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Ah, DT again mixing up "contraction" (schools dropping programs) and "consolidation" (schools merging). I'm not sure why 280 is your magic number. I know you're often confused about the difference between high school and college football, but fewer schools does not mean more quality, because - outside of the largest communities, students aren't likely to jump schools. It just means fewer opportunities. If an isolated rural school drops football, that's 30 or 40 kids who simply won't get the opportunity to play football, not 10 talented kids that will go somewhere else. High school sports are about opportunities, and the fact that someone actually celebrates and gloats about reducing opportunities for participation in this great game on a high school website is absurd, but par for the course for certain people around here who traffic in absurd, off-base and usually uninformed hot takes. Those schools are consolidating due to finances and population changes in their communities. As Indiana suburbanizes, consolidation is a reality. But we may also see addition - like Fishers being carved out of HSE. Programs do not close for "poor results." They may close due to smaller numbers (and those are generally programs at tiny schools), but there are a lot of programs who went through 20+ game losing streaks that continue to run - and some are thriving.

Am I the only one that understands what NO PARTICULAR ORDER means?

Just a guess.....but it’s likely there’s gonna’ be some hate on this thread.

I was thinking the same thing, I mean it's only in black, bold and larger print. Fairly well hidden in plain sight i guess. Lol

Brock combs should be nominated I usually don’t like to say this but without Brock combs memorial is not the 4A champion. I know this is a team sport and there are 10 other guys...but... They might not have even made it out of sectionals tbh. Every Friday I was seeing insane highlights. He had a magical post season... 5 games 500 yards rushing 6 touchdowns 26 total tackle...9.5 TFL 4.5 sacks 1 INT...for a touchdown. 1 Forced Fumble 7 total touchdowns ...this is a guy who had 70 yards rushing prior to the playoffs. Not sure what caused the switch to lean on him as a RB all of a sudden but it worked. just an insane amount of contribution he gave to this memorial team on a truly special run

If you hate the sport so much leave the forum dude. You legitimately want to deprive kids of the ability to play a game just because they don’t win often or even ever. According to what i counted on Maxpreps Shelbyville has 53 kids on the varsity roster this year. 53. That means 53 young men CHOSE to play football, for their love of the game, for their friendships, for their community, and heck, for fun. No administrators were out there forcing students in the hall way to go to football practice and forcing them to play in theses games. High school football is a choice, a choice that isn’t always easy because not even the best programs in the state (asides from maybe NP) win every single game every year, a choice that teaches these young men that no matter how hard you got beat down you get back up and fight again, and a choice that you want to deprive of at least 53 young men to possibly hundreds just because they don’t win as often as you deem necessary. “none of those boys had fun playing” if not a single kid on that team had fun playing then they wouldn’t have had 53 players on the team bub. This is possibly one of the dumbest and most ignorant statements i have ever seen on GID.

After watching the Freshman year that he had a Purdue I agree that Bell could have won it as well. I just watched Spegal's highlights and just wow.

1. First and foremost, does the school already have an endzone camera? If not, are they willing to invest in one? 2. Are they willing to invest money into the football program? For instance, if you ask for an endzone camera, will they go the cheap route, or will they buy a top of the line model like a Hi-Pod X31? 3. Does the school have a digital LED down marker? 4. Does the school have a good chef for team meals? 5. What is your recruiting budget?

You get to learn what it's like to be part of a team and play a role (leader and follower), learn an offense and/or defense, set goals as a team, have a reason to keep your grades up, be involved and make friends, an activity for the community to rally around and connect, handle adversity, push yourself to get better at something. I'm sure the list is much longer. Yes it's awesome if you can be part of a program that competes every week. Or a program that has a chance to win a sectional final. Or at least upset the huge favorite in the sectional. Or maybe even compete for a state championship. But not everyone can reasonably achieve that and that's OK.

