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Honestly I could give two shits about visors and covered knees. None of us want to be the uniform police. More to the point the same person who harps on this crap hand picks these crews. So the question begs to be asked what’s really important? I get it’s the championship game, and it’s about the play on the field……at what point are we to ignore these rules, sectional, regional, SS, or is it only at the finals?

You may not be perfect and us parents are sure willing to let you know when we disagree with you but without your time and dedication, none of these young men would get to live out their dreams each and every Friday night. For that I want to thank all of you sincerely.

I had the benefit of being able to buy at the gate during games on Friday for Saturday's games, saving the extra $7. If the IHSAA wanted to charge $20 a ticket and they get all the money I'm all in. As much as they may frustrate many of us the IHSAA does a great job. Not a fan of paying a 3rd party that much. I hope they are looking for a different option.

Agreed - it has to be a tough and often thankless job. I have noticed over the last few years, there have been many youth/MS games where we have wondered if a referee crew would show up, but there never has been a shortage of dads wearing team polos on the sidelines.

My HL, who is no longer on my crew, was getting chewed on by a coach and finally replied, "Coach, I really think you should worry about your coaching and let me worry about the officiating because we are definitely not the reason you guys are down 35-0." I told him he shouldn't have said that, then proceeded to laugh to myself because I definitely have thought it a time or two. 😄

Would love to see Chuck Freeby of WHME (South Bend) do one of these games. That dude is a pro as far as I’m concerned.

I just love that your argument is basically "35-50% of kids in public school are turds, therefore, the kids that are not turds cant compete."

As mentioned, Lburg graduated an "incredibly talented QB/receiver duo just last year". Yoon, the QB part of that duo threw for 9115 yards and 95 TD's over his HS career so there are playbooks in the coaching office that have a few pass plays in them. I also like mentioning that Yoon ran for 3649 yards and 51 TD's because those are nice complimentary numbers for a throwing QB at any level. I thought LBurg may try and pass the ball more this year but the Tigers were looking at a new starting QB, a completely new offense, majority of the O-line as first year starters....they didn't know what they had on offense. We already knew RB Bennett was good but he missed games earlier in the season with an injury so I'm guessing the coaching staff was just trying to win games. RB Witte really didn't start running the ball outside of some wildcat short yardage situations until the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs. As far as run heavy, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" I guess. The run heavy game plans got the Tigers to the state finals and after three quarters, they were still sniffing at a championship. If anyone didn't notice, Chatard has a damn good football with gamers and playmakers that, for those first six minutes of the fourth quarter, made championship winning plays. RB Bennett is back next year so LBurg will still be run first. QB Ahaus has no problem with arm strength and it looks like there's WR talent available for next year so with a year a varsity experience under his belt, I think LBurg will throw the ball more next year. I know South Dearborn, Batesville, and others will have something to say about it, but LBurg would love to battle Heritage Hills, Southridge, and/or Gibson Southern again for a chance to win those blue ribbons next year.

Just because you are good doesn't mean you aren't at a disadvantage. I would estimate GS at as high as 35% noneffective enrollment (guessing NP is similar)....I admit that data isn't very scientific (based on a poll of my 4 kids), but having this number exact doesn't really matter for the purposes of this conversation, the phenomena is real and catastrophically effects Indiana football and football across the country. Again, this is why about half the states in the union have a multiplier. I don't like the idea of putting privates in their own playoffs like many states have done....just need to get them on an even playing field.

Congrats again. Not often do we see our Jets get beat at the line of scrimmage like that. I had a bad feeling the replacement(s) due to injuries in our secondary would get picked on and they did. Sometimes it's good to get humbled like we did. No offense to our players & coaches as I'm proud of all them and glad they're on our team. Just acknowledging that sometimes there is someone who does it better occasionally.

Could not have said it better.

I didn't get to watch the Lawrenceburg game but was in attendance for the MD game. I know it was a 10 point spread but it wasn't really competitive.

