though, in my mind, this is local politicians figuring out how to get around the 1% cap.

I tried to take a crack one-man seeding committee, using Sagarin ratings, head-to-head matchups and other criteria a ratings committee might use. I would've pulled MaxPreps ratings in but I don't have unlimited time ;). This could be a fun exercise if we put a "seeding committee" together for each class. Anyway, here goes. Class 6A Sectional 1 Crown Point (8-0, 2-0 H2H) Lafayette Jeff (6-2, no H2H but has higher Sagarin than LC) Lake Central (4-4) Portage (1-7) Sectional 2 Carroll (8-0) Penn (6-2, has H2H win vs. Elkhart) Elkhart (7-1) Warsaw (6-2, has lowest Sagarin rating) Sectional 3 HSE (8-0, H2H win vs. Fishers) Fishers (5-3, higher Sagarin than Homestead) Homestead (4-4) Northrop (1-7) Sectional 4 Westfield (5-3, 2-0 vs. sectional) Carmel (5-3, no games vs. sectional). Can split hairs between them & Westfield Zionsville (4-4, H2H win vs. Noblesville) Noblesville (2-6, 0-2 vs. sectional) Sectional 5 Brownsburg (8-0, 2-0 vs. sectional) Ben Davis (5-3, 2-1 vs. sectional) Avon (1-7, has higher Sagarin) Pike (1-7, has lower Sagarin than Avon) Sectional 6 Cathedral (6-1, highest Sagarin) Lawrence Central (4-4, 2-0 vs. sectional) Lawrence North (3-5, 1-1 vs. sectional, lost to LC) North Central (0-8) Sectional 7 Warren Central (4-4, has played 7 6A schools, highest Sagarin) Perry Meridian (3-5, win vs. Southport) Tech (1-7) Southport (0-8) Sectional 8 Center Grove (7-1, 7-0 vs. 6A teams) Franklin Central (3-5, but significantly higher Sagarin, 3 wins vs. 6A) Columbus North (4-4, but only 1-0 vs. 4A, lower Sagarin than FC) Jeffersonville (1-6) Class 5A Sectional 9 Merrillville (7-1, 3-0 vs. 5A, highest Sagarin by far) Hammond Central (6-2, H2H win vs. Morton, higher Sagarin) Munster (3-5, H2H win vs. Morton) Hammond Morton (0-8) Sectional 10 (this one is really tough, but they all play H2H and all 3 - Chesterton, LaPorte and Mich City - have identical Duneland records) Valparaiso (5-3, only team with winning record, 3-0 vs. sectional) LaPorte (2-6, 2-1 H2H vs. sectional) Michigan City (2-6, 1-2 vs. sectional) Chesterton (3-5, but 0-3 vs. sectional and 5A. Does have two 6A wins. Has higher Sagarin than LaPorte & Mich City) Sectional 11 Mishawaka (7-1). 2-0 vs. sectional Concord (3-5) 1-1 vs. sectional, H2H win vs. Goshen SB Adams (1-7). Higher Sagarin than Goshen Goshen (2-6). 0-2 vs. sectional, lower Sagarin than Adams Sectional 12 FW Snider (7-1). 2-0 vs. sectional, has win vs. North Side FW North (6-2). 1-1 vs. sectional, has H2H win vs. Dwenger FW Dwenger (5-3) Anderson (3-5) Sectional 13 Harrison (7-1). Clear-cut #1 Plainfield (3-5) Has H2H win vs. Decatur Decatur Central (3-5) H2H loss vs. Plainfield McCutcheon (2-6) Sectional 14 Whiteland (7-1). Clear-cut #1 Franklin (6-2). Higher Sagarin, good record in tough conference TH South (5-3). H2H win vs. North TH North (2-6) Sectional 15 Bloomington South (6-1). Clear-cut #1 Bloomington North (4-4) H2H win vs. East Columbus East (4-4) H2H win vs. Seymour Seymour (6-2). H2H loss vs. East, lower Sagarin Sectional 16 Castle (5-3) H2H win vs. North Evansville North (4-4). Higher Sagarin Floyd Central (3-5). Has a 5A win New Albany (2-6). 