Leaderboard

It was 12 years ago today that the GID suffered a devastating blow from which many thought it would never recover. The founder and guiding spirit of the forum, Tim Adams, passed away suddenly. Tim was a long time coach, and a tireless promoter of Indiana high school football. I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten to know him and call him a good friend. I know many of the people on the forum now joined after Tim passed, and they know him only by the occasional references on here. Perhaps others who knew him might share some of their recollections of this very good man.

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.

Welcome to The Gridiron Digest Indiana Football Report. Each week, we spotlight some of the teams and storylines from Indiana high school football. Titans reloading in Class 3A The Gibson Southern Titans are reloading after winning the Class 3A state championship, starting the season with a 2-0 record, defeating two 5A teams. The Titans beat Terre Haute South 27-20 in Week 1, then defeated New Albany 45-7 last week. They open Pocket Athletic Conference play this Friday at home against Washington. But playing two larger schools in the non-conference schedule - and a strong out-of-state team in Week 4 in South Warren (Ky.) - helps prepare the Titans for conference and tournament play. “I think it is so important to play teams like that. It really forces us to prepare and play at a high level,” Titans coach Nick Hart said. “Then, when we see phenomenal athletes in conference or in the tournament it is something we have seen. We play the defending 5A Kentucky champs next week. Last year they whooped us pretty good, but we learned some valuable lessons that game and I don't think we win a state championship without those lessons.” The Titans graduated a number of players from last year’s squad, including quarterback Brady Allen, who is now at Purdue, but had a strong offseason. “I think it is always a fear that when you reach that mountain top that there can be a hangover going into the offseason,” Hart said. “With everyone that graduated you are looking around for leaders. Our kids did a fantastic job this offseason. I could not have been more pleased with what they did from December-July.” Quarterback Tanner Boyd has taken the reins of the offense and completed 39-of-47 passes for 311 yards and five touchdowns, spreading the ball around to multiple receivers. He was 16-of-18 against New Albany. A dual-threat, he also had a 131-yard rushing game against Terre Haute South in the opener. RB Devan Roberts tallied 169 yards and two scores on 13 carries against New Albany. “He has been great,” the Titans’ coach Hart said of Boyd. “He brings a different dynamic with his legs. We put a lot on our quarterbacks from a decision making standpoint and he has made phenomenal decisions so far. He's a great kid and he has done a great job.” Brownsburg returning to glory It’s been nearly four decades since the Brownsburg Bulldogs sat atop the high school football world with back-to-back state titles in 1984 and 1985. This current crop of Bulldogs is seeking to add to that proud tradition. With Nick Hart's father John at the helm, the Bulldogs enter Hoosier Crossroads Conference play this week after a pair of statement wins in their non-conference schedule, punctuated last week with a 42-35 victory over defending 5A champion Indianapolis Cathedral. Brownsburg moved up to No. 2 in the Class 6A poll with the victory, which came on the heels of a 21-16 win over Ben Davis in the opening week. Last season, the Bulldogs went 9-3 and won their first sectional title since 2009. “Our kids love to compete and winning never gets old, but we try to keep everything in perspective,” Bulldogs coach John Hart said. “We try to stay hungry and humble.” Quarterback Jayden Whitaker completed 15-of-23 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown, winning a shootout with Cathedral’s Danny O’Neil, who threw for 317 yards and four scores. Whitaker and Corey Smith have had a strong connection threw two weeks - Whitaker has 430 yards passing and is completing 63 percent of his throws. Smith has seven catches for 196 yards, including a 142-yard game last week. Junior running back Garrett Sherrell added 129 yards and three scores. “Our success throwing the ball has been the accumulation of a lot of hard work from our players,” Hart said. “Their commitment to working in the spring and summer showed up at the Colts and Hoover 7-on-7 tournaments.” Hart has led Evansville Reitz and Warren Central to state championships. He is the father of Gibson Southern’s Nick Hart. When Gibson Southern won the 3A title last year, the Harts became the third father-son duo to coach teams to IHSAA state titles, joining Bud and Kevin Wright, as well as John and Vince Lidy. All four of Hart’s children are head coaches, as is his son-in-law. “Our kids are tremendous coaches & their success coaching has been incredible,” John Hart said. “We all talk often about football, weight training, and program development, but mostly about life and family. I think we are all each other's biggest fans...led by their mom.” Nick Hart echoed those sentiments. “It is really special,” he said. “When I was old enough, I was always at practice. It is a part of who I am. We talk a lot. It is super-busy this time of year but there are always conversations going on.” Mater Dei takes big step with win The Evansville Mater Dei Wildcats have taken a step each of the last three years - sectional champ in 2019, regional in 2020 and semistate champ in 2021. The Wildcats would love nothing more than to climb the last rung this season as they look to make their seventh State Finals appearance since 1994 and seek to win their first title since 2000. They made a significant statement last week, beating then-5A No. 7 Castle 17-14. Mater Dei moved up to No. 1 in the Class 2A polls with the victory. While it is early in the season, last week’s victory was a big one. I “It seems that the MD-Castle game is always so close and such a battle, Friday night was no different. We have the greatest respect for Coach Doug Hurt and his staff and program – actually, the two programs have very similar philosophies,” Mater Dei coach Mike Goebel said. “The outcome could have been different, the lead changed hands four times and we were able to capitalize on a fumble late after our go-ahead score. Either team could have won.” The victory was Goebel’s 250th career win in a 26-year head coaching career - all at Mater Dei. Quarterback Mason Wunderlich threw for 224 yards, including a three-yard TD to Luke McDermon in the final two minutes to put the Wildcats over the top. They then forced two turnovers to seal the game - recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. When the Knights got the ball back, Mater Dei’s Joey Pierre picked off a pass to seal the game. Wunderlich has thrown for more than 459 yards through two games after passing for 2,671 yards a year ago. Pierre has been the leading rusher in both games as well as playing solid defense. “We think we have a good blend of players,” Goebel said. Several seniors have played in many games and they lead the way. Mason Wunderlich is much-improved. Joey Pierre is an outstanding two-way player and our leading scorer. We have great competition among our receivers to actually get on the field--they are all trustworthy. The line on both sides of the ball has been battling and is improving by the day. As to our main players, we really look at it as the team is trying to find itself and improve, that requires excellent effort from everyone.” With the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference being a 10-team league, every week is a league game, and therefore an important one. “Every game in the SIAC is important,” Goebel said. “Parity seems to be the word this season as only two teams remain undefeated after 2 games. We are now locked in on a very much improved Vincennes Lincoln team this weekend. Coach (Levi) Salters could very easily be undefeated at this point.” Roncalli starting strong Roncalli has started the season strong under new head coach Eric Quintana. The Royals are ranked No. 2 in both Class 4A polls and were ranked No. 1 in the IFCA poll for a week. In Week 1, Luke Hansen broke a 21-year-old school record, rushing for 335 yards and five touchdowns against Southport. He ran for 182 yards on 37 carries in a 17-0 Week 2 victory over Franklin Central. Roncalli’s massive offensive line, led by Iowa commit Trevor Lauck, opens the way. “We focus on ourselves every day. Our emphasis every day is fundamentals and physicality. Our offensive line did a great job at doing their jobs at max effort. Luke did the same,” Quintana said of Hansen’s record-breaking day and start to the season. “He has naturally progressed over the summer and early fall at training his eyes and trusting the guys up front. It helps that he is great in the weight room and an all-state wrestler. We have the tools every week to be a leading rushing team in the state. It's easy to talk, we have to work every day. Very proud of our guys' work ethic so far.” A native of Plymouth, Quintana takes over at Roncalli after 11 seasons as an assistant coach at five different Central Indiana schools. He was on the staff for three state championship teams - with Carmel in 2016 and Indianapolis Bishop Chatard in 2019 and 2020. “The last few months have gone by fast,” Quintana said of taking over as the Royals’ head coach. “I personally like to just get involved and get to work. The first thing was to create relationships with my guys and hire the best staff for our guys. Once that was done, we got straight to work program-wide. The summer went well and the school year is off to a great start. Having a supportive administration and alumni group around is great. All hands on deck to continue and raise the standards of such a great traditional program.” Roncalli faces 3A No. 1 Indianapolis Chatard this week. Lions snap streak, start 2-0 Entering the 2022 season, the Rushville Lions had one varsity player who had experienced a victorious Friday night. That number now extends to the entire team, as the Lions have won back-to-back games to start the season for the first time since 2013. The Lions beat Milan 41-35 in Week 1 to snap a 24-game losing streak. It was their first victory since Sept. 20, 2019, when they beat Connersville in overtime. Rushville followed it up with a 41-39 victory over Shelbyville in the resumption of their longstanding rivalry that had been paused for a decade. For the Lions, the victories were a long time in the making. Isaac Sliger, a 2013 Rushville graduate, returned to the head coaching job at his alma mater last year and worked to build the culture. Last season, they went 0-10, but were playing a number of freshmen and sophomores and building. "When we came in, we understood we wanted to start over completely from scratch and rebuild from the ground up," Sliger said. "For us, that started with creating a culture of living in the weight room, creating high standards, holding players and coaches accountable and creating an environment where our athletes support other athletes and each other in their respective sports. As everyone knows, that is not an easy thing to do every single day, let alone when you are trying to build something from the ground up. Our kids have bought in and have done such an amazing job of doing things the right way." The Lions are led by senior quarterback Austin Vance, a four-year starter who missed all but one game last season with an injury. He threw for 217 yards and four touchdowns against Milan and 122 yards last week against Shelbyville. Junior Harper Miller ran for 169 yards in the win over Shelbyville. Sliger described Miller and Jayden Roosa as their "Thunder and Lightning" combo in the running game in their uptempo offense. Rushville hosts its first Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference foe, Franklin County, this week. "We know and understand we have a lot to prove," Sliger said. "We as a program are in uncharted waters. We are learning how to win games and learning how to raise standards daily, in practice, in film and in the classroom. The EIAC has some great programs that weekly are going to present challenges to each other. Our guys love the challenge." Notable Center Grove extended its winning streak to 30 games last week with a 31-27 win over Carmel behind 180 passing yards from QB Tyler Cherry, 129 of which went to Noah Coy. Carmel’s Jackson Kazmierczak was 22-of-34 for 353 yards and two touchdowns, with Reece Ballin on the receiving end of 156 of those yards. … Evansville Reitz’s Ben Davies was 22-of-30 for 317 yards in a 31-28 victory over Vincennes Lincoln. … East Central’s Cole Burton was 10-of-17 for 291 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-7 win over neighboring Harrison (Ohio). … Guerin Catholic’s Ryan Zimmerman topped the 300-yard mark for the second straight game, as he was 16-of-24 for 313 yards in a 47-10 victory over Lafayette Catholic. … North Harrison’s Sawyer Wetzel ran for 239 yards in a 42-6 win over Scottsburg … Perry Central’s Sawyer Guillaume had 269 rushing yards and three TDs in a 42-21 win over Forest Park. … North Knox’s Caleb Bottum ran for 274 yards and four TDs in a 45-14 victory over Eastern Greene. … Heritage Christian’s Luke Valerio had 185 yards receiving and four TDs on five catches in a 52-33 win over Shenandoah. The Raiders’ Mayson Lewis had 238 rushing yards in a losing effort. … Crawfordsville is 2-0 for the first time in eight years under new head coach Brad Clark. The Athenians had won three games total since 2017 prior to this year. Other games to watch this week 6A #1 Center Grove at Louisville Trinity 6A #3 Cathedral at 6A #7 Penn Detroit Cass Tech at 6A #6 Carmel 5A #9 Fort Wayne North at 6A #9 Carroll 6A #10 Homestead at Fort Wayne Luers Crown Point at 5A #1 Merrillville 5A #2 Whiteland at 5A #5 Decatur Central 4A #1 New Palestine at Yorktown 4A #4 East Central at Cincinnati Moeller 4A #8 Greenfield-Central at 4A #10 Mt. Vernon 2A #8 Heritage Christian at 3A #5 Guerin Catholic 2A #2 Eastbrook at Oak Hill 1A #1 Indianapolis Lutheran at 2A #7 Triton Central Covenant Christian at 1A #2 Adams Central 1A #7 North Decatur at 1A #4 Monroe Central

