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

I 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

That’s what we get for soccer player homecoming winners. Back in my day we gave it to a football player and cheerleader like God intended.

Wow, where to start. Roughly twenty years ago I was asked by Rivals to get with some other posters on their forum to compile a Top 100 for that site after Dallas Jackson was removed from their staff. That started my interest in compiling the poll for discussion and debate among others with similar interests in the national aspect of the game. Dallas Jackson soon established his own site and requested that I post exclusively on his site, which I did. In the following years, I have added other sites, including this one, to my "customer" base. My methodology is simple. I read, watch, and analyze this game on a daily basis from May to January. I am not smart enough to develop nor do I believe in algorithms. I am constantly viewing MaxPreps, rivals and other forums to gather all the information I can on teams throughout the country. I attend as many games as possible throughout the season and watch games both on TV and streaming services. For instance, next weekend I am going to Massillon, Ohio to watch four of the Cleveland area's best teams play four state champions, including Center Grove from Indiana. This does not only give me a chance to gauge those teams, but also a gauge on each state's strength. The following weekend, I will not only attend a game (most likely Warren Central at Carroll) but also watch the national games being broadcast on ESPN as part of their kickoff weekend. With all that of background, plus empirical data from prior seasons, I compile team rankings for every state, yes that includes states like Wyoming, Rhode Island, and other non-power states. From there I compile a Top 100 by looking at game results, player evaluations and the state's strength to compile the list. Hope this helps.

I think you have the wrong Donnie Baker. I swear to God you do

For those who have not heard, my family and I have decided that the time is right for a change. My wife has wanted to live in Florida for quite some time, but I have always had an excuse of why to not make the move. My son graduated in May, and with that a lot of those reasons disappeared. That being said, I am leaving Roncalli after 23 years. We are in the process of moving to Cape Coral, Florida and I will start teaching and coaching at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda. My time in Indy was phenomenal - both the experiences and the people that I have had the honor to be associated with. I truly hope that I have left things at Roncalli in a better position than when I arrived and have had a positive impact on all in the football community! Keep making Indiana football better - always raise the bar, never lower it! Coach Stryker

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

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?

Yeah, that’s why they’ve won 16 state championships. Because they think like that.

That guest guy is probably getting a stiffie seeing his ode post come back to life. I gotta go

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/

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.

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.

All: Just want to give a shout out to the Gridiron Digest staff for all their had work and for the opportunity for us to continue to talk about high school football in Indiana! I do not work for GID. I have renewed my membership with a donation to help support the cause. Would you please consider making a donation today? There are bills to pay and the donation seems a bit down this year. Appreciate all you guys at GID! Keep up the great work! as always, the game is better from_the_sidelines007

Want to give a shoutout to the game tomorrow night at Gordon Straley Field in West Lafayette. It will be a special night not only because the Red Devils will be playing one of their most respected rivals in the Rensselaer Bombers, and not just because it will be homecoming, but more importantly they will be celebrating 100 years of playing football at West Lafayette High School. There will be many alumni players, coaches and others there to celebrate a storied history. Through 2020, West Lafayette HS had the fourth most wins of any school in the State. They have numerous other accomplishments that are listed in the IFCA record book as well. I hope to take some pictures of some of the festivities associated with this special night and post them on this thread.

Probably half of Merrillvilles. I gotta go

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

I just wanted to give a big congrats to the Cougars of West Side High School for defeating Hammond Morton for the first time in their program's history last Saturday. Just 3 years ago, in 2019, they lost to the Governors 76-0. Last year they lost a close one 20-14. They finally broke through this year for a 38-6 victory. Morton has dominated West Side historically, many times with kids who lived within Gary's borders. A huge victory for West Side in their last year in the Great Lakes Athletic Conference as they transition to the Greater South Shore Conference. If they can take down Hammond Central they'll win what I believe would be their first (and last) conference title in the GLAC. S/o to Eric Schreiber Jr for starting the turnaround and to Alger Boswell for keeping it going.

FWIW the secretaries are the real unsung heroes of HS Athletics.