0-4 vs. 5A teams, lowest Sagarin by far Class 4A Sectional 17 New Prairie (7-1). Best record, 3-0 vs. class, H2H win vs. Lowell Hobart (5-3) 4-0 vs. sectional, H2H wins vs. Culver, Lowell, KV, Highland Lowell (5-3). 2-2 vs. sectional. Wins vs. KV, Highland Gary West (6-2). 3-1 vs. 4A teams, 2-0 vs. sectional. Wins vs. Highland, EC Kankakee Valley (4-4). 0-2 vs. sectional Culver Academy (2-6). 0-1 vs. sectional Highland (2-6). Higher Sagarain than EC East Chicago (2-6). Sectional 18 NorthWood (8-0). 3-0 vs. sectional, unbeaten Northridge (5-3). 2-1 vs. sectional, H2H wins vs. Wawasee & Plymouth. Logansport (6-2). Better record but weaker schedule than Northridge SB Riley (5-3). 1-0 vs. sectional (vs. Washington) SBSJ (2-6). Higher Sagarin Wawasee (1-7). Higher Sagarin, has a sectional win (vs. Plymouth) SB Washington (2-6). Low Sagarin Plymouth (0-8). Winless Sectional 19 Columbia City (7-1). 4-0 vs. sectional, H2H wins vs. DeKalb, NH, EN, Leo Leo (5-3). H2H win vs. Angola (also NH, EN) Angola (6-2). H2H loss vs. Leo, win vs. EN New Haven (4-4). Higher Sagarain, H2H win vs. EN & DeKalb East Noble (3-5). H2H win vs. DeKalb, 1-3 vs. sectional DeKalb (3-5). These flip if Wayne wins & DeKalb loses this weekend FW Wayne (2-6). 1-0 vs. sectional (vs. South) FW South (0-8) Sectional 20 Kokomo (8-0) Western (5-3) Higher Sagarin than Miss Mississinewa (5-3) Muncie Central (3-5). 1-1 vs. sectional Huntington North (2-6) H2H win vs. Jay County Jay County (2-6) Frankfort (1-7) Marion (0-8) Sectional 21 Roncalli (7-1). Highest Sagarin Mooresville (6-2). Lower Sagarin than Brebeuf but better record vs. good schedule. Could flip based on weekend results. 2-0 vs. 4A Brebeuf (4-3). Good Sagarin, 0-1 vs. sectional, 1-1 vs. 4A. Lebanon (6-2). No games vs. sectional, 2-0 vs. 4A Northview (5-3). Lower Sagarin than Lebanon Attucks (5-2). H2H wins vs. Shortridge & Washington Shortridge (4-4) H2H win vs. Washington Indpls. Washington (1-7) Sectional 22 New Palestine (8-0). H2H wins vs. PH, G-C, NC, MV Mt. Vernon (5-3). H2H win vs. G-C, PH, NC Greenfield-Central (5-3). H2H win vs. PH Pendleton Heights (4-4). 1-3 vs. sectional (W vs. New Castle) Beech Grove (4-4). Higher Sagarin than New Castle. Connersville (4-4). 1-0 vs. sectional (Richmond) New Castle (2-6). Higher Sagarin & better record than Conn, but worse record Richmond (0-8) Sectional 23 East Central (7-1, highest Sagarin) Martinsville (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional (BNL, Greenwood) BNL (4-4). 1 win in sectional (vs. JC). Has better record than GW despite lower Sagarin Jennings County (2-6). Higher Sagarin than SC/Shelby/Edgewood Greenwood (1-7) Tough schedule, higher Sagarin. Can flip them & JC Silver Creek (3-5) Lower Sag but better record than Shelby Shelbyville (1-7) Higher Sagarin than Edgewood Edgewood (1-7) Sectional 24 Evansville Reitz (8-0). 