If you have a news story or link to an actual story, like in the case of Hammond Morton, it's ok to post. But to just post "I heard....." regardless of what the topic is......is not acceptable on this site.

Welcome to The Gridiron Digest Indiana Football Report. This weekly feature will run throughout the season and highlight big games and big storylines throughout Indiana. This brings us back to the roots Tim Adams began this site with, as a place to bring together and presenting news from around the state. "Battle of Broadway" a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 1 By Andrew Smith The Gridiron Digest One and a half miles of Broadway is all that physically separates Merrillville and Andrean High Schools. But when the two meet up in the aptly-named “Battle of Broadway” matchup Friday night at Merrillville’s Demaree Stadium, the matchup won’t just pit neighbors against each other. It will also pit No. 1 vs. No. 1. Merrillville begins the year as the No. 1 team in Class 5A after winning three straight regional titles in Class 6A, while Andrean begins atop the 2A poll as the defending state champion. “There will be a lot of excitement for the ‘Battle of Broadway’ as expectations are high for both programs. It's always a fun physical game where both teams play hard,” Merrillville coach Brad Seiss said. “We both have a lot of respect for each other's football teams.” Andrean ran the table in Class 2A last season, ending with a 21-9 victory over Evansville Mater Dei in the State Finals. But the 59ers have quickly turned the page. “We haven't talked about last year much except maybe in the context of prepping the body for the grind of a season,” Andrean coach Chris Skinner said. “The seniors are motivated to leave their own unique mark on the program. Everyone is stepping into at least a slightly different role compared to last season. It's a new team with a new leadership group.” Merrillville moved to 5A during the summer’s reclassification due to the school’s enrollment. The Pirates have had recent success, going 33-5 over the last three seasons and advancing to the semistate each year, but falling one step short of Lucas Oil Stadium. “Everyone wants to talk about us going into 5A because of the success that we've had over the last few years in 6A,” Merrillville coach Brad Seiss said. “We aren't really concerned about that until we get to the tournament. We've got the same 2 non-conference games in Andrean and Hobart then we get into DAC play. Getting better weeks 1-9 is the most important thing we can do as we prepare for the tournament in October.” Meanwhile, the entirety of Andrean’s schedule consists of teams in the top three classes. Merrillville is a premier opponent to begin the year. “I love competition. It doesn't matter if it's competition within our program or against competitive opponents,” Skinner said. “I believe in the ‘iron sharpens iron’ mantra. There are certainly challenges in playing a schedule like ours in which every opponent is at least two classes higher than us, but our players accept those challenges. We will certainly be exposed in certain areas by playing that level of competition, but it allows us to make adjustments that end up in growth down the road. I have a lot of respect for Merrillville specifically. Coach Seiss has been able to reload year after year. It's a fantastic Week 1 game that typically draws a good crowd and gets the attention of college coaches and scouts as well.” The scouts will have plenty of top players to see - Merrillville sports two of the top seniors in Indiana in Colorado State commit Justin Marshall - who had 1,088 receiving yards a year ago - and safety Phillip Roche. Andrean features Notre Dame commit Drayk Bowen, who had 965 rushing yards, 105 tackles and three interceptions a year ago. Andrean also has junior QB Scott Ballentine returning after completing 68 percent of his passes for 2,860 yards and junior WR Patrick Clacks, who had 753 yards last year. “Drayk is an amazing talent and certainly one that does a lot for us,” Skinner said. “He rarely comes off the field. He's also a great role model for how to train, how to prep, how to take care of the body.” Opening the year in Indy Another cross-town rivalry will kick off 2022 - but 70 miles down the road at Lucas Oil Stadium. For the first time since 2004, Harrison and West Lafayette - two schools less than five miles apart - will meet on the gridiron. The 6 p.m. kickoff will begin the IHSAA football season at the annual Horseshoe Classic. Beginning the season at Lucas Oil Stadium is always a treat, but both programs have designs on finishing it there, too. “We are excited to start the season in Lucas Oil Stadium,” said West Lafayette coach Shane Fry, whose teams are 94-18 in nine seasons. “This is the first time we have played Harrison since 2004. It is a fierce rivalry in other sports, and most of the players know each other. It is a unique situation with our football fields being two miles apart and us traveling 65 miles to play on the big stage and kickoff the 2022 season. This is a great opportunity for our program, both to play at Lucas Oil and to matchup against Harrison.” Fry’s squad won the 2018 state title and was the 2015 3A runner-up. The Red Devils posted a 9-1 record last season and have won at least seven games in each of the last nine years. Harrison is coming off an 8-2 season. The Raiders won sectional titles in 2018 and 2019, but fell to eventual 5A state runner-up Zionsville in the sectional each of the last two years. The second game will be another marquee matchup, as last year’s 3A runner-up Brebeuf Jesuit faces 3A No. 1 Bishop Chatard in a matchup of top teams from the Circle City Conference. Chatard, which has won 15 state championships, returns to 3A after spending a year in Class 4A due to the Tournament Success Factor. The two squads have been frequent sectional foes, but they will not meet in the tourney this year, as Brebeuf has moved to Class 4A and begins the season ranked No. 5 New coach in Columbus One of the most high-profile coaching changes over the offseason came in Columbus, where Tim Bless retired after 22 years at the helm of the Columbus North Bull Dogs. Logan Haston, a former standout quarterback at Avon and Manchester University, takes over. It’s Haston’s first head coaching position, but he had previously been on staff at Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers and his college alma mater, Manchester. “I am very thankful to be taking over such a well-established program,” Haston said. “Coach Bless has built a strong reputation at Columbus North with tough, hard-working athletes who play the game the right way. I am excited to build upon the tradition & success that has come before me, while also implementing my own cultural identity that meshes with the players & coaching staff.” Haston played for two standout coaches at Avon - Dave Shelbourne and Mark Bless - Tim’s brother - before matriculating to Manchester, where he played for Shannon Griffith. “I'm not sure if I'd be where I am today without my experience at Avon,” Haston said. “Between two years with Dave Shelbourne, to my final two years under Mark Bless, I was mentored by some incredible coaches. I learned what the standard of excellence looks like, and how to compete in a first class manner. I will forever be grateful for my time as an Oriole.” Haston takes over a squad that went 6-4 last season and won its second straight Conference Indiana title. It has a strong non-conference schedule, beginning with a Week 1 matchup at Decatur Central. “I'm very pleased with our growth this summer as a team,” Haston said. “Our players have really bought in to what we're trying to accomplish, particularly the seniors. Their leadership has thoroughly impressed me, and we're going to lean on it during the season. Decatur Central is well-coached and will be a very tough Week 1 opponent, but we're excited for the challenge.” Marauders building off a title Another defending champion is Mt. Vernon (Fortville), where first-year coach Vince Lidy led the Marauders to a 14-1 record and the Class 4A title. It was the Marauders’ first football State Finals appearance after advancing to the regional and semistate the two years prior. MV graduated several key players, but has a pair of building blocks in WR George Burhenn - a Purdue commit - and QB/WR Eli Bridenthal to lead the way. The duo combined for 1,064 receiving yards a year ago. Burhenn and senior linebacker Kellen La Belle are the top returning tacklers, each with 44. La Belle also had eight tackles for loss. “The success of last year is a result of great work and weekly improvement from the players and coaches as we worked through each week,” Lidy said, noting the Marauders’ 37 wins over the last three seasons are third-most in the state behind Center Grove and Cathedral. That has built as the Marauders have more than 110 players in four grades on the roster this fall. “A huge benefit of playing so long in the postseason is the amount of reps and practice our younger players were able to experience as we moved through the tournament. The success was also a great springboard into winter training. Excitement has stayed at an elevated level and this next group of players wants to continue to build on the success of the past three seasons and add to their legacy in the MV football program.” The Marauders open the season at Noblesville, which gave them their lone blemish last season, a 57-36 defeat in Week 1. It will be the first game in the Millers’ new stadium. Lidy said the Millers will bring a challenge with their power running game and large offensive line. “We always aim to play the 'perfect' game each Friday, but the most important thing in Indiana high school football is to find ways to get a little better each week and be playing your best football towards the end of the season. “I feel as though you don't win the state championship based on the result of Week 1. Our program lived through that in 2021. Before we can worry about conference championships, sectional and playoff championships, we have to take care of ourselves and focus on week 1 first.” Other key games 6A No. 5 Warren Central at 6A No. 1 Center Grove 6A No. 4 Brownsburg at 6A No. 7 Ben Davis 6A No. 6 Westfield at 4A No. 2 New Palestine 5A No. 8 Mishawaka at 3A No. 5 Mishawaka Marian 4A No. 6 Evansville Memorial at Jasper 3A No. 3 GIbson Southern at Terre Haute South 6A No. 2 Cathedral at Lafayette Jeff 1A No. 1 Lutheran at Beech Grove 2A No. 2 Evansville Mater Dei at Evansville Central Louisville Trinity at 6A No. 3 Carmel Elkhart at 5A No. 9 Concord 3A No. 6 Lawrenceburg at 4A No. 7 East Central

I want to thank all the Veterans here for their service to help make all this possible !!! Hope you all had a great day so far and it should get even better around 7:00/7:30 this evening ! Godspeed !

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.

Coach Hummer was my freshman coach in 1969 at Rensselaer Central. Coach Siderwitz, Coach Geisman and Coach Hummer all influenced the direction I chose. Coach Hummer was an outstanding classroom teacher and an inspirational coach on the gridiron. I remember his wit and smile as if it were yesterday. My prayers go out for him and to his family! What a great man… George Gilbert, retired coach

Speaking of recruiting, D Tees is on Facebook going all Mel Gibsons on the Catholic and private schools. I swear to The Virgin Mary he is. I gotta go

First home game for Linton and should be the first test for the Miners to see what kind of a team they have. Linton is playing a lot of young players along with some seasoned veterans returning at key positions, namely at QB, receiver, and running back. Three tall receivers are good targets for senior QB Gennicks. Gennicks is the leading rusher as well, taking one 96 yards last week at North Vermillion. The first two games were running clock games and the varsity offense put up 106 points in the four quarters they played while the varsity D allowed 13 points. Monrovia is much improved so we'll see if the Mines are deserving of the high rankings they have in the polls. On a personal note, I didn't travel to the first two Miner games but I will be in attendance at this week's game, marking the 85th consecutive season I have attended Linton Miner football games.

Awesome moment prior to the HH / Mt Vernon game! Blake Duttlinger, injured in a farming accident last September, led the Patriots onto the field. Incredible!

