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U can go to the game and stage a protest

DT’s been too busy to check Harrell’s the past week. He’s been on the road trolling hospitals and checking HS kids’ birth certificates....it’s a 12 hour a day job and a thankless one........I hope. That said, congrats to Indy Lutheran. I have quietly followed their travails over the years and it’s been great to finally see them get to the big show.

I’ve been following this since I was updated on Friday the coach was headed to the hospital. Sometimes we are quickly reminded how fragile life is and as great as this game we celebrate is, it is minuscule in the whole scheme of our time on earth. My thoughts and prayers are for the family and community that they can find comfort in this difficult time now and in the next couple weeks as we approach the holiday season.

It’s fitting that these two schools meet at LOS now that Chatard has been moved North - lots a tradition between them....and mutual respect, I hope. It’s been a few years now but, for some time, it was almost an annual game.....maybe more like a war. I think this Chatard team is a pretty special one (even for Chatard), maybe even an historically good one, and would like to see them roll just as they have done in every game so far (excepting...that..........one) but Heritage Hills, in years past, has always had an answer for Chatard no matter how good Chatard was that year. I’d be surprised if they didn’t have an answer again. Hoping both teams play their best and when the smoke clears the Trojans come out on top. Seriously though, it just seems right these two particular teams finally meet at Lucas Oil....where they should have been playing all along.

Chatard is a different animal this year. Sagarin has them winning 45-10. WOW. HH is a really good team with size and athletes. I think HH is going to be forced to throw the ball more than they would like. I don’t think HH is going to be able to play smash mouth with a Chatard. Hope I’m wrong but I see the Trojans covering.

Man oh man. Lutheran finally punched their ticket. Being on two of the teams that lost in Semi-State, couldn’t be happier for them. Obviously, I’m pulling for them hard. Both Lutheran and LCC are great teams with great programs and great coaches. I don’t know a whole lot about this LCC team, but I know they have plenty of experience at LOS. This Lutheran team has been chomping at the bit for a long time now. These seniors were in 7th grade when Lutheran first lost at Semi-State in 2014. Every loss since then has led to this moment. This team is thirsty for a title, and they’re going to do just about anything to walk away with a win on Friday. Heading the offense, Junior QB Blake White, who has shown up and shown out this year. This offseason, he trained hard and came back ready to play some damn good football. Obviously, Senior RB Marcus “Mack” McFadden is the best small school RB and one of the best in the state. Hard runner and just makes dudes miss! White also has so many options to throw to I don’t even want to write out all their names! Finally, the guys up front, averaging a weight of around 230ish, make massive holes and get to second level well to lead the way for McFadden. LCC will have to keep Lutheran’s high-powered offense in check or else they’ll run away with it. The defensive side of things for the Saints is another great situation. Armed with one of, if not the best linebacker core in Indiana in Peyton Knight, Marcus McFadden, and Hayden Filipovich. All three excel at filling holes and pursuing outside runs. Up front, the line is averaging around 255ish would be my guess, and they control the line pretty darn well. They’ve done well against the run all year, and I don’t expect this game to be any different. I don’t know what LCC excels at, in terms of offense, but Lutheran will be ready. Overall, I think this will be an overall good game. Certainly better than Pioneer’s blowout snooze fest last year. The first quarter, possibly half will be back and forth, and we’ll have to see where it goes. However, if Lutheran can get out to a 2 TD lead, that’s where they excel and the momentum snowballs from there. I’m looking forward to a fun game, and pulling for my boys to bring home the blue! Lutheran 42 LCC 21

I certainly acknowledge that my memory may not be accurate as to the timing. I was much more concerned, at the time and afterward, with the mechanics of the call and an understanding of why the line judge didn’t see it better, since I didn’t care who won the game.

Let’s hope the hype is real this year. It seemed real last year!! 😂😜 It looked real last year......in the 4th vs EM’s JV Actually think it is real this year as it has been in many years.

Not going to pretend I knew him closely. I had him as my gym teacher in 03. Was always easy going and in a good mood. Have had 2 sisters and now my nephew in school system and never once heard a person complain of the man. Never seen a player seemingly not like the guy in all my years of watching the team play. By all accounts is loved by all the kids. The school and community is losing a beloved figure. God bless his family.

God Bless his family and his community.

Prayers for the family and community.

I was at the hospital to see a dear friend of mine and witnessed a lot of love and support of the coach. It was heart wrenching to see a family/community going thru a trying time like that. Our hearts go out to his support system.