When I said "monitor" I was referring to the current SF system which provides an automatic passive "monitoring" in the sense that, if teams are cutting it, then they stay up and, if they aren't they drop back down. In that situation, all teams have the same application. I don't see segregation as a perfect solution. I think SF is a step in the right direction to making a system that doesn't need to look at classifications like p/p or public and instead focuses on success. The issue with SF, in its current incarnation, is that the cycle is too short and that ends up 1) focusing on short-term activity rather than a longer-term implication, 2) provides yo-yoing which gives the appearance of not working, 3) realistically, and this is tied to item 1, tends to impose penalties on future teams for current team success as opposed to focusing on a program's overall success. Also, you can add in the "invisible hand" of the IHSAA in doing things like, when Chatard bumps up, sticking them in a head-to-head sectional with Roncalli in an attempt to limit p/p advancements out of sections. Guess what that does? That sends Chatard back to 3A in two-years' time. Put them in a different sectional and ... perhaps ... Chatard spends more time in 4A. Look, if there are advantages of p/p programs, why not develop a system that naturally sifts those advantages as opposed to artificially applying a bandage or gun-to-the-head solution? A longer cycle window moves teams up based on actual program success rather than just temporary success. It also keeps teams from moving up prematurely too. There was already a step in the right direction by reducing the stay-up requirement from 4 points to 2 points. The next step in the right direction is lengthening the cycle. Ultimately, this then starts putting the focus on where it should be ... on the teams' performance as opposed to paper statistics like median income and perceived homogeneity of student body. This would also apply regardless of p/p or public. There are communities and districts in the state that have a public label, but for all intents and purposes have it better than some p/p programs. Those schools should also being playing up as well; but based on their performance, not just because their FRL lunch program is less than 15% or all of their students are kids of corporate CEOs or university faculty.

From that Indy Star article concerning attendance:

There is no medical exemption

If you go to Store and then Donations and then click on the "Donate toward this goal" under the progress bar. If I could make a general suggestion to the leadership folks, I think putting a small "Donate" button in the header, it would benefit the site.

Great coverage here that will be memorialized for these kids!

CONGRATULATIONS TO @LC_Bears_04 on Winning the 2022 Hoosier Conference Pick 'Em! @Coach Nowlin will probably buy you a WAGONMASTER next trip to Rensselaer! HOOSIER CONFERENCE PICK EM STANDINGS Total W L LC_Bears_04 324 126 foxbat 321 129 Donnie Baker 315 135 Fballfan15 304 146 snoot 302 148 gonzoron 301 149 Mongo 300 150 Mod22 298 152 Ballhawk 295 155 nmsu_aggie 286 161 dcjjones 270 180 CoachDurham 270 180 FarmerFran 261 189 WCGrad92 260 190 Muda69 240 210 Skeeterman 211 239 CoachSnyder 200 250 Sailors 166 284 Caleb23 80 370 dazed and confused 57 393 Bears62 22 428 Obi-Wan 19 431 sbriant20 18 432 Boilernation 15 435 CoachDale 12 438

LOL....you clearly haven't seen Lawrenceburg much in the past couple years - they could throw it around the lot and were quite good at it. Good coaches coach to their players strength - L-Burg knew where their bread was buttered this year and made it to Lucas.

I’d like to see the line items on the “anal budget” first.😉

Welcome back!

Congrats on the win!

I never heard but the GID needs about $640 to reach its anal budget

Well MD comes in at 6 on this list and you know what? Who cares! State Champs baby!! I’ll gladly take #6 on this list! Go Cats!

What a great weekend I swear to God it was. Now everyone chip in so the GID can reach its anal budget from donations. About $640 to go

About $640 needed to complete this year’s budget.

I do not personally know Chuck, never met him, but do know about him, and would be surprised to hear that he has such an attitude about the situation. Also, I find it surprising that the IHSAA is allowing someone (purporting to be "in the know") to engage in such opinionated banter about IHSAA policies/decisions, etc.

Mishawaka moved up ... about a decade or so ago? Back in the day, a long ways back, Mishawaka Marian petitioned the IHSAA to move up a couple of classes, from 1A to 3A, but was only granted a one class move up at the time. They eventually ended up in 3A. Scecina also won a couple state titles in 2A back in the early 1990s and then enrollment numbers dropped and they would have moved down to 1A; but they opted to stay in 2A for a while. Eventually moved back down to 1A on enrollment ... ended up being SF'd in the 2013 season and having enrollment go up again enough to keep them in 2A via enrollment.