#1 is not true. Being patient does not guarantee anything. If you really want be a head coach and do not have a pedigree, you should probably be willing to take on a head coaching position that is not real desirable. Many of the points still need to be done. You need networking to have connections to assistant coaches, and you need to continue to grow through professional development. You cannot have a prepared wife. She will not be ready for what she experiences. She just needs to be committed to you as a support system. If you are young and unmarried, stay that way.

I get the small school argument, but Jack Kiser would have been a stud at any school. That's where the argument is lost on me.

And, just to follow, how would Crawford losing football "make Indiana football better?" It would eliminate opportunities for about 25-30 kids, and Crawford is isolated enough that those players are likely not going anywhere else to "make a program better," and it's simply going to make a bunch of teams rearrange their schedules. This isn't college, where players live on campus, usually away from home, and can simply transfer to another school. For the vast majority of players outside of the largest metros (where football is pretty strong), transferring is not an option. It's eliminating and losing opportunities. The fact that Boone Grove, Forest Park, Hanover Central, Scottsburg, Oldenburg, Heritage Christian, Indy Lutheran, Attucks, Shortridge, et al, have added football in the last 20+ years (as well as a number of newer schools like Anderson Prep, Covenant Christian, Traders Point, Tindley) as well as Fishers splitting from HSE makes our game BETTER, not worse. Not all of those have been state-level programs - Lutheran and Heritage have played for state titles - but it creates new opportunities for people to play football. I was fortunate to watch a Forest Park QB run the show for Franklin and carry them into the D3 playoffs a few years back. The game grew to the point where it had to have six classes to accommodate the fact that 320+ schools were playing football. That's a *great* thing, and Indiana high school football has never been better. Eliminating opportunities in 40 programs like one poster here is openly advocating for would eliminate chances to play football for more than 1,000 players in our state (and that's not consolidation, as there would still be opportunities to play football at a consolidated school, but eliminating programs entirely).

I think EM HC knew who his DUDE at RB would be heading into the season. Credit coaches for waiting till week 7 vs Central and the tournament games. Not sure his body would have held up being the feature back all season. Being a physical DE is tough enough without getting hit all season on offense. Plus it really helped develop a kid who IMO will be a stud two way player the next two years.

Beautful man, great story!! Loved how you ended the post with the last sentence, so many great stories across our state just like the one above. Thanks for sharing!!!

I can't believe we are white collar. I didn't get the memo. I'm gonna ask for a raise.

I heard that was the "new" MIC

One question every recruiter asks when they visit a school is.....is there a kid in any other program we should know about? For the life of me, I cannot remember the kid’s name, but he played at Gary West. I was an assistant at Cathedral at the time. We had no film on them because they do not film their games. We spent the week as coaches trying to find anything.....TV highlights,, looking at teams they played, and who MIGHT have film. Finding film on this kid would have been a challenge. Anyway, as IU recruiters were traveling, the kid was mentioned. If I remember right, they had a limited number of opponents, and played the other Gary schools twice. The bottom line of this all is that the kid ended up with a full ride to IU, and even saw playing time. Trust that coaching is a HUGE network. I cannot imagine a coach purposely avoid mentioning a kid because he plays for a rival, or even a coach he does not like. If a kid is talented, he will be found.....class does not matter.

The power of prayer....

He was an assistant then - I thought I read. I only got to know him later when we double dated the Andrews Sisters just after Truman beat Dewey.

It can be achieved in all those activities and it probably does. But if the student doesn't want to participate in those activities or those activities don't have enough opportunities (could the Frankfort soccer team absorb the 60 football players that would be looking for something else if the team contracted?) then this is the opportunity that was chosen. I have a lot of respect for players who join a team and stick with it knowing they will likely lose big on the field every Friday night. They have a commitment and heart I would love to hire some day. I've worked many games with teams that have lost a lot more than won (Elmhurst, Edinboro back in the day, Crawfordsville, Frankfort recently) and those players were still playing hard and having fun because they were getting to play high school football on a Friday night. They would definitely prefer to be more competitive but they weren't giving up. And as long as they have enough players to field a team then I'm all for them continuing.

YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!! LOL.

That's what they said about our schedule this year and we went to LOS. I honestly get so tired of hearing about SOS, and how that will get a team ready for the playoffs. Coaches, the team, hard work, film study, health........that stuff gets you ready for the playoffs. I think in the end for HH it was just easier to keep their schedule with a couple of "old" conference teams versus sign a two year contract with a new team who might opt out later and leave you hangin'.

1. Be patient...your time will come 2. Don't be afraid to work your way up the ladder 3. Make connections and don't be afraid to pick the brains of established coaches 4. Go to clinics....some of my best memories are sitting in a hotel room while Al Harants, Frank Amato and Rex Bowser schemed X's & O's 5. Establish a support system...wife, family, friends, assistants 6. Hire good people that are great teachers....good assistants make a good head coach 7. Don't jump at the first job...there is a reason it is open....will admin have your back? will school board give you time? community buy in? How will you be evaluated? is there a job description? 8. If you are married, your wife must understand what she is getting herself into....time, commitment, fans in the stands, etc

From a statistical standpoint, Charlie is the guy. In fact, he should and will win. From a best football player standpoint, there are several players who are on par with him. One of them is also on NP. The Hook as i like to call him. . Also, Taylor from Chatard, Valpo DE, he is Jr though. Bailey Parker had a huge year. Archbald from Homestead. Combs from Memorial. Finley from Dwenger. Carmel LB. DE at New Pal also every bit as important as Charlie. Cathedral Safety is very good too. I’m sure I’m missing a few but that’s off the top of my head. However, Charlie is a once in a generation player who was the perfect player for his teams style of play. He is also EXTREMELY durable, highly underrated as a blocker and overall football player. He is hands down the man and if anyone votes for anyone else, they should lose their voting privileges.

1) Supportive administration and community 2) Strong work ethic 3) Big toolkit in dealing with a wide variety of young people 4) Holding everyone in the program accountable 5) Excellent reflection and innovation skills

I've debated putting this on here for the last few days, but decided to do it because I think we too often hear about the negative, but rarely enough about the positive. The young man in the wheelchair is Sam (last name withheld for privacy, although he is probably more well-known in Evansville than our mayor). Sam has Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare genetic condition. His skin is fragile and blisters easily from even slight contact. He endures painful bandage changes daily and has endured countless medical procedures and spent many days and weeks in hospitals. He has literally fought EB every day of his entire life. He loves Memorial, Memorial sports and is an inspiration to our entire school family. And the Memorial family loves him. He rarely misses any Memorial football, basketball or baseball games. Saturday he watched the game from the sideline (and even attended the tailgate in the rain and wind for a little bit to help get the crowd fired up). While he may not look it, Sam is widely known as the toughest kid at Memorial. After the game (unbeknownst to anyone), Brock Combs, who was the clear star of the 4A game, received his medal and made his way over to Sam and hung it around his neck. A few minutes later the trophy was presented, this picture was taken. Very few people even knew it had happened until the following morning. This, my friends, is what HS football is all about! Thanks to ALL the coaches across our state who sacrifice so much to help young boys become men!

Best jobs: The big 4 of the MIC (Carmel, CG, WC, BD) Catholic school powers (Roncalli, Chatard, Cathedral, Fort Wayne Dwenger, Luers, Memorial) Rural-type powers (Linton, Pioneer, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, East Central, etc) Penn and Mishawaka (Good administrations and fan support) Sleeping Giants: Zionsville, Noblesville, Warsaw, Elkhart Consolidated, and Franklin Central.