We may not always see eye to eye but we have one thing in common…our love for the greatest sport on planet earth! Happy holidays and safe travels to all in the GID Nation! - Temp

Sorry guys, I had a busy day and could not make this a priority until after work. We are up and going once again, enjoy.

and you intend to watch this on purpose?

Whiteland moves up to top spot By Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com For several years, the Whiteland Warriors have quietly been one of the top teams in the Mid-State Conference and in South Central Indiana. But now, the Warriors have a new designation - No. 1. After beating then-No. 5 Decatur Central 28-7 last week to improve to 3-0 on the season, the Warriors were elevated to the top spot in both Class 5A polls. This week, the Warriors face another fifth-ranked team in 3-0 Franklin in the Golden Work Boot rivalry game. “We look at it as a sign of respect for our entire program and football family members past and present,” Whiteland coach Darrin Fisher said of the No. 1 ranking. “It is a source of pride knowing that others believe as we do that the Whiteland Warriors are capable of beating anyone, anytime, anywhere. This recognition, however, was given to us by someone else. Now we must go out to work each day and earn the right to call ourselves No. 1 down the road.” Whiteland went 6-4 last season and was the sectional runner-up to New Palestine, but has a 31-member senior class that has led the way. “We refer to them as the ‘Dirty Thirty,’” Fisher said. “One advantage to an experienced team is that they know the level of physicality to expect to win tough games. They have risen to the challenge thus far in 2022.” The Warriors’ run-heavy “fly” offense has averaged 315 yards per game so far this season, led by senior Peyton Emberton, who has 426 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Fellow senior Jonathan Crowley is averaging eight yards per carry. Defensively, senior Brady Stanifer leads the Warriors’ defense with 25 total tackles. The Warriors are allowing 10 points per game. But the Warriors are hosting a Franklin squad that is on the rise. The Grizzly Cubs are 3-0 for the first time since 2019 - when they won eight games and posted the program’s first winning season in 23 years. Under coach Chris Coll - who was a state championship coach at Tri-West before heading to Franklin in 2017 - the Grizzly Cubs risen as a program to the top five in Class 5A. “Any success we are having this season is the product of multiple components,” Coll said, citing the example of former players, the coaching staff, booster club and administration, as well as this year’s players. “It takes a great deal of effort and resources to develop a successful high school football program. It's never just one person or one group, and I think that is what we are starting to see here in Franklin.” The Grizzly Cubs are getting a lot of production from a multifaceted ground game led by junior quarterback Clay Pinnick, who has run for 143 yards and thrown for 345 so far. Senior Max Clark has 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In addition to being a standout on the gridiron, he also is the nation’s top baseball prospect in the senior class. “Max is an elite athlete. His physical abilities allow him to do some things on the football field that are not typical. Max has also been extremely dedicated to taking care of himself when it comes to the weight room, nutrition and overall care for his body. We know he is going to spend the majority of his time with baseball, but when he does get to us, he is going to be in great physical shape and ready to contribute. I think the most important example Max sets for all of our athletes, and not just football athletes, is the dedication and hard work he commits to being an elite athlete,” Coll said. “And Max loves football. Obviously he knows baseball is going to take him to the highest levels, but he is passionate about football and he loves playing with the teammates he grew up with here in Franklin.” This week’s matchup is an important one for positioning in the always-tough Mid-State Conference - Whiteland opened league play with a win over Decatur Central last week, while Franklin beat Perry Meridian 42-0. “I think it is an important match-up for us primarily because they are the best overall team we have faced to this point in the season,” Coll said. “We are still a program trying to prove we can compete in the Mid-State Conference and in the 5A playoffs. That's the biggest aspect for us as a team/program this week. The rivalry is special and the implications for the conference race are important. But this is only week 4. We have five more conference games after this one, and they are all important and big games for us.” “The challenge of coaching is to have your team improve Mentally, Emotionally and Physically throughout the season,” Fisher added. “Fight for three more feet of ground than you had the week before. Good opponents magnify the need for this to happen. We see the Franklin Game as an opportunity to take another step toward Earning what we want and needing to play our very best to do it.” Mudsock rivalry features neighbors, friends In southeastern Hamilton County, a unique rivalry has developed as Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern meet in the Mudsock rivalry game - Mudsock being one of the city of Fishers’ early names. The rivalry began when Fishers was created in 2006, dividing the rapidly-growing southeastern Hamilton County community into one with two high schools. Not only do the two schools share a community and school district, they also share a youth league and feeder program - the district’s three junior high schools feed into the two high schools - so players grow up knowing and playing alongside each other. The programs have a lot of mutual respect for each other. “It's a game like none other,” HSE coach Michael Kelly said. “The environment, enthusiasm and excitement make the game fun. Most of our players and the Fishers players played youth league and junior high football together.They know each other well. The parents have been on the sidelines supporting one another over the course of that time. It's neat to see how players and our community support one another all year long with the exception of this one game. “What makes the game unique is how well they know their opponent. Most of the time the unknown creates question marks. They know our players well and our players know them well, so there are no questions. It's more about which team will execute their game plan the best.” HSE, currently ranked No. 6 in Class 6A, has won the Mudsock game 12 times in 17 meetings, including a 42-13 victory in last season’s meeting. Offensively, Donavan Hamilton has 220 receiving yards and four touchdowns receiving and junior Jalen Alexander has 297 rushing yards. But the defense has also shone, allowing 11.3 ppg in three games. “We have leaned heavily on our defense to start the season,” Kelly said, noting his team has eight returning starters on that side of the ball, with the line of Evan Sherrill, Dominic Burgett and Jack Seyferth leading the way by getting pressure up front. Led by coach Curt Funk, Fishers is 3-0 for the second consecutive year. It’s the second straight season the two teams have met with unblemished records. The Tigers have been led by their two-pronged rushing attack of junior Khobie Martin - who has 300 yards and three TDs - and senior Carson Dunn, who has scored five TDs and has 224 yards. The contest is not just a backyard rivalry, but also an important one