5-0 vs. sectional Jasper (5-3) 3-2 vs. sectional, H2H wins vs Memorial, Central, Bosse. Loss to Harrison Evansville Memorial (5-3). 3-2 vs. sectional. H2H loss to Jasper Boonville (6-2). Has not played a 4A team this year. 4th in sectional in Sagarin Evansville Harrison (2-6). H2H wins vs. Jasper, Central Evansville Bosse (1-7). H2H win vs. Centra Evansville Central (0-8) Class 3A Sectional 25 West Lafayette (8-0). 2-0 vs. sectional, has win vs. Harrison Calumet/Hanover Central (8-0). Play each other this weekend. Winner Calumet/Hanover Central (8-0). Loser Rensselaer (5-3). 1-1 vs. sectional (W vs. TL) River Forest (5-3). 1-2 vs. sectional (loss to Calumet, HC, W vs. BG) Griffith (3-5). H2H win vs. Boone Grove Boone Grove (3-5). 0-3 vs. sectional Twin Lakes (1-7) Sectional 26 Jimtown (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional. Plays a lot of larger schools Knox (5-3). 1-point loss to LaVille, tops in Sagarin West Noble (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional, Fairfield & Lakeland (7-6) Fairfield (5-3). 1-1 vs. sectional, win vs. Lakeland Lakeland (3-5). Higher in Sagarin than Marian Mishawaka Marian (2-6). Mostly 4A/5A schedule, higher than Glenn in Sag Glenn (4-4). 1-2 vs. sectional, win vs. Clay SB Clay (0-8) Sectional 27 Norwell (8-0). 2-0 vs. sectional (Bellmont, Heritage) Yorktown (6-2). Higher Sagarin, plays mostly 4A schedule Heritage (5-3). 2-1 vs. sectional (Woodlan, Belmont) Delta (3-5). Win vs. Columbia City. Plays mostly 4A schedule Woodlan (4-4). 0-1 vs. sectional. Low Sagarin (7th in sectional) FW Concordia (3-5). Plays mostly 4A/5A schedule Garrett (1-7). Decent Sagarin, 0-0 vs. sectional, 1-2 vs. 3A Bellmont (0-8) Sectional 28 Indianapolis Chatard (5-3). Highest Sagarin by far despite record Oak Hill (8-0). Higher Sagarin than TV Tippecanoe Valley (8-0). 2-0 vs. sectional (Peru, Maconaquah) Guerin Catholic (4-4). Tough schedule, 3rd in sectional in Sagarin Hamilton Heights (6-2). 1-0 vs. sectional (Northwestern) Maconaquah (6-2). 1-1 vs. sectional (W Peru, L TV) Peru (2-6). Northwestern (1-7) Sectional 29 Tri-West (6-2). 4-0 vs. sectional (WeBo, Danville, NM, Crawfordsville) Western Boone (7-1). 3-1 vs. sectional (H2H loss to TW) Speedway (5-3). 3rd in sectional in Sagarin. Danville (3-5)/North Montgomery (4-4) winner Danville/North Montgomery loser Monrovia (2-6). 0-1 vs. sectional. Higher Sagarin than CV Crawfordsville (2-6) Purdue Poly (3-5). Lower Sag than Monrovia, CV Sectional 30 Gibson Southern (8-0). Champs until knocked off Owen Valley (8-0). 1-0 vs. 4A Vincennes (4-4) Mt. Vernon (P) (4-4). Ower Sag than Vincennes Washington (2-6). H2H wins vs. Pike Central, Princeton, higher Sag West Vigo (3-5) Pike Central (1-7) Princeton (0-8) Sectional 31 Lawrenceburg (7-1)/South Dearborn (7-1) winner Lawrenceburg (7-1)/South Dearborn (7-1) loser Indian Creek (6-2). H2H win vs. Batesville Batesville (4-4). 3 wins vs. sectional (Rushville, Greensburg, FC) Centerville (6-2). Plays mostly 1A/2A schedule Franklin County (2-6). 2 wins vs. sectional Greensburg/Rushville winner (both 2-6) Greensburg/Rushville loser (both 2-6) Sectional 32 Southridge (7-1). Highest Sagarin by far Charlestown (7-1). 