Folks, its middle of July, there is not 1 College coach in the nation scouting all star game in Indiana saying, hey we need to offer this kid an opportunity to play at our school that enrolls in 5 weeks or have camp start in 2 to 3 weeks. Players who are in the game have already committed to various places, from Indiana Wesleyan to Wabash and in between. Just wanted to debunk the myth that somehow players who in this game either lost their scholarship/grant opportunity or had teams tell them no thanks due to performance/behavior of a few 15 yard penalties . Im with Yuca here, things happened, it wasn't a bench clearing violent event, nothing close to it, officials separated players, officials then talked to each HC and my guess told them, hey guys we have like 5 mins left here, lets get together and finish, of course next play there was more extra curricular and with 4 mins to go and 21-2 score, it was time to call it a day deemed by the on field crew. Lets just pump the breaks on the travesty of entire 54 year or so event and now all of sudden the whole system is wrong and game is pointless. definition of 0=60 of internetting.

The North South All Star game since it inception is a representative game to highlight our state players and coaches from all classes and corners of the state. D1 or not, that has always been the case, for some fans with D1 not participating the last 10 years ish, it has lost its luster for them, but for communities and coaches it really means alot, so I prefer to focus on that and believe that last nights actions by a few isn't going to tarnish the concept and event in the future

Co-ops and legal weed are 2 things Illinois got right. I swear to God they are

The real question I need answered is, in a potential 6A Carmel/CG state title game at Lucas Oil, will the Greyhounds simply concede/forfeit with little to no explanation?

For most, it's the principle. Taxpayers pay for the venue, the owners walk away with the profit. Every business owner would love that. "You build it, I take home the money." But.............if they don't build it in your city, they'll build it somewhere else leaving your town boring and stagnant. Personally, as a taxpayer, I'm all in. I don't want to feel like I have to travel to Chicago for for something to do, and I haven't in 15 years. Fort Wayne is a case in point. In 2007, they leveled a 15 year old baseball structure on Coliseum Blvd. in favor of a ballpark downtown in which 90% of our residents were against. The result? A minor league ballpark that has ranked #1 in the country at all minor league levels nearly every year since it's dedication in 2008. Massive downtown growth with approximately 2 billion in new infrastructure. A plethora of new restaurants including Ruth Chris Steakhouse. Coffee houses, shopping venues, several new apartment complexes, three new hotels, and a vibrant new family friendly scene on our natural rivers that run through downtown. Resident's in Fort Wayne don't feel like they have to go to Chicago, Indianapolis, or Cincinatti, for a downtown experience anymore. They just take the 15 minute drive to downtown, pay $1 an hour to park, and have a great time. More money is invested in our own town without having drive 2 or 3 hours only to invest it in someone else's. More and more out of towners are starting to consider Downtown Fort Wayne as a weekend destination. For those you who reside in the Indianapolis area, I say build it. I mean, they're going to build it anyway. Quit bitching, go enjoy it, and support the economy in the process.

To be somewhat clear on this whole thread, I essentially ACCUSED the IHSAA of Gerrymandering in another thread to put all the P&Ps in the same sectional(s) whenever they possibly can. My point was if they didn’t intentionally do this then the Success Factored teams might actually stay “up”. Certainly the case with Chatard/Roncalli. Having Chatard go North in 4A and Roncalli stay South would arguably be the “non-Gerrymandered” (I am straining the King’s English to a breaking point here) result that would actually result in what most want (likely including Chatard) - Chatard to no longer be in 3A. My opinion has long been that the IHSAA had less of a problem in football with P&P’s overall than it had a specific problem with Chatard in 3A and Cathedral in any class excepting 6A. Certainly the same could also be said of LCC in 1A. Well…they solved their Cathedral “problem”…..at least for the time being….even artificially shortening the “bump-up” timetable to do so. They put LCC on a Sectional island…solving that problem. The Chatard 3A problem only required them to keep Chatard and Roncalli (and probably Chatard/New Pal these days) in separate sectionals. It’s a very easy fix and, frankly, just the opposite of Gerrymandering. But the IHSAA does so love artificially eliminating P&P’s in Sectionals whenever possible that they continually lose sight of the Success Factor “big picture”. So, I would argue that the remaining P&P problem is an actual result of the IHSAA’s historic Gerrymandering.