Golden anniversary State Finals set to kick off Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com Lucas Oil Stadium will host the golden anniversary IHSAA football State Finals this weekend, It features an intriguing mix of blue bloods and newcomers to downtown Indy. This year’s field features two rematches from last year’s State Finals, a Center Grove team going for a three-peat in 6A, and an Indianapolis Chatard team seeking its 16th state title in 3A, and two newcomers to the State Finals in Whiteland and Carroll (Fort Wayne). It also features three unbeaten teams in Carroll and 1A finalists Indianapolis Lutheran and Adams Central. Class 6A: (5) Carroll (13-0) vs. (3) Center Grove (11-2), 7 p.m. Friday This matchup features one of the state’s premier programs in Center Grove against a Carroll squad that is making its first State Finals appearance. CG is in the State Finals for the fourth consecutive year, seeking its third straight title, which would be a 6A record. The Trojans are familiar visitors to Lucas Oil Stadium, as this is their sixth State Finals appearance in the last eight years and ninth since 2000. The Trojans feature the state’s seventh-leading rusher in Micah Coyle, who has tallied 1,941 yards and 21 TDs. Jalen Thomeson moved from defense to offense this season and is nearing the 1,000 yard mark himself. Noah Coy has 1,081 receiving yards, as Tyler Cherry has thrown for 2,124 yards. It all adds up to a squad that is scoring nearly 36 points per game and tallying 412 yards per game. Last week, CG avenged a regular-season loss to Cathedral with a 33-10 victory. The Trojans surrendered the first 10 points and then took over, with Coyle running for 218 yards and four TDs. Carroll also rallied last week to earn its first State Finals berth, trailing 12-7 after a quarter but scoring TDs in the second and third quarters to go up by two scores in an eventual 21-15 victory over Hamilton Southeastern. The Chargers were outgained 295-186 in the game, but got big plays on defense and in the kicking game with an INT and a blocked punt setting up short fields. Jayden Hill had a 69-yard catch to set up a TD, while Braden Steely ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers won a 21-20 game with Lafayette Jeff in the regional - the program’s first regional title - after trailing 20-7 at halftime. That came after sweeping Penn and Warsaw in the sectional and going unbeaten through the tough Summit Athletic Conference. Sophomore Nate Starks leads the Chargers’ rushing game with 1,127 yards, while sophomore QB Jimmy Sullivan has thrown for 2,203 yards - 737 to Camden Herschberger. Carroll’s defense has held teams to 9.8 ppg and 223.7 yards per contest this season for 13th-year coach Doug Dinan. Class 5A: (9) Valparaiso (10-3) vs. (2) Whiteland (12-1), 7 p.m. Saturday One of the many intriguing matchups this weekend features Valparaiso and Whiteland. The Vikings advanced with two close wins in the regional and semistate to make their second State Finals appearance in four years, while Whiteland is making its State Finals debut. Valparaiso went 6-3 in the regular season, but got on a roll in tournament play, winning multiple close games. The Vikings defeated arch-rival Chesterton 14-7 in the sectional final, then avenged a regular-season loss to Merrillville with a 15-14 victory in the regional. Last week, Vikings quarterback Justin Clark eluded pressure and scrambled for a touchdown on fourth down in overtime, then the Vikings went for the win and converted to defeat No. 1 Fort Wayne Snider 22-21. Travis Davis scored the second of his two TDs in the fourth quarter to tie the game and send it to OT. He ran for 277 yards in the contest. Valpo’s defense has carried the Vikings throughout the year, pitching two shutouts and holding 10 opponents to 14 points or less in regulation. It’s led by Alex Rodriquez (82 tackles), Ty Veen (10 TFL) and Tyler VerSchure (7 INT). Clark leads the Vikings in rushing with 950 yards. He’s thrown for 885 as a dual-threat QB. The Vikings’ run-heavy attack averages 243 yards per game on the growund. Davis has run for 863 yards, Thomas Burda 769. Whiteland also has a powerful running game, led by Peyton Emberton, who has run for 1,297 yards and 11 TDs. Jonathan Crowley has rushed for 862 yards and the Warriors average 304 yards per game on the ground. They don’t throw often - averaging eight pass attempts per game - but QB Kevin Denham has thrown for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns. The Warriors’ lone loss came to Martinsville in Week 6, but they’ve responded with multiple