4-0 vs. sectional, H2H W vs. NH North Harrison (6-2). 3-1 vs. sectional Heritage Hills (4-4). 2nd in Sagarin, 0-1 vs. sectional (Southridge) Madison (4-4). Higher Sagarin than Corydon Corydon (3-5). 2-2 vs. sectional, wins vs. Scottsburg, Salem Salem (2-6) h2H win vs. Scottsburg Scottsburg (2-6) 0-4 vs. sectional Class 2A Sectional 33 LaVille (8-0). Higher Sagarin, unbeaten Andrean (6-2). Slightly lower Sagarin than LaVille Bremen (4-4). HIgher Sagarin Whiting (3-4). 1-0 vs. sectional (win vs. Wheeler) Wheeler (3-5). 1-1 vs. sectional, win vs. Noll Lake Station (3-5). 1-0 vs. sectional, win vs. Noll, lower Sag than Wheeler Hammond Noll (0-7) Sectional 34 Lafayette Catholic (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional (Seeger, BC) Rochester (7-1). Lower Sag than LCC Cass (5-3). 1-0 vs. sectional (BC) Seeger (6-2). 0-2 vs. sectional (Ls LCC, BC) Benton Central (3-5). 2-2 vs. sectional (Delphi, Seeger) Delphi (4-4). 0-1 vs. sectional Winamac (2-6) Sectional 35 Eastside (6-2). 3-0 vs. sectional (Busco, PH, CN) Churubusco (6-2). 2-1 vs. sectional, H2H loss vs. Eastside FW Luers (4-4) 3rd in sectional in Sag Central Noble (2-6). H2H win vs. PH, losses to Busco, Eastside Prairie Heights (2-6). H2H win vs. Whitko Wabash (2-6). 7th in Sagarin, H2H win vs. Manchester Manchester (1-7). H2H win vs. Whitko Whitko (0-8) Sectional 36 Alexandria (5-3). 4-0 vs. sectional (Blackford, Eastbrook, Elwood, Frankton) Eastbrook (6-2). H2H loss vs. Alex Eastern (Greentown). Behind Eastbrook in Sag Bluffton (4-4). 3rd in Sag in sectional Frankton (2-6) 2-2 vs. sectional (Elwood, H2H win vs. Tipton) Tipton (3-5). 1-1 vs. Sectional (Elwood) Blackford (1-7) Elwood (0-8) Sectional 37 Linton (8-0) Southmont (6-2). 1-0 vs. sectional (NP) Sullivan (4-4). 3-1 vs. sectional (SV, Greencastle, NK) South Vermillion (6-2). 0-1 vs. sectional (Sullivan) Cascade (4-4). 4th in sectional in Sag Greencastle (4-4)/North Knox (3-5) (GC if it beats North Putnam) North Knox (3-5)/North Putnam (3-5) (NP if it wins Friday) North Putnam/Greencastle Sectional 38 Heritage Christian (5-3). Not as good of a record, but better schedule & Sagarin. 3-0 vs. sectional Northeastern (7-1). 3-0 vs. sectional (UC, Winchester, Shenandoah) Lapel (4-4). 1-1 vs. sectional Shenandoah (4-4). 1-3 vs. sectional (losses to 3 teams ahead of them) Eastern Hancock (3-5) Winchester (3-5) - low Sagarin, but 1-1 vs. sectional (beat Union County) Union County (4-4) Ritter (1-6) Sectional 39 Scecina (7-1). Beat TC H2H Triton Central (6-2). Has highest Sagarin of field Brownstown (5-3), winning record, 3rd best Sagarin Clarksville (3-5). Sagarin substantially better than rest of field Switzerland County (4-4) Eastern (Pekin) (1-7) Manual (3-5) Very weak schedule Brown County (0-8) Sectional 40 Evansville Mater Dei (6-2). Plays 5A schedule, has very good Sagarin Perry Central (7-1). 4-0 vs. sectional (TC, FP, CC, Paoli) North Posey (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional (TC, FP) Paoli (6-2). 