in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference race - a league that features four teams in the top 11 of the IFCA Class 6A poll. Crown Point rallies for a signature victory Last week was a tough one for teams ranked No. 1 in the state, as four teams atop their respective classes’ polls were defeated. One of those was 5A No. 1 Merrillville, as Crown Point rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat the Pirates 48-40 in a wild game. The Bulldogs relied on their power running game to outscore Merrillville 27-6 after halftime. Quarterback J.J. Johnson ran for 182 yards, while running back Elijah Taiwhan ran for 137 for the Bulldogs. Taiwhan’s two third-quarter touchdowns erased the 34-21 halftime deficit and put the Bulldogs on top. Crown Point added two more scores before allowing a late touchdown. “There were two big keys to our success on Friday,” Crown Point coach Craig Buzea said. “After giving up 34 points in the first half, making some schematic adjustments defensively, but even more importantly, understanding the speed of the game in which they played. Once our guys figured that out, we were able to shut them out in the second half other than a Hail Mary pass with a minute to go. “Probably more importantly, we stuck to our gameplan on offense. It would have been very easy to abort the plan, falling behind by two touchdowns early in the first quarter, but we felt our only chance to negate their tremendous speed was to play power football and run straight at them with three and four tight end sets while mixing in some play action shots along the way.” The Bulldogs rushed for almost 400 yards in the game, which Buzea said “is nearly unheard of against a Merrillville defense.” It’s Buzea’s second season in Crown Point after winning more than 200 games at Portage and in Illinois - and a full offseason allowed the coaching staff to put their plan to work after taking over in spring 2021. Crown Point is 3-0 and receiving votes in the Class 6A poll, its best start since 2014. After beating Lowell and Andrean the first two weeks, the Bulldogs host neighbor Lake Central this week in a Duneland Athletic Conference contest. “It’s going to be a challenge each and every week in the DAC and we must be able to answer the bell every Friday,” Buzea said. “It’s very important that we take care of ourselves. The plan is in place. We need to keep the main thing the main thing and block out the noise.” North Decatur putting up zeroes In Class A, No. 6 North Decatur has been dominant through three games, with a defense that is unscored upon. Last week, the Chargers beat then-No. 4 Monroe Central 43-0, and they have outscored opponents 140-0 through three games. They can clinch at least a share of the Mid-Eastern Conference title this week at home against Shenandoah. The Chargers have had success in recent seasons, but they are 3-0 for the first time since 2015, which was their first under coach Steve Stirn. After going 6-5 last season, they’ve been impressive on both sides of the ball this season. “From day one we have been trying to build a program that could be successful,” Stirn said. “The last few years we have begun to reap the rewards of those early efforts. The sectional championship is 2019, was the first in 21 years, it sorta raised the bar for expectations. Success has allowed to push our kids and to be even more demanding. They have answered the call. This year is the culmination of a lot of hard work by many people.” Defensively, the Chargers’ depth has led to their success, as they rotate 20 players on that side of the ball, led by seniors Carson Parmer and Jake Kinker up front, as well as the brother tandem of James and Josh Evans at linebacker, Reid Messer at safety and Evan Howell at cornerback leading the way. Howell is the leading tackler with 17 stops. “The sum is only as good as its parts,” Stirn said. “This collection of young men love to play defense and take a tremendous pride in it.” Offensively, Parmer is completing 71 percent of his passes for 558 yards. Messer has 272 rush yards, 173 receiving yards and seven total TDs. James Evans is averaging 9.6 yards per carry and has four scores. Warsaw led by its D Another program putting up impressive numbers early in the season is Warsaw. Coach Bart Curtis’ squad is 3-0 for the first time in 21 years. They’re led by a defense that has allowed 14 points in three games - beating Michigan City 35-7 and Chesterton 24-7 in the opening two weeks before a 70-0 shutout of Plymouth in Week 3. The defense has led the Tigers so far, with nine returning starters. DL Russ Winchester, LBs Nick Katris and Jonn Burritt and DBs Trey Koontz and Theo Katris are all three-year starters. DL Isaac Beam, LB Jette Woodward and CB Colt VanHouten are all two-year starters. Beam and Katris both had defensive scores last week against Plymouth, and the Warsaw defense has scored more touchdowns than it has allowed this season. “Several two and three-year starters have returned on defense and have played inspired defensive football for most of their snaps,” Curtis said. “We lost our starting quarterback early in our opener, so our defense will continue to play hard and well as we bring along our new quarterback. We have also improved each week on the offensive line while trying to find an offensive identity.” For decades, Curtis’ teams identity has been the option offense. Grady Nolin has taken the helm and rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown and threw for 58 yards last week against Plymouth. Running backs German Flores and Bryson Brown are two of the three returning starters. The Tigers travel to Concord this week in a Northern Lakes Conference matchup. Warsaw hasn’t won at Concord since 2009. “Concord’s is extremely well-coached,” Curtis said. “Craig Koehler and his staff have had us dialed in for years. Their current record is extremely deceiving, with losses to undefeated Elkhart and NorthWood.” Rough week for No. 1s In addition to Merrillville, three other No. 1s fell last week. 6A Center Grove dropped a 29-28 2OT game at Louisville Trinity - a Kentucky powerhouse that defeated Carmel in Week 1. Brownsburg took over the top spot in the 6A poll. In Class 3A, Indianapolis Chatard lost on a last-second field goal to 4A No. 2 Roncalli by a 20-17 score. While the Trojans remained No. 1 in the IFCA poll heading into this week’s game at 6A No. 3 Cathedral, West Lafayette moved up to No. 1 in the AP poll. In 2A, Evansville Mater Dei fell 31-28 to Vincennes Lincoln, allowing Linton to move to the top spot. New Palestine (Class 4A) and Indianapolis Lutheran (Class A) remain in the top spot of their respective classes. Brownsburg plays its first game at No. 1 at home against rival Avon. New Palestine travels to its arch-rival, Mt. Vernon, ranked No. 9 in Class 4A. West Lafayette hosts 2A No. 6 Lafayette Central Catholic. Linton hosts Sullivan, while Lutheran meets Lapel. Other key games this week 6A No. 2 Center Grove at 6A No. 4 Ben Davis 6A No. 3 Indianapolis Cathedral at 3A No. 1 Indianapolis Chatard 5A No. 7 Fort Wayne Dwenger at Homestead 5A No. 8 Decatur Central at 4A No. 10 Martinsville 4A No. 2 Roncalli at Columbus North 4A No. 7 Brebeuf at 3A No. 5 Guerin Catholic 3A No. 2 West Lafayette at 2A No. 6 Lafayette Central Catnolic 4A No. 7 New Prairie at 3A No. 10 Mishawaka Marian South Warren (Ky.) at 3A No. 3 Gibson Southern Western Boone at 3A No. 6 Tri-West River Forest at 3A No. 8 Hanover Central Sullivan at 2A No. 1 Linton 2A No. 10 Triton Central at Monrovia Lapel at 1A No. 1 Lutheran Jay County at 1A No. 2 Adams Central 1A No. 3 South Adams at Heritage