lopsided wins. In the tournament, they won the sectional over Terre Haute North and Franklin by a combined score of 87-3, then routed Plainfield 49-14 in the regional before a 21-7 victory at Castle in the semistate. It’s the first State Finals appearance for 32-year coaching veteran Darrin Fisher, who has been at Whiteland for 18 seasons. A victory would give Whiteland its first-ever state championship in any sport. Class 4A: (7) New Prairie (13-1) vs. (4) East Central (12-2), 3 p.m. Friday East Central has long been one of the powers in southern Indiana and it makes its third State Finals appearance in eight years, seeking its first title since 2017. New Prairie returns to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2014, when the Cougars were the 4A runner-up. East Central made a statement at the start of the season, defeating 3A finalist Lawrenceburg 38-3. And the Trojans made one at the end, blocking a potential game-winning field goal in the closing seconds of Friday’s semistate game against Roncalli. The Trojans then won in overtime 24-21, avenging a Week 9 loss to the Royals. Both teams have strong running games and strong defenses - each allows 10.6 ppg. New Prairie staged a rally of its own in the semistate. The Cougars trailed Kokomo 9-0 in the late stages of the fourth quarter, but Owek Chalik kicked a 23-yard field goal, the Cougars recovered an on-side kick and quickly marched down the field for the winning TD by quarterback Marshall Kmiecik. Kmiecik ran for 69 yards and RB Noah Mungia 71 in the Kokomo contest. On the season, Mungia has 1,868 rushing yards and 21 TDs, while Kmiecik has run for 1,31 yards and 14 scores and thrown for 1,198 and 16 TDs, leading an offense tallying 353 yards and 35 points per game. New Prairie’s lone blemish was a Week 8 loss to Penn, but the Cougars rolled through the tournament, with only Hobart scoring in double-digits in a 49-28 sectional championship game victory. East Central features one of the state’s top rushers in Josh Ringer, who has 2,197 yards and 35 touchdowns. That complements a passing game led by Cole Burton (1,744 yards, 22 TDs passing) and the receiving combo of Ryan Brotherton (841 yards, 11 TDs) and Eli Ashton (612 yards, 7 TDs). Class 3A: (3) Indianapolis Chatard (10-4) vs. (5) Lawrenceburg (13-1), 3 p.m. Saturday Class 3A features two programs familiar with very proud traditions. Chatard is appearing in its 17th state championship game, seeking its 16th title and third in four years. Lawrenceburg is back to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2016, but it is the sixth championship game appearance for the Tigers, who are seeking their first title since 1978. Lawrenceburg joins East Central as Dearborn County and Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference schools in the State Finals. The Tigers dropped the season opener to EC, but have since ripped off 13 straight victories, led by a defense that leads the state, allowing just 6.1 ppg. The Tigers shut out six straight opponents to finish the regular season and then posted a seventh in a 28-0 victory over Greensburg in the sectional semifinal. Only East Central in Week 1 and Milan in Week 3 have scored more than once against the Tigers. Jake Pierce leads Logansport’s defense with 114 tackles, 10 TFLs and four INTs. Niko Ferreira has 95 tackles, Noah Knigga 79 tackles and 14 TFLs and Zavyn Slayback four interceptions. Lawrenceburg rolled to a 35-7 victory over Monrovia in the semistate after dispatching Southridge 31-7 in the regional and Batesville 33-7 in the sectional final. The Tigers’ running game is led by Teagan Bennett (1,410 yards, 18 TDs) and Alex Witte (1,201 yards, 18 TDs). QB Logan Ahaus has thrown for 1,106 yards and 11 touchdowns. Chatard went 5-4 in the regular season but was still in the top 5 because of its schedule - the losses came to two semistate teams in larger classes - Roncalli and Cathedral - as well as two quality out-of-state teams. In the tournament, the Trojans used a powerful offense to score 40-plus points in four consecutive games, winning a tough sectional field with a 49-13 win over Guerin Catholic in the championship game. They then defeated Yorktown 42-14 in the regional and No. 1 West Lafayette 21-3 in the semistate. QB Drew VanVleet has thrown for 2,732 yards and 28 TDs, completing 68 percent of his passes, with Noah Dudick (816 yards, 8 TDs) and Aiden Duncan (788 yards, 7 TDs) his top targets. The Trojans have a balanced running game that averages 145 yards per contest, as well. Class 2A: (3) Andrean (10-3) vs. (5) Evansville Mater Dei (11-3), 11 a.m. Friday The first game of the State Finals will be the first of two rematches from last year’s championship game, a game Andrean won 21-9 to clinch its third state football title. Mater Dei has climbed one rung of the ladder each of the last three seasons - sectional champion in 2019, regional in 2020, semistate in 2021 and is now looking to add the program’s first state championship since 2000. The Wildcats have been a state runner-up four times since then. Head coach Mike Goebel led the Wildcats to that 2000 title and also has won 12 state championships as Mater Dei’s wrestling coach. Andrean features one of the state’s top players in all-everything back Drayk Bowen, who has run for 1,689 yards and 26 TDs and leads the 59ers on defense with 137 tackles, 19 TFLs, five sacks and two interceptions. The 59ers balance the run and the pass, with Bowen leading the way in the running game and Billy Henry throwing for 1,837 yards and 23 TDs in the passing game, with Patrick Clacks (1,075 yards, 14 TDs) his top target. The 59ers opened the tournament with a 28-6 victory over previously-unbeaten LaVille before defeating two other ranked teams - Lafayette Central Catholic 30-12 in the regional and Fort Wayne Luers 48-29 in the semistate. Bowen was unstoppable in the semistate, running for 358 yards and five touchdowns. Andrean jumped ahead 28-13 at halftime and continued to extend the lead. Mater Dei’s offense was also unstoppable in a 51-28 regional victory over previously-unbeaten Linton. QB Mason Wunderlich was 14-18 for 222 yards, while senior Joey Pierre ran for 181 yards and a score. Mater Dei’s Mason Wunderlich is ninth in the state with 2,565 passing yards and has thrown for 27 touchdowns. Ethan Stolz (676 yards, 9 TDs) and Blake Herdes (567 yards, 7 TDs) are his top targets. Pierre (1,015 yards, 12 TDs) leads the running game. Mater Dei tied for first in the tough Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and after rolling through the sectional, won a 35-28 game over Triton Central - also ranked No. 5 in the coaches poll - in the regional before the win over Linton in the semistate. Class A: (2) Adams Central (14-0) at (1) Indianapolis Lutheran (14-0), 11 a.m. Saturday It’s the one matchup of unbeaten teams in the State Finals and the second rematch. The top two teams in the Class A rankings meet for the state championship. Last year’s meeting was a classic, with Lutheran winning 34-28 for its first-ever football state championship. The Saints are making their third State Finals appearance in four years, while Adams Central’s Jets are seeking their first state title since 2000. Lutheran has the state’s highest-scoring offense, tallying 49.4 ppg, led by the state’s passing leader Jackson Willis. He stepped into the QB role this season and has thrown for 3,890 yards. Micah Mackay ranks third in the state with 1,403 receiving yards. Adams Central tallies 46.1 ppg offensively, fourth in the state. Both teams have also been stout defensively - Lutheran allows 9.7 ppg and Adams Central 10.1 ppg. Adams Central’s Wing-T offense has always featured a powerful running game under 14th-year coach Michael Mosser and this year is more of the same. The Jets tally 316 yards per game on the ground, led by Keegan Bluhm (1,488 yards, 18 TDs), Ryan Black (931 yards, 28 TDs) and Gavin Clark (810 yards, 10 TDs). As the quarterback, Black has thrown for 800 yards. AC’s defense, led by Bluhm (93 tackles, 3 INTs) and Jack Hamilton (89 tackles, 4 INTs), allows 191 total yards per game. The Jets have played one game decided by less than 21 points this season - a 25-21 victory over Eastside in Week 2. In the tournament, they’ve tallied at least 35 points in each game, with identical 35-0 wins over Carroll (Flora) and North Judson in the regional and semistate. Lutheran has rapidly built into a state power under 15th-year head coach Dave Pasch, with Willis and Mackay leading an offense that tallies 457 yards per game. In addition, Joe Davis has rushed for 1,769 yards and 28 touchdowns, complementing the Saints’ powerful passing game. Their defense allows 170 yards per game, led by Jonny Hall (105 tackles, 4 INTs). Like Adams Central, the Saints have played two games decided by less than 21 points this season - a 54-41 victory over Triton Central in Week 3 and a 28-19 win over Scecina in Week 6. The Saints shut out South Putnam, Cloverdale and Covenant Christian to win the sectional before beating Providence 49-7 in the regional and North Decatur 28-7 in the semistate. Davis ran for 207 yards and Willis threw for 220 in the semistate.