2-1 vs. sectional (CC, Mitchell, loss to PC) Tell City (2-6). Actually has higher Sagarin that Paoli Forest Park (1-7) Mitchell (1-7) Crawford County (0-8) Class A Sectional 41 North Judson (7-1). Good Sagarin, 2-0 vs. sectional Triton (5-3). 3-1 vs. sectional (Culver, Pioneer, SC, oss to NJ) Culver (5-3) 2-2 vs. sectional (Ws SC, Pioneer; Ls Triton, NJ) South Newton (5-3). 2-0 vs. sectional (NN, SC) Pioneer (2-6). 0-2 vs. sectional Bowman Academy (3-4) South Central (1-7) North Newton (0-7) Sectional 42 Park Tudor (5-3). 1-0 vs. sectional (TP). Good Sagarin North Vermillion (5-3). 3-0 vs sect (Covington, Attica, FC) Clinton Prairie (5-3). 1-0 vs. sectional (CC) Traders Point (4-4). Decent schedule, 0-1 vs. sectional Fountain Central (2-6). 2-1 vs. sectional (Ws Attica, Covington) Covington (3-5). Lost to Fountain Central Clinton Central (0-8). Higher sagarin than Attica Attica (0-8) Sectional 43 Carroll (Flora) (8-0). 3-0 vs. sectional West Central (7-1). 3-0 vs. sectional (Caston, TC, Frontier) Frontier (4-4). 2-1 vs. sectional (def NW H2H, TC, lost to WC) North White (5-2). 3-1 vs. sectional (Ws Taylor, Caston TC; L Frontier) Tri-Central (2-6). Close w/NW & Frontier in Sagarin. Lost to Carroll, beat Taylor Taylor (1-7) Tri-County (1-7) Caston (0-8) - if any of these three win this weekend, they jump to #6 Sectional 44 Adams Central (8-0). Clear #1 South Adams (6-2). 2nd highest Sagarin Madison-Grant (6-2). 1-0 vs. sectional (SW) Southwood (6-2) 2-0 vs. sectional (NM, Northfield) Northfield (4-4). 0-1 vs. sectional (Southwood) North Miami (3-5) Fremont (2-6) Southern Wells (0-8) - this sectional follows Sagarin Sectional 45 Sheridan (7-1). Clear #1 in Sagarin, 5-0 vs. Class A Monroe Central (5-2). Clear #2 in Sagarin, wins vs. UC, Wes-Del Hagerstown (5-3). Win vs. Union City Indiana Deaf (6-1). Can flip w/Hagerstown based on weekend results Union City (2-6). 0-2 vs. sectional, 2-3 vs. Class A Wes-Del (1-7). Win over Tindley, 1-4 vs. Class A Indianapolis Tindley (1-7). 0-4 vs. Class A Sectional 46 North Decatur (8-0). Clear-cut #1 in Sagarin. Tri (7-1). Lone loss to 3A Centerville. 5-0 vs. Class A Milan (3-5). 3-4 vs. schools in larger classes Edinburgh (4-3). Close with Milan. H2H win vs. SD South Decatur (4-4). Low Sagarin, 0-2 vs. sectional (ND, Edinburgh) Knightstown (1-6). Win over CCL Cambridge City Lincoln (0-8) Sectional 47 Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0). Clear #1 South Putnam (7-1). Clear #2. 6-1 vs. larger classes Covenant Christian (5-3). Solid schedule. #3 in Sagarin Riverton Parke (6-2). H2H win over Parke Heritage North Central (Farmersburg) 1-6. Higher Sagarin Parke Heritage (1-7). Higher Sagarin than Cloverdale Cloverdale (1-7). Lowest Sagarin. Sectional 48 Tecumseh (8-0). Highest Sagarin, 2-0 vs. sectional (SV, ND) Providence (6-1). 5-1 vs. higher classes. 2nd in Sagarin North Daviess (5-3). 1-1 vs. sectional (w/vs EG) West Washington (5-2). Better record & H2H win vs. SV Springs Valley (4-4). 1-2 vs. sectional South Spencer (4-4). Could put 4-5-6 in a blender Eastern Greene (1-7)