I know that soliciting is probably frowned upon on this site and I do apologize. Iam asking a few things- Have the tough coversation about mortality with your spouse. Reach out to a financial adviser to ensure you are properly insured. Most people have coverage (including Coach Bowsman), but few have enough. Please consider- The last 10 days have been devastating. The remaining weeks and months we will get to our new "normal". For the family there will be many first that make the grieving process particularly difficult. The first basketball game without Phillip in the stands, the first holiday get together, etc. Adding stress to their new "normal" are the enormous expenses that have already begun to roll in associated with coaches care during his hospital stay. In addition to that the ability to maintain and survive without the majority of a household income in the future is a stress that should be furthest from the families mind. Many of you have already reached out with support of hugs, tears and stories. I ask that you please consider donating to this family. The Bowsman's have always been the family that did the giving. Providing for the needs of players past and present, leading coaches families to do their own "angel" program (providing a wonderful Christmas to players and their families), and so much more. I now ask you to pour into this family, a family that for so long has been doing the pouring into others. For those that are local, I ask that you donate directly at the First Harrison Bank in Salem (Bowsman Family Fund). For those of you that are not local, cannot make it directly to the branch or that are not a part of our community but touched by this story....PLEASE donate here! https://www.gofundme.com/f/bowsman-strong?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Ah. Thanks man. We've been struggling with week 8 for years.

Lol, apparently. I missed it. I think I was anxious to see the top 25, therefore skipping over the big black bold part. I mean, it would be kind of hard to argue the order in which he has it. A few tweaks here and there.

All PAC schools have their schedules finalized for 2020...and I imagine mostly for 2021 too...but maybe something can happen tell city would need to drop Perry central/Tecumseh/spring valley to make it happen https://www.courierpress.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/12/03/pac-football-schedules-have-bit-different-look-2020/2596416001/

Tell City is 2A...regardless I wonder is WW will try and add them assuming they have week 8 open. We already play PC.

They should just contract that whole city..

I would agree with a majority of those.. you can twist and turn them anyway you want.. but that’s a strong 25... I might also add Evansville Reitz and Memorial.

Just tell Allen to make sure he gets out of bounds!

I didn't realize he was an old SCC guy. I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact he's older than you.

I hesitate to use the term "civil war", however something is brewing. More evidence: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/dozens-of-virginia-counties-pass-second-amendment-sanctuary-resolutions

I didn’t realize Southport was willing to do Home AND Away. That’s a fairly big haul for a 6A Indy team to make to play a 3A team (no matter who they are). Kudos to GS. No one could have guessed when those college fraternity photos of Southport’s AD would come in handy....

... which is in the Zionsville school district (it's actually several miles north of Brownsburg and several miles east of the WeBo district line).

Lol. Junior?? Lmao! Certainly an upgrade. What wouldn’t be?

I agree with that. As a fan I just like to watch competitive football games. I would pick a 8 point loss to Southport over a 74 point win vs Pike Central any day.

Ran it to the left on 10/18 and ran it to the right on 10/25?

Could not agree more. Lots of great players out there. I was hugely impressed with Valpo's junior DE and while I think Maxen Hook was probably New Pal's best pure football player this year the award is an easy decision.

I'd like to see Snider play Carmel and Penn every year in the regular season. They've rumbled with those two teams approximately 35 times in the playoffs over the last four decades. New teams? Center Grove and Columbus East. Snider's never played anyone south of Indy other than Mooresville one time in the regular season. So playing a solid team like Columbus East would be fun to see. Center Grove because they are both storied programs, very good ones, who have never played one another.

Please. Go back to complaining about how Frankfort should be classified

It’s the architecture....

DT being DT. His parameters are skewed... So teams that have had recent success are Affluent or Private... Teams that struggle need contraction... Apparently there is no in between.

Why is it a mistake lol? If Carmel isn't one of the 16 northern-most teams, they belong in the south bracket. No? Carmel moving south completely negates your idea that 6A needs to be split because now you'll see more northern representation in the finals; they'll just be more lopsided affairs.