For those who feel strongly enough that rumors should be allowed on the site, keep in mind a couple things. 1. These standards were the same standards that Tim Adams, the creator of this site had in place. 2. This is HIGH SCHOOL football, not college or pro football where athletes and coaches are paid very well to do what they do. We are talking about kids, teachers, and parents. Posting rumors of those people puts indivi9duals in a spotlight that they do not necessarily deserve. As far injury rumors, every student has a right to privacy. Posting of possible injuries to specific players without their knowing is a significant violation of their right to privacy. This is not the place to break news. If there is a story or a public post from an injured player or a parent of one, or if there is a news story...ok. Feel free to discuss that here. TA actually limited the discussion on coaching rumors; but mostly from the standpoint of coaching jobs. The change came when a parent saw a post on this site about a possible candidate he thought had interviewed. That coach's current employer was informed of it, and called the coach in to discuss it. A coach should NEVER be put in that position because f what is posted on the site. Again, keep in mind the vast majority of coaches are getting paid pennies per hour for the work they do. There are coaches' families to consider in these spots as well. Other rumors about coaches can create problems as well. I would suggest people look up terms like libel and slander. Again, if there is a news story, a public statement from the coach or district about a topic, post away. Perfect example of this is the story about Hammond Morton. No rumors, and it included a link to the story. But the one that was posted that prompted me posting this was a BIG deal. Not sure how it plays out when the dust settles, but it is important for a story of that magnitude to wait for confirmed sources. Typically, if your post starts with " I heard...." think about it before hitting submit. Hopefully that clarifies things even for those who have read the first post here and wondered what was up. In many cases, like the one that led to me posting the reminder is hidden or deleted before many have seen it. As always, if you have a question feel free to send a message. Now, if you feel so strongly that these standards are wrong, you can let us know that as well, and we can work through a solution, agree to disagree, or take other needed/warranted steps.