@Titan32 and @Titan76 in the PAC 2022 thread this week (and perhaps others, if you look hard enough...) 😂

They (Snider) also have at least a 2 year deal with Warsaw in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. I am excited for this game though. I think Carroll is somehow even better than they were last year, and the Kingsmen are getting very little respect outside the Michiana area. They're 6-2, with their 2 losses coming freaking Cathedral and St X! Those two teams ain't scrubs! And are far better opponents than anyone Carroll has faced this season. My hopes are high for a very good high school football game with this matchup! Penn's defense is the real deal and the Charger offense is lethal. Something has to give.

You're not the only one. At the minimum I thought they would pick up a 5A school. But that's coming from a fan with no inside ties to the program. They have a quality coaching staff. Maybe there is a method to their madness.

I’ve never said a team rated outside the top half of Sagarin hasn’t won a sectional. I said it’s extremely rare. Finding a couple one off examples from tournaments that have nearly 50 sectionals from 25-35 years ago furthers that point. It doesn’t justify keeping an archaic playoff format. If one guy going 100 mph survives a car crash it doesn’t justify raising the speed limit to 100 mph. I will gladly track the W-L record of this years postseason between top half Sagarin rated teams vs bottom half Sagarin teams and if history holds you won’t need a full set fingers to count the number of “upsets” that occur. And you might not even need a single finger to count the number of bottom half Sagarin rated sectional winners other than the the teams who advance by virtue of not playing a top half rated Sagarin team. There are unfortunately a few sectionals this year that feature schools who are all ranked outside the top half. Somebody has to advance in that scenario.

Honestly the only person I saw saying they could make noise in 3A was DT (rip)

This will go unnoticed by many people, especially @Komets2727 @scarab527 There are pockets of sectionals littered across the state where many and/or all the teams will be ranked outside the top half by Sagarin. Because games are played, someone eventually HAS to win. That’s the flaw with the all-in blind draw. Those teams shouldn’t be in the postseason and winning a sectional with a bunch of other teams who also shouldn’t be in the postseason isn’t justification for keeping an archaic postseason format.

Yep.

I really didnt have time to look at much of that. I did look at West Vigo in '85--Crawfordsville did the dirty work the week before beating Zionsville, 2-0. Sagarin had Zionsville ranked 18th including all classes--then West Vigo came back from 17 down in the last 10 minutes to beat Crawfordsville the following week. I did look to see if a sectional couldnt possibly have had a winner in the top half of Sagarin, I think the one Rockville won was that way, but that was the only one I recall.

Hats off to Indiana Deaf. It is a very unique experience to watch their games. Much success to them in future endeavors.

MD can be there late with a chance to win if they can create a few turnovers and be efficient in 3rd down situations. QB from MD needs to have a big game. key to week 9 for all teams….be healthy on Saturday morning.

It's going to fail by at least a 70-30 margin. No way it's going to go. Even a lot of people in the northern part of the MSD district are ardently opposed. There's a few people running for board seats on an "anti-merger" platform.

He has only caught 3 passes all year. So offense won’t be as much. Just depends if keep him at Corneback as he starts their and has 5 picks on year

The "Attempted Field Goal" was blocked, recovered by the offense, progress was stopped, not running being drove backwards, not 1 inch of forward progress, time expired, play is dead, then JC rushed the field. Led Seymour till the end of the game. when you look at them on tape, its not a typical JC team. The kids and community are buying in.Dont know how committed the school is for football. And, I "AM NOT" saying things are turned around there. They are not far from 4 and 4 instead of 2 and 6. Crews that have worked there will tell you its not business as usual.