Carroll may have had the biggest crowd among all 12 contenders. Their student section still showed lots of spirit late in the 4th quarter. Ninety nine percent of the fans stuck it out till the end and cheered their team on. With that kind of community support, this could be just the beginning for the Carroll program...............a sleeping giant if you will.

Been reading the message boards for a while. I wish you would give up on bashing Chatard in every comment.

The first half was a slug fest. Lawrenceburg has a really nice running game. You can tell that those kids rep those plays a lot. They are very well coached and did not make may mistakes. Each team converted some big plays and the momentum swung back and forth a few times. It was a fun game to watch. Chatard’s passing game was the difference, though. When Lawrenceburg got behind by 10 it made for a very steep hill for them to climb. Throwing the ball just isn’t their game. It led to turnovers and that was the game. 3 second half INT’s (two of them on back to back possessions) really looked like it took the wind out of Lawrenceburg. No shame in having your only two losses of the year be to the 3A and 4A state champs. Much respect to those kids. PS: Some radio station in the Lawrenceburg area said BC players were like 9th graders and shouldn’t even bother showing up. That made it to the team during the week and really fueled their fire. Thanks for the bulletin board material.

2nd this. Hats off to Lawrenceburg. Really good football team that laid it all out there. Absolutely nothing to hang your heads about. That was a state championship caliber team. I hope Chatard wins regional next year, bumps to 4A, and stays there for good.

Well…congrats Lawrenceburg. I’m more impressed with your achievement….but that’s just me. edit: Great work and effort by the Chatard kids…not their fault the system stinks.

I have great admiration for the Chatard program. Seen them numerous times over the years, a few of them up close and personal. Never seen them give anything but an all out effort. Always well coached. Consistently punch above their weight. Take on all comers. And their “standard” is nothing less than excellence. Congratulations to them!

That doesn't address the discrepancy I brought up. So instead of blaming WHME -- which has done more for high school sports than any TV station in the northern part of the state -- could you possibly explain the discrepancy in how regions of the state are treated by this TV deal?

I have Spectrum TV here in Evansville. I also have a ROKU ultra box... with the Spectrum App, Bally Sports App and IHSAATV app. The 6A game is not broadcast LIVE on Spectrum Cable TV, so the only option was IHSAATV.... which cost money. So I went to Bally Sports app and searched for the LIVE game. It said it was on BALLY+..... which means I have to have a Subscription to Bally+. My point.... if you are going to show all the other Class Games for free on Cable TV.... make arrangements to show ALL of the Classes free on TV. That's not fair to parents and fans. That's unequal. People will say.... but it's only $15 or $20 bucks and it goes to a good cause.... Fine.... CHARGE EVERYBODY $15 or $20 to watch all the ballgames then.

You will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Coach Mike Goebel!

There's always NAIA or Division III!😉

9 + 6 = 16😵‍💫🤪

Great team > Great player STATE LAW!

Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell announces death of his brother (indystar.com)

At great way to celebrate Madder Days amazing win is helping the GID reach its anal budget. I swear to God it is. They need about $640

barely belong in the top 50

Kokomo Wildkats.

WHME was the ONLY station allowed to air over the air and has been for the last 10 years. 5.5 million fans across the state watched via a subscription on Fox/Bally since 2012. WHME never paid for rights, never thanked the IHSAA and did not explain the situation to fans. Their permission to air was a legacy from the days that Comcast had the rights and the SB and region area were feed out of of Chicago and Detroit... which did not carry the tournaments. Chuck Freeby has blocked the IHSAA personnel on social media as a 'Thank You' for the 10 years of a free gift.

WHME knew the rights were available. They didn't offer 1 cent for the rights. They thought they were entitled. So, talk to Chuck.

You need an editor. Just a suggestion.