SMH - just when I thought we had put this nonsense behind us and you all could move on to focusing in on what would be a great back-to-back accomplishment, you just can't help yourself throwing jabs. If you think 2017 was a "moment-in-the-sun" or flash-in-the-pan for SR, then you haven't been paying much attention in the 2000s really. 2002 - State Finalist (lose a close one to Luers, who was a juggernaut at the time) 2006- State Finalist (lost another close one - this time to Harding) 2007- Semi-State, lose to Heritage Christain 2008- Sectional Champs, lose a mud bowl in Regional 2009-2012 - Run into some VERY good MD teams who just happen to be in our sectional most years 2013 - Sectional Champs, lose in regional 2014 - Lose to MD in Sectional 2015-2016 - Spend some time up in 3A...make some Sectional Championships, but run into some very good Brownstown teams 2017 - Finally reach the mountain top 2018- Semi-State ...you all put it on us pretty humbling. Certainly not mind-boggling/blow you away run, but we're proud of it nonetheless. Most years not mentioned up there we spent dealing with a certain P/P in our neck of the woods that is known to be pretty good (MD). I really regret this back-forth, you all should spend your energy being exciting for another great season and potential State Championship. Best of luck this weekend.

I find this very interesting in contrast to Chatard. Chatard is quite the opposite, they start VERY fast and run it up early. I believe they’ve had a running clock the second half of every game except maybe 2 or 3. And they’ve done it against a legitimate city schedule. You don’t want to start slow vs this team.

Who said Chatard is beatable? Losing one game to a real powerhouse isn’t considered beatable at the 3A level. Nobody else has come close, and I don’t see it happening at LOS. This is the best Chatard team I’ve ever seen and I’ve been watching Catholic school ball in the city for a long time. I’m exteremely excited for this thread this week. Finally some arrogant fans I can talk some smack to LOL. I understand the optimism but my pick is Chatard 45-10 😂

They’d have to win regionals next year as well

Agreed. It is appropriate that these teams meet at LOS. Here is the way this MUST play out for HH to win. I believe HH wins this because it will be the first time this year that they have played 4 quarters of football. These guys don't start playing until the 2 half. It isn't simply the coaches making adjustments--although they have made spectacular adjustments....in the games that have been tougher...where was the difference? All those games that were close, then the second half showed up and those teams don't score (or score very little) and HH piles on the points. They must come out and play every snap like the game depends on it, because against Chatard--the game will depend on every snap. If we play like the other games where we were soft the 1st half we will likely get in a hole that we can't get out of. The first half of all of our playoff games were very close in the first half--against GS we were getting our butts kicked, SR was tight at the half, Sinktown tight at the half, Danville tight at the half. With the exception of GS, none of those games were close at the end. No score prediction but I'll take HH in a very close slobberknocker--IF we play 4 quarters.

Here's what I take away from this. East Noble and Hobart are both proud communities who are excited about playing in the Semi State because it hasn't happened in long time. At WC, BD, CG, and Carmel, anything less than a state championship is just another game. I don't have all the stats, but I would imagine 3/4 of those teams are in the Semi State every year, so it kind of loses its prestige after awhile correct? All of those teams have sustained success year in and year out, so their fan's expectations have to be higher. That means its a State Championship or nothing. Not the case for East Noble or Hobart, which is why it was standing room only at the game Friday night.

Pretty much spot on here. NP gets stronger as the game goes on, particularly Spegal. @crimsonace1 has the stats I'm sure but Charlie's per carry average is best from carry 20 on as he and the o line just wear teams down.

I see the posts about Valpo’s size on Offense and Defense up front. New Pal played Cathedral who was huge on the Offensive and Defensive lines. Cathedral was able to keep the ball away from New Pal in the first half limiting possessions. The 2nd half though New Pal did the opposite of wear down. They actually were clicking on all cylinders at the end of the 3rd and all of the 4th. the accolades for New Pal’s Offense are tremendous. So much so the defense gets over shadowed. The defense is extremely good at creating turnovers and giving chances to the offense in the 2nd half. They are extremely disciplined along the O-line and on defense. They will get force the secondary to tackle Spegal and he will wear down those tacklers in the 2nd half and then yards will come in big chunks. New Pal’s team speed is excellent at nearly every position. Ill go with New Pal in this one. If I were betting I would bet their goal is to get a minimum of 3 turnovers and 30 carries for Spegal.

Yes. In the stadium that was built the year after the Avon game.