Thanks for the heads up on Snider/Penn. I would have been shocked if the two teams didn't at least look into it. Snider signed a four year deal with East Noble.

A picture Dad Joke for today:

NCC: The Conference of Champions Is this basically the same "wing-t in a phone booth" offense that the elder Mr. Colby ran during his stint at Frankfort?

Heard he was only about 80% against Bosse. But he has improved every week so far.

We all know that Bobby Cox's balls are always bouncing. Time to neuter.

It was throwing shoulder and I agree, don't think he is 100% yet. It seems like they have been easing him back into it and hoping for progress. I guess we will find out Friday - see how he does on a big stage against MD. I would think Reitz is really hoping this is the game he shows progress as they head into sectionals. Although as we have seen, they can be just as or more dangerous with Vera at QB, it just limits their deep play ability with those WR weapons.

It came from a ref so it can’t be wrong. STATE LAW!

I agree its a whole new season in the playoffs and BOTH teams are different from games 1 and 2. (CG and Carmel played game 2) CG lost their all state running back for the season in the first quarter against Warren and the Trojan QB was making his first varsity start, yet they were able to overcome. CG is a very different from the team that opened the season against WC. BTW, I was there for their game...it wasn't quite the nail biter that you describe. While the margin wasn't huge, the WC offense struggled mightily...perhaps because of the QB play you mentioned. NEITHER team is the team that played each other in game 1. That being said, I do agree that when these two teams play, either team could come out on top...especially in the playoffs. Both teams will be ready to play. (assuming they are both sectional champs....and that's not a given)

Nope. Floyd Central should be undefeated in the HHC. They’ve had some major injuries and Bernardi was really a impactful injury. I had the chance to speak to many of their players the other night, some of them captains. A lot of them are lineman. I gave them a pretty good pep talk. I expect them to come out and handle New Albany pretty well. Hopefully it works out.

As good of a quarterback as Bryson Luter is, I think freshman Terry Walker III is even better. Over the summer, he competed in a national competition for freshman quarterbacks and finished in the top 4. Next summer I expect him to start receiving power 5 offers as he visits different camps and colleges.

finals are the catholics vs evsc all stars

Since this was asked last week, here is how 2nd place can happen, Mater Dei already clinched a share of it Outright 7-2 Mater Dei Shared 6-3 Mater Dei and 6-3 Memorial or 6-3 Mater Dei and Castle or 6-3 Mater Dei and Jasper or 6-3 Mater Dei, 6-3 Memorial, 6-3 Jasper or 6-3 Mater Dei, 6-3 Jasper, 6-3 Castle Eliminated for 2nd place race North and Vincennes

This! I watched A LOT of NFL football Sunday, and there were harder hits on QB's that didn't get called than the 2 in question. We know why it was called with Brady. Last night was not such a flagrant pandering job, so I don't understand why they even called it.

Sure sign of a loser mentality.

Was a joke ... goal posts skewed forward [inclined] and Incline Village is a real city in Nevada.

In 2018 Triton won the sectional by winning all three games on the road. It's not easy, but can be done. Although beating Judson at Liberty Field this year would be a monumental upset!

Should seed sectionals or at least top half.

I would really hope an official would never say the quality of their officiating will vary depending on how much they are paid. There is some truth to the fact you may get better officials if you pay more because the better officials can often be more choosy. But even that wouldn't be a guaranteed factor. But I'm going to give the same effort if I'm working a youth game for $40 as I would a college varsity game for $300. But if I have a choice between those two games I'm probably going to work the $300 game. If you are a middle school that only pays $40 and the schools around you pay $60, you'll probably get lesser quality officials. I think every official you talk to will say there is a wide variety of quality in officials from high school and below. The lower you go the more likely you are to find lesser quality officials. I will say there are a lot of very good officials who continue to work youth games too. With 900ish licensed officials plus whatever number we have unlicensed working youth and middle school games there is no way to make sure all of them are trained and understand the rules and do a good job. Compare that to all of D1 across the country. Most conferences have 6-8 crews of 8 officials. That means the P5 and G5 conferences probably have a combined 600 officials. And they have 10 supervisors that oversee their work and they all have staffs and position coaches that review their games and provide feedback and grades. And you go through a lot of evaluation and vetting to even get to that level. Kudos to everyone who puts in the effort every week to be the best they can be. Some don't put that effort and some that do don't have the personality or skills to be great. But they are at least willing to try.