IHSAA tournament games only stream on IHSAAtv.org. All other sites are phishing and spam. Avoid following twitter links. Instead, review the upcoming schedule on the official IHSAA site: https://www.ihsaatv.org/schedule/

Woodard, Quakers win sectional title in coach's final season Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com For 17 years, Brian Woodard has led the Plainfield Quakers as one of the most well-respected coaches in Central Indiana. They’d had a number of outstanding seasons, but hadn’t been able to claim a sectional title, annually playing in one of the toughest fields in the state. Roncalli, Cathedral, Zionsville or another powerhouse program would often stand in the way. Until this year. The Quakers rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit Friday to beat Decatur Central 13-10 and claim the Class 5A Sectional 13 title, clinching it by driving 80 yards in the final two minutes and scoring on a touchdown pass from Hunter Newell to Noah Hessong in the waning seconds. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Grant Irwin intercepted a pass and took it back 49 yards to get the Quakers on the board. Woodard, who had announced his retirement from coaching prior to the season, finally could hold a sectional trophy. The Quakers claimed their first title since 2000, when they were the Class 4A state runner-up. “I'm so proud of our players and so happy for our program, school, and community. I truly feel like this championship is for us all,” Woodard said. “All the players and coaches that did come up short, this is as much for them as it is this current group. I tell every player that graduates from our program that they are forever a part of this and that certainly applies here.” Plainfield started the season 0-3. The Quakers got going with back-to-back wins over Perry Meridian, Greenwood and an overtime victory over Decatur Central midway through the regular season. They finished strong, beating a ranked Martinsville squad 21-17 in the regular season finale, then avenging a loss to an 8-win Harrison squad by a 35-28 score in the sectional semifinal. “I just kept talking to them about how there would be better days. Stay committed to the process of preparing each week, sticking together, and working hard, eventually we would come through it, if that is what they wanted. If they wanted to truly have better days and that is the character component that is so vital,” Woodard said of rallying from the 0-3 start. “They were willing to delay immediate gratification for what hopefully would be something even more special down the line by trusting in each other and their coaching.” Newell leads a very multiple Quakers offense, throwing for 1,794 yards and 15 touchdowns. He threw for 222 yards in the victory over Harrison before completing 14-of-24 against Decatur Central. Hessong is a versatile running back, leading the Quakers in rushing (793 yards) and is second in receiving (365 yards). Irwin is a solid two-way player, with 590 yards and seven TDs receiving. The Quakers travel to No. 2 Whiteland for this week’s regional contest. The Warriors are seeking their first trip to the semistate since 1999. Whiteland won the regular season matchup 45-14 in Week 8. Newell threw for 147 yards for Plainfield in that contest, but Whiteland’s multiple-back “fly” offense accounted for 340 yards on the ground, led by Maalik Perkins’ 91 yards and Peyton Emberton’s 66. “They're really good and have very few weaknesses,” Woodard said. “They were and still are the favorite to come out of the South and rightfully so. Tons of experience and really good players. We're going to have to play as close to error-free football as possible and eliminate any of the self-inflicted issues that we put on ourselves in the first game.” Whiteland (10-1) - the Mid-State Conference champion - is led by a defense that is allowing 13.5 points per game, led by Brady Stanifer (95 tackles). The Warriors shut out Franklin 24-0 last week in the Sectional 14 final, clinching their second sectional championship in three years. Offensively, Emberton leads a multiple-back attack with 1,168 yards and 11 touchdowns. Coach Darrin Fisher said a key to Whiteland’s success has been a 30-player senior class that has taken turns in leadership and has been unselfish, caring about each other and their school and community. “The courage to hit is the key to our football team,” Fisher said. “We have had few teams as physical as this one. We have played our best this season when our mindset is attack in all three phases.” Yorktown rallies into regional When the Yorktown Tigers trailed No. 7 Norwell by 21 points, coach Mike Wilhelm relied on the motto of his college alma mater - Wabash Always Fights. The Tigers rallied to tie the game at halftime, took the lead in the third quarter, then survived a late two-point conversion attempt to beat the Knights 42-41 in the Sectional 27 championship game. “That's something this Yorktown team has shown throughout the season and especially in