How fortunate I have been to be involved with this man since my playing days. He is going to be inducted this Summer with NFF: Joe Tiller chapter ceremony, which is common choice for many Region 4 coaches blessed to get the nod to the HOF. Last year, it was Kevin O'Shea and John Hendryx for HS coaches of modern era. https://rensselaercentral.com/2023/04/19/meeks-becomes-hall-of-famer/

Leaving conference is fine, Leaving Conference without following what I am sure is some sort of by law for time is another. That is always a bad deal for the schools you leave behind. Leave, fine, leave with month left of school, yikes

Lemme first start by saying I’m not a huge fan of court storming. It’s not a mountain or hill I’m willing to die on but it’s a slippery slope when you mix fans, players and coaches. That being said, this looks calculated. Osborn has the wherewithal to guide his players and keep them out of harms way yet then charges right through the crowd students immediately thereafter. It’s almost like he was looking for trouble. Both parties share some of the blame but we should hold a leader of young people/adult to a higher standard. Just my opinion… (Oh, and one more…) This decision comes across as weak as hell from Carmel.

This kid is this generation’s Jack Armstrong. For those of you young folks, look that up. An outstanding young man from little Pioneer High School, with his best football ahead of him and a degree from the prestigious Mendoza School of Business already in his pocket. What a great story. A true Notre Dame Man. https://mobile.twitter.com/AE_Kiser/status/1526399998287659009/photo/1

I don’t mind my money going to the IHSAA, but I have problem with my money going to ticket company’s at 30% mark up.

Biggest win in school history and some guy with a man buns is bitching about the refs on Facebooks.

STATE LAW! I swear to God it is!

Apologies upfront if I am violating any GID rules or policies for posting this link from Channel 14 but I think stories like this need to be shared as widely as possible as there is too little "good news" and too few inspiring stories these days. Read more on Heritage Hills senior with amputated leg defies odds on the football field at https://www.14news.com/2022/08/26/heritage-hills-senior-with-amputated-leg-defies-odds-football-field/

As another football summer is drawing to an end - something that has been on my mind that I don't really know where to address it - but wanted to get it out there - I thought I'd share something that I've noticed that has been a troubling trend that I've observed throughout the last couple summers. These 11 on 11 "scrimmages" or whatever it is you want to call them. While they CAN be a great tool for self-evaluations - I've been a little "taken aback" or "put off" by some of the antics by fellow coaches that are supposedly there to coach up their own teams - but yet it turns into a "macho/chest bumping/screaming/hollering" antics after a given play or whatever it is. I get the competitive nature of these things - but in June/July there are no championships won or trophies given out...can't we just cool it with all of that? I know I sound like an old "get off my lawn" type - but it seems it has just gotten increasingly worse as the summers have gone on. I'm now into my 16th year coaching (where does the time go?) - but I find it hard to believe that "back in the day" (if these things were allowed) - some of my ol ball coaches going crazy after a play trying to drum up excitement. I've seen it escalate into chippyness - and kids take after their leaders - so what do you expect? As a coaching community - we can and should do better. That is all.

In 2012 the IFCA formed a 14 member committee with myself and Ryan Gallogly {Brebeuf HS} as Co-Chairmans. We put together a 3- part proposal to the IHSAA that included- Part 1- 6th class, Part 2- Success Factor and Part 3- seeding {see below}. I polled all the football playing schools Principals, AD's and Head Coaches in the state on all 3 proposals. Principals- 83% of the principals voted & 85% voted YES, AD's- 86% of the AD's voted & 85% voted YES, Head Coaches- 96%of the head coaches voted & 91% voted YES. We presented are proposal the indiana Athletic Directors committee and they voted 24-0 in favor of are 3 part proposal. Then we presented it to the IHSAA and they approved the 6th class, they approved their version of the success factor {ours was for 4 years not 2} and they did not approve seeding.

THis is such a sad thing. I have certainly called the name Vernelson many times over the years at Linton/Sullivan battles. Jeremiah fought so hard to be a part of the Arrow football team... it was admirable to see how dedicated he was to get to suit up. He will be an inspiration for sure.. .and from what I am told he was just a stellar kid... made a difference in people's lifes every day. My thoughts and prayers go to his family and his teammates and friends. We may be bitter enemies ...the Miners and the Arrows.. in anything from football, cow-tipping to horseshoes and watermelon seed spitting... but when it comes to this...we are all human beings---and brothers and sisters in the ultimate game of life.

This is what I know, on Bomber Golf practice round, Coach Nowlin Shanked a Wedge, got thru a tree, hit a Tee box and bounced and hit a fella in the buttock. That fella was Lewis Cass Head Coach, I would say that is Karma working !! 🤣

You don't understand Temp...that gives Muda the opportunity to start his other thread criticizing teams that win by large margins. The Beast feeds itself.....

Showing my age, but I played youth football in the era of the "Ickey Shuffle." When I scored my first TD, guess what I did? The referee's flag after I spiked the ball and then the reprimand from the coach quickly got my attention. So my career stats include 1 (and only 1) Ickey Shuffle celebration. My irritation with the clip isn't with the 3rd graders. They are just imitating what they have seen on TV/YouTube/TikTok. It does bother me that a coach and parents allow such behavior.

Please keep retired coach Dale Hummer in your thoughts and prayers. He’s battling the big C and the outlook isn’t looking good. His head coaching career started at Fountain Central in 1973. He led the Mustangs to back to back undefeated seasons in 75 and 76 and playoff spots. In 1978 FC was 1A runner up to Lawrenceburg. He left Fountain Central after the 1980-81 school year and went to Bloomington South. He didn’t have the success there that was expected and from what I remember didn’t have much support for the administration. He ended up at Dekalb and led them to a state title. Coach Hummer was responsible for launching the coaching careers for several successful coaches including, Gene Jellybean Rowe, Rick Malone, Brian Moore and one of the best in Myron Mo Moiarity. I’m sure there’s many more. Thanks everyone ✌️💙

TigerFan20: The All-Metro team beats this team by 2-3 touchdowns. DumfriesYMCA: There goes SIAC fans overstating the talent differential. ThorntonMelon: ermhs gets no respect. They should have had players on the SW Indiana team too. Titan32: How many of the players on the SW Indiana team did EM/MD try to recruit? Jets: Congratulations to Coach Buening. He teaches 87 classes each day too. That's what Southridge coaches do. [Just trying to save a few pages. 🙂 ]

Wait I was reliably informed that only private schools do this

Yea, I don’t even know what most of that shit means, the bottom line is, you’re turning your shit in on Monday, and Center Grove is responsible.

okay bear with me this is gonna be a wild ride. first thing were doing is moving to a 15 game regular season, and forcing out of conference opponents, so we can get proper ratings for all teams. were getting rid of the mercy rule because its shit. were getting rid of the all in format. 10 points required to make it to playoffs 1 point for a win against a school of 400 or more 2 points for a win against a school of 1000 or more no location based games in playoffs, this bracket is seeded all the way from first to last. by sagarin rating. higher seed gets home team every single game. only one tournament all classes duke it out together state championship is a best of three played on the same day (so I still get to watch football all day), since it would otherwise only be one game. Mr. Football exclusively goes to a player from whichever team comes out on top, because lets face it, he earned that shit at this point. edit: I'm aware 'the best solution' is a stupid name for an idea, however I had to change it to that after a sudden realization about the former title.

I'm still alive and well and mostly lurking these days on the GID. I'll be 91 next month. True, I don't post as much as I used to. In fact, I wonder about all the other Miner GIDers that used to post regularly but have seemingly disappeared. I'm still just as passionate about all the Miner sports teams that are doing very well. I think there is a Proverb that says something to the effect that with old age comes wisdom. Maybe that's why anyone else's opinion about my team, good or bad, rarely incites me to respond. But I certainly enjoy reading all your posts. When I feel like I have something meaningful to contribute, I'll jump in. As far as the MD game is concerned, I hope the team is more confident than I am, and I'm pretty sure they are and I know they are looking forward to getting another shot at their nemesis. Linton is very good offensively, led by the running of senior QB Gennicks. I don't know what his total yardage is but it's impressive. But the Miners spread the carries around and three other backs have good totals as well. Less effective is the passing game but it is still a big part of the offense. Run defense is very good but pass defense is suspect, however it has been better through the playoffs even though they have been burned by long passes a few times. It's going to be bitter cold. I don't know how that might impact the play or which team it might favor. My guess it will hurt the passing game more than the run. I won't be there. Too cold for me but I'll be watching on my big TV.