Possibly, running clock? How long overall? Did the 12th guy actually do anything? How hungry are you?

He does... I lit him up about that call when he asked me about it! And YOU know who I am....Mr. U2 🙂 As an aside, he married Hannah (meteorologist). You do know who HER Dad is?.... Greg Sankey, SEC President. It was cool talking to him off the cuff a few times about things. Great guy, better FAMILY. But terrible call. One last thing: Is it ok to have 12 guys on defense when it's a BLOWOUT, and all you are thinking about is....Where are we going after the game? Asking for a friend.

If you figure out the answer, bottle it and sell it. I supervise travel SB tournaments in the summer. This has been an ongoing issue for some time. I feel like I’m beating my head against the wall. I see guys/gals come into officiating and in the world of travel sports it’s usually to supplement their income, as you can make decent side hustle cash. At any rate they come into it with their eye on the $300-$1200 paycheck for a weekend’s work. You can usually tell pretty quick, the guys/gals you’re talking about will be expert officials in a couple of weeks once they figure out if anyone disagrees with them, they can just “toss them”. Then as the supervisor/UIC I have to deal with it. Here’s my thing I will do absolutely anything within my power to help a young official. What I’m trying to say is there are people officiating, who like every other walk of life are only interested in the paycheck. They have no pride in what they do, their appearance (proper uniform and looking professional), their performance, or any of the things you aspire to as a normal functioning member of society. They look at the weekend as an “quick and easy” side hustle and it just shouldn’t be that easy if you’re doing a good job. I spend a great deal of time watching hand and helping young umpires. But the uncoachable ones I don’t waste any of my time on. If they do a decent job no worries, if they’re a pain in the ass, I tell my boss don’t send them to my site. And I do hold the trump card, because as hard as officials are to find, decent site directors are even harder! Bottom line what you are seeing is largely a societal issue. How’s your experience in fast food restaurants today vs what it was 10 years ago? What about just your everyday dealings with people in general? I’m nearing the end of my officiating career. I feel like I’m working harder than I ever have. Basically at 57 it requires more than it did when I was younger. I’ve worked more games this fall than I’ve worked in years. I’ve traveled a little to do JV/Frosh/MS games. Driving an hour for a JV game and a $65 paycheck isn’t exactly adding to my IRA. Spending eight Sunday evenings driving two hours round trip plus the hourish long required association meetings doesn’t exactly add 0’s to the bank account either. All the time spent studying film, studying rules, casebook, yea just time you don’t get back. Or just Friday night at a large CI school, five guys get crammed into a little room with five chairs, two folding, one pisser, one shower, five bottles of water and five little Powerade towels. This is inside a gym with countless locker rooms in it. Left home about 3:30 got home about 11:30 for 80 bucks. I’m not whining about what we get paid or how we’re treated, honestly we probably get treated better today than we ever have. But there is this growing stigma out here there officials are all of the sudden getting rich, and it’s just simply not the case. But I will tell you this, the older I get the more schools I drive by to get to schools that take care of the officials, and it’s never been about the money.

Angela Lansbury, ‘Murder She Wrote’ star, dies at 96: https://apnews.com/article/angela-lansbury-dies-0fd75fe45fe1501d02bd164ff1130d0f Truly a stage and screen icon, she will be missed. And I remember my parents absolutely loving "Murder, She Wrote". They rarely missed an episode.