the sectional championship game against Norwell,” Wilhelm said. “Down 21-0 at the start of the 2nd quarter, we certainly could have packed it in and gone home. But Yorktown continued to fight, and we had a significant stretch in the second quarter that got us back on track.” The victory was also Wilhelm’s 100th in 18 years at Yorktown. Yorktown got on the board with a 19-play drive in the second quarter, then forced a fumble and blocked a punt on successive Norwell possessions to tie the game before taking the lead in the third quarter. “It felt like we had momentum the entire final 24 minutes, even though the game kept going back-and-forth,” Wilhelm said. “Our Monday team meeting goal was to give ourselves a chance to win it in the 4th quarter, and our players certainly met that goal, and that came to fruition with the final sack on Norwell's 2-point conversion attempt.” Yorktown is 9-3, but has flown under the radar this season as the smallest school in the Hoosier Heritage Conference, a league that has produced state championship teams in three consecutive seasons. The Tigers face larger schools each week in the regular season, whose schedule includes only one other 3A squad in county rival Delta. Junior quarterback Mason Moulton commands the offense. A three-year starter, he is throwing for 1,863 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was 14-of-23 for 179 yards and three scores - all three to wideout Kolton Nanko, who has been a big-play player on both sides of the ball. He has 940 receiving yards and 12 TDs on offense, four interceptions on defense and a kickoff return for a score on special teams. He’s also the team’s kicker. Junior running back Jalen Thomas is fully recovered from a leg injury suffered his freshman year and ran for 165 yards and three scores against Norwell. “In the offseason, we took steps to significantly change our playbook to become a more balanced offense, and that focus was on improving the running game,” Wilhelm said, noting Thomas was a key part of that change. “Last season, Mason Moulton had an outstanding sophomore season getting the ball to our playmaker wide receiver Kolton Nanko. This season, we wanted to get the ball to Thomas and Nanko in a variety of ways. And we believe that becomes a game-planning challenge for teams to have to account for those two whether they be in the backfield or lined up as wideouts.” This week, the Tigers - celebrating their first sectional title since 2014 - travel to No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard (8-4) for the regional. The Trojans won state championships in 2019 and 2020 before spending one year in Class 4A. “Coach (Rob) Doyle and his staff have done a great job with this team and program,” Wilhelm said. “It is obvious that they continuously work on fundamentals and the fine details at each position, and it is challenging to find any weaknesses in the Trojans. In this playoff run, we have to continue to play Yorktown football. First and foremost, we have to block to the whistle on offense and run to the ball on defense. We must establish efficiency with our run and pass game, and our defense must cause turnovers and get Chatard off the field on third and fourth downs.” Dragons, Royals meet in 1 vs. 2 matchup Only 14 miles separate New Palestine and Roncalli, but the two schools ooze football tradition. The Dragons have won three state championships and advanced to four State Finals since 2014 - all but one in Class 5A. Roncalli has 10 titles, most recently in 2016 and 2020. The two programs have been ranked No. 1 and 2 all season in Class 4A and finally meet on the gridiron for the regional at Roncalli. “I think we’d be lying if we said our boys weren’t looking forward to this,” New Palestine coach Kyle Ralph said. “We’ve got a good football team and you want to find out how good you really are. You want to play the best. Roncalli has a great team again this year. They have for a long time. This is a great measuring stick for where you are. No. 1 vs. No. 2 doesn’t happen too often. We’ve been fortunate to be ranked really high, but even we haven’t been in a lot of these games.. When you get to this point and you’re in the final eight, no one is overmatched. Everybody is good. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. Everybody is good, everybody is well-coached, disciplined, physical and playing at their peak. You have to play your absolute best at this point or you’re going to be watching people play. While that’s tough, it’s really exciting.: The visiting Dragons are 12-0, the host Royals 11-1 - the lone blemish a 24-23 defeat to Cincinnati Elder in Week 7. New Palestine opened the season with a 42-28 victory over eventual 6A champion Westfield and has two wins over defending 4A champion Mt. Vernon, including a come-from-behind 35-24 victory in the sectional opener. Both programs feature mammoth offensive lines - New Palestine’s bookended by Louisville commit Luke Burgess and Ohio State commit Ian Moore, the latter a junior. Roncalli