This bears posting here. Brock Combs is a beast. 5C15FE2B-99F1-40D7-82F8-531EC42A7449.MP4

Memorial 20-14. Kind of getting tired of the talk the last few weeks about no one gave Memorial a chance this year. I for one, said at the start of the year Memorial would be the best in the SIAC yet again. Not saying they couldnt have made it back to Lucas in 3A but 4A was an easier path this year. No real tough teams except East Central, which got knocked out prior to facing Memorial. I was lookin forward to that matchup. D has been good for Memoiral the past 2 years but overshadowed by the offense. Offense is still pretty good but the D is shut down. I would be stunned if East Noble score more than 14.

The ... Vaunted Intangibles.... line up w Lcc in this one...... will it b enuff? Hmmmmmm............... the knights r 7-0 in state title games...... however.... this is the 2nd time they enter as dogs....... and should they win.... would set a school record for havin done it w the most loses......

Lutherans play good soccer. My son played on a Lutheran soccer team this last season. Matter of fact, he got to play the Calvary Lutheran tournament there at Indy Lutheran in late-September ... which his team won.

Almost gave you an up-vote ... until I saw the score prediction. 😀 Should be a good game.

Or Covenant Christian. It was more recent and during the tourney. That more likely holds the key for LCC.

Valpo pulls off the Upset of the Decade, 35-34

I’m a coach who has been in the situation you’re talking about multiple times. I always say we’re going to take a knee four times and give them the ball back. I don’t care if they score again because what difference does it make? And when those teams have scored, it doesn’t raise my blood pressure at all, because who cares? We won the game. Still don’t get what the big deal is, but I am trying to understand where you’re coming from. Oh, and also, I’m as old school as they come. Doesn’t get more “old school” than Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes lol

I watched some of both games, via internet, last Friday night. Lutheran is the real deal, LCC just got luck of the draw to get to still be in this conversation (weak sectional, weak regional, AC playing too tight until it was too late). I don't think LCC will have a chance. They won't get stomped into the Oil Can turf, but this time they come home with red medals instead of blue. Lutheran 34, LCC 21

I strongly favor the expansion of crews to 7 from the Regional level onward in the Tournament, for several reasons, both obvious and subtle. First, this sort of increased officiating presence is standard practice in some other sports. In basketball, they used 3 officials in their tournament long before it became standard in the regular season. It’s also been done for many years in baseball. Second, there really is no dispute that a 7-man crew provides superior coverage compared to the traditional 5-man crew. The Tournament is the IHSAA’s showcase event. Unfortunately, there have been a few embarrassing officiating failures in the past, including in the Finals. Better officiating coverage won’t completely eliminate mistakes, but should reduce their number. Finally, there’s a reason you probably haven’t considered, but which takes on increasing significance these days. Having increased opportunities for officials in the Tournament is a retention tool. That there is a shortage of football officials in Indiana is beyond dispute. Efforts to remedy that situation focus on recruiting new officials, and that’s appropriate. But retention of officials is equally part of that equation. We have well-qualified officials who are getting out of officiating because they are frustrated by what they perceive as barriers to advancement in the Tournament. There are 24 Regionals that currently use 120 officials. Expanding to 7 would provide Tournament opportunities for an additional 48 officials who would otherwise be sitting home that weekend. That’s 48 more officials who are reaching a level they otherwise would not. Increased opportunities in the Tournament provide a powerful incentive to stay in officiating.

They can't seem to get replay consistently right in college or the NFL. Do we really think this could be effectively implemented at the high school level? And if its tried the IHSAA just might need 3 days for the finals.

Coach Ralph oversees the softball team's weight training and has been recognized with some bling from their championships, too. The football program's weight room culture is insane. Probably my favorite story from this entire run was the day after they won the state title in 2014, the guys were lined up at the weight room door ready to lift. Coach had to tell them to go home, relax and take a few days off. This group is a really special one. Their work ethic is unbelievable. Combine that with a talented group coming through, and you have a 4A team capable of competing for 5A state championships. This should be a good matchup. IMO, the score predictions are a bit high. These two teams have incredible defenses. It should be a closely-matched, low-scoring game.

One of them will win but 6A was way, way down this year. I guess it will be CG but who knows. Rally could care less. Only 4 or 5 teams in 6A are going to win a state championship and its the same 4 or 5 every year. Carmel, Warren, BD and Center Grove. Rinse and repeat. Its the most predictable and dull class in football.

Thanks to the folks at Mishawaka Marian for being wonderful hosts on Friday. One of my closest friends in college and a groomsman at my wedding was an RB who would have played last on the ‘77 team before he went on to play at Butler (where we both played sports). It was kind of special to me to finally visit his Alma Mater. Also a shout out for “The Evil Czech” recommendation. The chicken and waffles were, in fact, great....although probably not the best thing I could have eaten at 10:00 PM.