No student at Pike Central had every seen a football playoff win in their entire lives. They did last night.

I'm one of the guys who made the Top 25, as well as created the charts and such. Thank you whoever shared the link. I know the list is wild and out there, and some teams should be on there, like Memorial, Castle, and Boonville, etc. (Castle was close to top 10 on the list week, and dropped after the loss). We base our list on how well the teams are doing in their own divisions. Like are they just dominating their competition. How well they perform against bigger schools, we look at SoS and other indicators. We also look closely at latest success. Its nothing perfect, and of course probably has our own bias mixed in, but we feel that we're getting a pretty good list together. We think of it like a College AP Poll, with a lot of teams moving in and out. Like someone else said above, its a conversation starter. Something we wanted to make to shine light on Southern Indiana teams that don't get to much hype, but are still pretty good. We're fine that's it a topic of debate, and yea, we do mistakes, but we can own that. For us, its all about school and players and getting that spotlight back out. Some of the schools may not be considered Southern Indiana schools, we get that. The way I pulled the data focused on Sectionals, and if we wanted to cover a school that was in a sectional, then we covered that entire sectional. We're trying to remove as many Indy related schools from the list, but some like Triton Central. Every school we cover should be a Southern Indiana sectional group. Anyhow, happy to join this forum. We're Southern Indiana Sports Network and trying to cover sports in the area, our website is www.sisn.me

Back in the day, playing in the mud was fun, and to add on to what Dumfries said, and looking at the picture Thor posted, restoring a field back to good condition is very expensive. That includes the number of man hours involved in the work. And it may take years to fully restore it. Until it is restored, the field is useless. Schools that cannot afford to fully restore a field, will do patchwork repair. That, in my opinion, puts student athletes at far greater risk than the turf. Too many have these visions of their schools having had perfect fields like many NFL and college teams have, and that just is not the case. In the bigger picture, the new turf fields are safer, and save districts money.

Come on now. anyone who has played on grass in Indiana knows that by October/early November it’s basically like playing in concrete. The grass has stopped growing…gets cold and wet….grounds managers can’t really fix anything either. It’s nice on the grass in august when it hasn’t been destroyed and patched up 10x over and everything is level and it’s still warm. 2 months in though it’s just dirt spots and a few ankle killers scattered around