features Trevor Lauck (Iowa), Luke Skartvedt (Northern Illinois) and Brady Neu (Central Michigan). “It’s one of the very few games you’ll ever watch as a fan where I think almost all the eyes are going to be watching people block each other and not the people running, throwing or catching the ball. As a fan of football and a lineman myself, I really appreciate it when you have these uniquely epic battles out there,” Ralph said. “When you look at the quality and the size and the ability level of the line on both sides of the ball from these two teams, you’re looking at the potential of double-digit kids who are going to college for free to play offensive or defensive line. That’s incredible. It’s something unique that, even in 6A, you’re probably not going to see something like this in the trenches ever again.” Roncalli also has the state’s second-leading rusher in senior Luke Hansen, a Mr. Football candidate who has rushed for 2,681 yards and 31 touchdowns this season. Hansen has eclipsed the 300-yard mark three times, including 335 yards in the season opener against Southport, and has topped 200 yards on four other occasions. “All credit to our guys up front,” Roncalli coach Eric Quintana said, adding in the importance of the tight end position. “They have worked really hard throughout the season to master their fundamentals. They get unfavorable matchups weekly and battle their tails off to win the line of scrimmage. Great group and coached well.” He had 138 yards and a touchdown in the sectional championship game, a 21-14 victory over Brebeuf. “Luke is a great player,” Roncalli coach Eric Quintana said. “He is extremely tough and takes pride in mastering his craft. Total team player and studies the game.” The Dragons are unbeaten and romped 43-14 over Connersville in the sectional final. They also have a 1,500-yard rusher in Grayson Thomas, but he was lost to a season-ending injury in the sectional semifinal. Junior Kyler Kropp has stepped in and rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back weeks. Quarterback Daniel Tippit has thrown for 2,437 yards and 32 touchdowns, spreading the ball around to a receiving corps led by Ball State commit Isaiah Thacker (822 yards) and Blaine Nunnally (705 yards, 12 TDs). “New Palestine is a good football team,” Quintana said. “=They are coached well and have good talent on the field. We will have to be fundamentally sound and be the most physical football team on the field. We need to stop the run and not allow any explosive plays in the air. We need to set up our offense early and often.” Notable Columbia City won its first sectional since 1993 last week, beating Leo 27-21 to win Class 4A’s Sectional 19. The Eagles host Kokomo this week. … Lafayette Jeff broke a 20-year sectional title drought with a 38-28 victory over previously-unbeaten Crown Point to win Class 6A’s Sectional 1. The Bronchos meet unbeaten Carroll (Fort Wayne) this week. … Class 6A’s regional game between Brownsburg and defending 5A champion Cathedral is a rematch of a Week 2 contest, which Brownsburg won 42-35. Two of the other 6A regionals are rematches, as Hamilton Southeastern hosts Westfield - HSE won 26-21 in Week 5 - and Center Grove meets Warren Central. CG won 17-8 in Week 1. … Monrovia has the fewest wins of any sectional champion. The Bulldogs entered the sectional with a 2-7 mark - and seven straight losses - before beating Purdue Poly, Speedway and Danville to win Sectional 29, a field that featured two ranked teams. They visit unbeaten No. 6 Owen Valley this week. Regional matchups Class 6A No. 5 Carroll (Fort Wayne) (11-0) at Lafayette Jeff (9-2) No. 9 Westfield (8-3) at No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern (11-0) No. 2 Indianapolis Cathedral (9-1) at No. 4 Brownsburg (10-1) Warren Central (6-5) at No. 3 Center Grove (9-2) Class 5A No. 5 Merrillville (9-2) at No. 9 Valparaiso (8-3) No. 1 Fort Wayne Snider (10-1) at No. 3 Mishawaka (10-1) Plainfield (6-5) at No. 2 Whiteland (10-1) No. 4 Bloomington South (9-1) at Castle (7-4) Class 4A Northridge (8-4) at No. 7 New Prairie (11-1) No. 6 Kokomo (11-1) at No. 9 Columbia City (11-1) No. 1 New Palestine (12-0) at No. 2 Roncalli (11-1) No. 4 East Central (10-2) at Evansville Memorial (9-3) Class 3A No. 1 West Lafayette (12-0) at Knox (9-3) Yorktown (9-3) at No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard (8-4) Monrovia (5-7) at No. 6 Owen Valley (12-0) No. 5 Lawrenceburg (11-1) at No. 9 Southridge (11-1) Class 2A No. 9 Lafayette Catholic (9-3) at No. 3 Andrean (8-3) Bluffton (8-4) at No. 8 FW Luers (7-5) Lapel (7-5) at No. 1 Linton (12-0) No. 5 Evansville Mater Dei (9-3) at No. 5 Triton Central (10-2) Class A No. 4 North Judson (11-1) at Park Tudor (9-3) No. 6 Carroll (Flora) (11-1) at No. 2 Adams Central (12-0) No. 3 North Decatur (12-0) at No. 5 Sheridan (11-1) Providence (9-2) at No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (12-0)

I concur. And this newfangled forward pass experiment is ruining the game, too. Live Lateral, or Die!