Why are those the “natural” pairings? Chatard and Brebeuf have never been a consistent “natural” pairing. Chatard has been in the South forever. Brebeuf bounces back and forth. If we are truly worried only about (A) “natural pairings” then why go down the whole discussion path of (B) “if you send....Brebeuf and Chatard south, then you’ll have people argue there is some kind of bias against the schools in the southern half of the state since they would have to go through the Indy parochial schools”? So, which is it that determines these things? Natural pairings (which seem natural only now but haven’t been the last 20+ years) or using Indy parochials like a missile to apparently punish the part of the State that gets stuck with them (paraphrasing of point “B”). Per the comments above, apparently Tri-West (whoops, did I say that) was “biased” against the northern part of the State this time around when it pointed the Indy parochials North and we ended up with a 3A South so that any team capable of walking and chewing gum concurrently from Sectional 29 (containing Tri-West, shockingly) has a free ride to Semistate. An aside.....but how is it just an accident that 7 of the Top 10 Sagarin ranked 3A schools somehow end up in Sectionals 28 and 32? 4 of the Top 6 in Sectional 28 which has NEVER been a “natural” geographic combination of teams in Sectional. Brebeuf has not anytime recently shared a Sectional with West Lafayette although they have, at times, been North. Now suddenly, West Lafayette, Brebeuf, Guerin and Chatard together are “only natural”? But then, its been admitted that now the Indy parochials are simply a weapon to yield to punish the “losing”part of the state as regards the internal politics of playoff and Sectional structuring. BTW, anyone shedding crocodile tears about somehow disrespecting Sectional 30 teams who are the doormat to Semistate for the Sectional 29 winner can spare me. I’ll save my tears for West Lafayette, Brebeuf (did I just say that?...must be nuts), Guerin, Gibson Southern and Southridge. I have always hated the phrase “get better or get used to it” but it’s the best I can offer Sectional 30. When it comes to the legitimizing of so much of the current playoff system and how the Sectionals have been determined - don’t think for a minute the rest of us believe there is some fundamental purity of intent there.

FW Northrop won a state basketball title in its first year of existence in 1974. What's your point?

Just like the bad call when Eastbrook's qb was stopped before the goal line but given a td.

I’ve been an official for 42 years, I’m a professional at being unbiased. And if I were, it wouldn’t be for Valpo. A 1 pt. loss to them my senior year ruined an otherwise perfect season.

Western Boone is a good team, but I’ll take Eastbrook by 7+ points. Should be whreat game.

Here's the picture of the seniors on that squad, back when they were just starting their careers as 3rd graders. This is the 3rd/4th grade combined teams after winning the championship over East Tipp back in 2010.

This may be one of Chatard’s best teams. Very high strength of schedule, yet have dominated every team except Cathedral. HH has found ways to win against some pretty good teams that are also rivals (GS, Southridge). Sagarin has The Trojans as #6 in the state. Sagarin don’t lie in November. Chatard 34 Jay Cutler HS 16

No doubt that punters placement was the best I have ever seen in a high school football game, it was incredible.

If i remember correctly the backwards pass was with only about 3 minutes left in the game when eastbrook was down 27-20. not early in the game at all

I agree with the comments on Sigler. Kid is amazing and will be super tough to handle. I think this is the best game of the weekend (admit to obvious bias). Two great teams, great tradition, history, etc. I choose not to make predictions about any game, except, that I do think this will be the closest game Chatard plays this year. I don't see this as a multi-score difference in favor of either team. Hopefully, Chatard pulls it out, but, whichever team wins will have deserved it. If Chatard wins, they will have beaten the #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7 teams (by Sagarin) in 3A. If HH wins, then it will have defeated the #1, #8, #9, #10, and #11 teams in 3A. Nothing cheap about this championship either way.

Hobart fans tried talking trash like this last week and look what happened to them...

Congrats to East Noble. They withstood the early storm...took over the game and then hung on when Hobart answered the bell. I thought the execution on offense was really good particularly in quarter 3 and early 4th. Parker puts that ball up there and those wideouts go up and get it. I don’t even think the coverage was bad it was kids making plays. You see it on videos and feel like man they really get lucky nabbing so many 50/50 looking balls. That ain’t luck. Thats just good execution. Hobart Defense on the field way too much. The stats don’t show it but they did all they could to win the ball game for sure. EN defensive front really did a nice job taking away the bread and butter which leaves some question on some things Offensively. Great year for Hobart, very young. Have a feeling they’ll be back next year. Gotta get better. Best of luck to the knights next weekend.