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

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

Northview, Owen Valley meet for WIC supremacy In West Central Indiana, two programs on the rise will meet on the gridiron this Friday night as Northview and Owen Valley meet in a matchup of 4-0 programs. Owen Valley is ranked No. 10 in Class 3A, while Northview sits just outside the IFCA Class 4A poll. OV has rolled up its record with an offense that is averaging 58 points per game and has scored at least 40 points in each of its four outings, including a 57-7 victory over rival Edgewood last week. Meanwhile, Northview’s defense has allowed three touchdowns in the last three weeks, downing West Vigo 41-6 last week after a 28-7 victory over a solid Sullivan squad the week before. Northview has been the team to beat in the WIC since coach Mark Raetz took over in 2013, posting nine consecutive winning seasons heading into this year, including a 9-2, sectional runner-up season last year, but hit the ground running with a 27-21 victory over 5A Terre Haute North to open the year. “We have a smaller senior class this year, but where we had our returning senior experience is on our offensive and defensive lines,” Raetz said. “We've relied heavily on our line group to provide leadership and promote our culture as we've gotten our younger skill players up to speed. The win against Terre Haute North was big for our program. It gave our team confidence and showed them they could play with a bigger, senior-dominated team.” Defensively, the Knights’ success begins up front, where all four defensive linemen - Gabe Stockrahm, Dalton Simmons, Devon Barnhart and Dakota Mackey - are returning varsity starters. Several are also part of that strong offensive line. Offensively, the Knights have relied on a powerful running game that averages 332 yards per contest. It’s led by junior quarterback Kyle Cottee - who has 581 yards and averages 7.7 yards per carry in addition to 233 passing yards - and junior running back Imer Holman, who has 478 yards and averages 8.2 yards per carry. “It's no secret that our offense is based off having a strong run game, and Imer and Kyle are our two main ballcarriers,” Raetz said. “Our offensive line has done a great job opening holes and running lanes so far this season. The level of competition is going to crank up a notch, so hopefully we will continue to run the ball well.” Owen Valley had a resurgence in 2021, going 10-2 and winning the program’s first sectional title since 1992. The Patriots have built on that in head coach Rob Gibson’s second season. They posted a 57-34 victory over South Putnam - Gibson’s alma mater - in Week 2 before a 41-39 OT win over Indian Creek the following week. “Our coaches and players have all bought into a big challenge of changing the way we do everything. The seniors last year really took the lead over our team and never looked back, so the example that they set for the younger classes really benefited us going into this season,” Gibson said. “Our group this year picked up in November right where we left off in terms of the level of dedication and relentless effort that it takes to win games in this league. Games are won from December through July and our guys have bought into that. “We can say a ton of positive things about all four of the teams that we have played. The Week 2 game against South Putnam was a good test for us to find out how we would play for four whole quarters. Indian Creek Week 3 has to be a WIC classic. Two teams showed up ready to play and whoever had the ball and the marker last was going to win.” The strong 2021 rolled into the start to 2022. Senior quarterback Brody Lester is completing 69 percent of his passes for 751 yards and 12 TDs so far, leading an explosive offense. Running back Christian McDonald has run for 471 yards and nine TDs and also has caught nine passes for 208 yards and two scores. Gibson said Lester is the first two-year quarterback he has had, and seeing how he grew in the scheme in a second year has been a significant benefit. “Knowing we were losing a lot of really talented players last year even further sparked our staff to find ways to maximize what we believe we are good at and improve what we believe we weren't. That starts with Brody and Christian. Both of them would tell you to look to the offensive line, who is playing well right now,” Gibson said. “But Brody is in command of everything we do right now on offense.” Owen Valley, which will host this year’s contest, won last year’s meeting 24-14, but the standard for success has been set by the Knights for years. “Northview is the team in the WIC that everyone has been chasing and striving to be like for a long time,” Gibson said. “They are still the team to beat every year. They are incredibly well coached, make very few mistakes, and they play for 48 minutes - regardless of who is in and who they're playing. Mark does a really good job understanding his guys and putting them in positions to be successful based on their strengths. We all try to do that, but he does it very well. So in order for us to be successful against them, we have to understand that good teams make plays. We have to manage the highs and lows of a game of this magnitude.” The Knights see a strong opponent on the opposite side of the ball. “Owen Valley will be the toughest opponent we've seen so far this season,” Raetz said. “They really have no weaknesses. They are explosive on offense in both the run game and pass game. They play sound, fundamental defense. They are solid in the kicking game. And they are very well-coached. We will definitely have our work cut out for us. We'll have to play well in all phases of the game to be able to win at their place.” Lancers finding new-found success In Edinburgh, the Lancers are in a position they’ve not been since the JFK administration - undefeated after Week 4. The last time Edinburgh won its first four games was 1961. “It is great around the school and community,” coach Tyler DeSpain said. “Everywhere you go you hear someone say ‘How about them Lancers’ or ‘Great job out there Coach.’ We have always had support with the community, but they are going above and beyond now.” The Lancers posted a 19-0 shutout at Switzerland County last week, and host 3-1 North Daviess this week. Defensively, Edinburgh has allowed four touchdowns total in four games. It’s been based on a mindset of flying to the football. “Our defense has been playing great. We preach to fly to the ball and have fun with it,” DeSpain said. “I became friends with John Preston, the DC at Whiteland, and learned a lot from him the last two years. We run pretty much the same defense as them. The kids have fun with this defense and how we have a lot of moving parts and it allows them to be free at times. This year has been different though. The last few years we have had one or two guys that really liked to play defense. Now we have all 11 on the field that want to be a part of every tackle.” The success has been part of a turnaround under DeSpain’s leadership. Edinburgh is one win away from clinching its first winning season since 1993. It begins with an offense led by sophomore quarterback Caleb Murphy, who is completing 57 percent of his passes for 691 yards. Senior Jarrett Turner has 590 yards from scrimmage in the running and receiving game and senior Caleb Dewey has 268 receiving yards and four touchdowns. “Caleb (Murphy) has done a fine job,” DeSpain said. “We have really tried to be a more balanced team this year and I believe that has helped Caleb not feel the pressure of everything being on his back. He is only a sophomore and still has a lot to improve on, but if we keep playing defense and running the ball we have I believe he and the team will continue to have a successful year.” Edinburgh was once known for futility - the program lost 68 consecutive games from 2002-09 and had won one game in the two seasons before DeSpain took over. The Lancers went 1-9 in his first year in 2019, then improved to three wins the following year and five wins in 2021 - their first .500 season in decades. Continuity has been key - DeSpain is the sixth coach in Edinburgh history to spend four years at the program’s helm. “It has really just been continuity with the coaching staff and buy-in from our kids,” DeSpain said. “Once kids realize that you are not here just for a year or two then kids really start to buy-in. The kids never really have had some they could get to know and be close to when it came to football.” Tri lighting up scoreboards In East Central Indiana, another Class A program has seen a meteoric rise into a contender. The Tri Titans were not long removed from a 33-game losing streak and were two years removed from a fourth winless season in five years when Andrew Totheroh took over the program in 2016. The Titans went 8-3 in 2020, then posted an 11-3 record with the program’s first sectional title since 2007 and first-ever regional championship last year. Tri has picked up where it has left off, scoring 60 points per game through four wins to start the season, while allowing just 19 points through three games. The Titans blanked Wes-Del 55-0 last week for their second straight shutout. The success from last season has bolstered the program - they had 27 players dressed for the semistate game against eventual state champion Indianapolis Lutheran last year. They have 48 on the roster this season, a large number for a Class A school. “Our youth programs have done an excellent job of keeping our kids together, and as they come up through the feeder programs playing together really helps as they mature and get older,” Totheroh said. “Our current senior group has played together since they were in third grade. Those bonds and chemistry developed pay dividends.” They have a meeting with a strong Centerville squad this week at home - the Bulldogs are 3-1 and handed Tri its only regular-season loss last year en route to the Tri-Eastern Conference championship. Centerville is now in Class 3A and is the largest opponent on Tri’s schedule. “Centerville is a very good football team,” Totheroh said. “To us, we are looking at this as a great opportunity and a test to see where we are at the midpoint of the season. They do a lot of good things on both sides of the ball, and I’m excited to see if we can hold up vs them, execute and play with a passion for the game of football Friday night.” Tri’s Wing-T offense features a powerful running game that is averaging 424 yards per contest. It is led by senior Parker Burk, who totals 587 yards and 14.3 yards per carry. Junior Tyler Brooks (336 yards), senior Gary Paull (308 yards) and senior quarterback Mason Wilson (245 yards rushing) are all averaging more than 10 yards per carry. Wilson has attempted 11 passes all season, but four of his seven completions have gone for touchdowns. “Our offensive scheme is unique and forces defenses to play disciplined football,” Totheroh said. “Our offensive line made up of Ryan Craft, Vance Dishman, Sam Mondrush, Larry Reamer and Garrett Moffett have done an excellent job of identifying fronts, communicating with one another, and adjusting if need be to what we’re getting from our opponents Friday Nights. Mason Wilson, Parker Burk, Tyler Brooks, Gary Paull, Kyler Engle and Grant Cash, our skill positions, have done a great job complementing one another. We’re a team offense and it shows on Friday nights.” Notable Cooper Simmons-Little of Traders Point Christian is the state’s leading passer with 1,357 total yards. He threw for 400 yards and three TDs last week in a 47-42 loss to Park Tudor that was a quarterback shootout - Park Tudor’s Darrell Gordon threw for 297 yards and five TDs. … Another QB putting up big numbers is Indianapolis Lutheran’s Jackson Willis. He threw for 301 yards and three TDs last week in a 52-14 win over Lapel, a week after he and Triton Central’s Jace Stuckey both threw for 400 yards in a 54-41 Saints win. … Roncalli’s Luke Hansen is the first running back in the state to cross the 1,000-yard mark. He has 1,057 this season, tallying his second 300-yard game of the year last week with 307 yards and four TDs in a 38-17 win over Columbus North. He also had 66 yards receiving and a TD … Triton’s Anthony Schuch is averaging 15 yards per carry. He had 219 yards in a 51-10 win over Bremen last week, his second straight 200-yard game. … One game to watch in Grant County is the matchup between 4-0 Oak Hill and Madison-Grant. Oak Hill’s Kyle Turanchick is one of the state’s top rushers with 745 yards. Oak Hill’s next win will be the 150th for coach Bud Ozmun … After a 36-0 win over Shenandoah last week, North Decatur still has not allowed a point this season. … In Class 6A, Ben Davis and Warren Central meet for the 98th time this week. … Kankakee Valley is 3-1 for the first time since 1995. The Kougars have shut out three straight foes. Other key games this week 6A No. 1 Brownsburg at 6A No. 9 Fishers 6A No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern at 6A No. 8 Westfield 6A No. 5 Ben Davis at 6A No. 10 Warren Central 5A No. 6 Fort Wayne Dwenger at 6A No. 7 Carroll (Fort Wayne) Penn at Elkhart Martinsville at 5A No. 7 Franklin Vincennes at 5A No. 8 Castle 4A No. 3 Mooresville at 5A No. 9 Decatur Central Perry Meridian at 5A No. 1 Whiteland Homestead at 5A No. 4 Fort Wayne Snider 4A No. 1 New Palestine at Pendleton Heights 3A No. 5 Guerin Catholic at 4A No. 2 Roncalli Warsaw at 4A No. 6 NorthWood 3A No. 1 West Lafayette at Rensselaer 3A No. 3 Gibson Southern at Southridge 2A No. 1 Linton at Boonville 2A No. 8 Heritage Christian at 2A No. 3 Indianapolis Scecina Indian Creek at 2A No. 9 Triton Central Oak Hill at Madison-Grant Rochester at Tippecanoe Valley 1A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran at Cascade 1A No. 2 Adams Central at Heritage 1A No. 10 Monroe Central at 1A No. 6 South Adams Eastern (Howard) at 1A No. 7 Carroll (Flora)

May be a GREAT time to enforce that contract that WE (officials) agree to when we accept a contest. Pay back the school(s) for a 'no show'...x3

Interesting that the coaches and players aren't being held accountable. I wonder why there is a shortage of officials.

Locking this one up. DT misrepresented himself and his role as a contributor on social media. He did not agree with the expectations put in place by administrators on this site, and asked to have his account here deleted. End of story. Other topics started regarding this will be deleted. The new season is upon us, so let's move on.

The video is aimed at starry-eyed parents in hopes of separating them from their cash. Sad thing is it works.

30 December 2004