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Not sure if this is reading into something but here is this FROM THE NORTH PUTNAM YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE: Good Afternoon Cougar Nation!!!! Just wanted to drop in with some very important and exciting news about our upcoming youth football season! Our board recently has sat down with each other several times, along with board members from NorthMont, SouthMont, Crawfordsville, and Western Boone, and our North Putnam board has voted to leave the West Central league. With that being said the new league being formed has voted and APPROVED us to join with them! So we will now officially be joining with Northmont, Southmont, Crawfordsville, and Western Boone beginning this upcoming FALL 2023!!! This is going to be so much easier and better for our community and our youth players and parents. We will adapt to the new league and their new age groups as well, starting now with our ROOKIES team now being a FLAG ONLY K-1st grade team, our Minors will now be 2-3rd graders and tackle, and our Majors 4-5th graders and tackle, and now our 6th grade boys and girls will be a solo team and tackle as well. We will need your help COUGAR NATION spreading the word as we try to venture into flag again, and to get as many as we can to sign up at all ages. We also will be doing online sign-ups again, that will begin here very soon, and I will update on here with all that information. I will have flyers going out to all the schools to let you know more information and also more important dates, and I will be getting those out before the end of the school year. Feel free to let us know any questions you may have, and we will respond as soon as we can. Thank you and we look forward to this huge step in our program and our community!! GO COUGARS!!!!!!

I don't know what the draw Chicago has over San Diego, but that's just me. Actually, Chicago does have some excellent colleges: the University of Chicago, Northwestern, DePaul, and Loyola are among the best.

Eastlake is flying 55 kids out. They are a year round school and have a 2 week break during that time frame. They will be visiting colleges in Chicago during their stay.

In my mind I hear "Holiday Road" from National Lampoon's Vacation playing while I look at this map.

Good perspective. I am sure it was meant to be respectful, but some take it differently. I am sure when North Dakota, Eastern Michigan, Marquette and others selected their nicknames and mascots, they meant it as a compliment and in the most respectful way. Still, all of have changed. Who would have thought the nickname Colonials with the mascot of George Washington for a university named after him would have been deemed offensive???? SMH

Like @Ballhawksaid, I'd say the Hoosier is a stronger conference of the two overall ... especially on the gridiron side of the coin. One advantage that TRC brings, specifically for Cass, is Rochester in 2A. On the other hand, having to face 2A Tipton and (sometimes 3A) RCHS/ (sometimes 1A) LCC every season is probably the better "stone sharpener" for 2A. At first blush, the thing I quickly noticed on TRC was lots of 1A. Southwood tends to be sturdy 1A with Northfield being occasionally sturdy, from a 2A team perspective. 3A+ TRC seem "less dangerous" than a couple chances in HC 3A. Drawing WL and, in some years, HH, can sometimes have some teams coming out banged up that will last into the season.

I would say the Hoosier is a much stronger conference, but the HC schools would be larger enrollment schools than the TRC, so not a true apples to apples comparison. I would add Hamilton Heights to the mix of good programs in the HC, and Twin Lakes may rebound with Coach O'Shea taking over the football program. I guess hijack was a little strong, but the topic certainly was diverted to LJ/MC/H and the NCC. It's all good.

Talk about an away game!

I'm basing my sizing on the IHSAA classification for the schools for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-23 2023-24 Football Alignment.pdf. I certainly agree that Harrison will likely surpass Jeff in the next classification round and so they'll both likely be in the lower 6A / upper 5A. Of course, given the numbers that you are projecting for Jeff, that still places them upper 5A or lower 6A and also puts them above McCutcheon for size. The argument about enrollment gap in the NCC certainly is a legitimate one ... if you are Richmond, Logansport, or Marion ... but arguing about a couple hundred kids difference when Jeff and Harrison are both trolling the deep water of the IHSAA ocean seems somewhat off from Jeff's position. Realistically, Jeff and Harrison look the same, large, compared to the Logansports, Marions, Richmonds, etc. Even with the low end of the enrollment you are projecting for Jeff, it still puts them about 400-500 above Kokomo and roughly 600-900 above Richmond, Marion, and Logansport. Not to be a d*ck about things, but in the 20+ years that I've lived in this area, I've not once heard Jeff complain about enrollment gaps with McCutcheon and Harrison and how unfair it was that those two smaller schools had to compete against a 6A, upper 5A, school. I certainly can see the point of Marion and Richmond and Logansport wanting Harrison and McCutcheon out, but not Jeff. Travel's not an issue for Jeff to Harrison. Serious enrollment gap isn't an issue either. Competitive imbalance? For Harrison and Richmond and Harrison and Marion? Probably. Between Jeff and Harrison? No way. I've been a fan of what Jeff's been able to do with the advent of the Moore seasons and into your guidance of making them competitive again. And I have ties to Jeff too as my three oldest kids all attended Jeff. I've even sent you DMs concerning my appreciation for your stances on community issues. But this is a bad look for Jeff in this "fight." Same thing with Logansport too if they were considering to jumping to the Hoosier Conference at the time of the vote. The vote should have been an abstain. Similarly with Jeff, I can't see a legitimate reason for Jeff looking at those three issues, from their own vis-a-vis with Harrison and saying, "Oh yeah, I believe every one of these wholeheartedly." Or, realistically, even one. Again, I think it's a bad look for Jeff because none of those things make any real sense for Jeff to have pulled the trigger on an affirmative vote. They didn't have to vote "no," especially if there was an amendment hanging around to make it three Lafayette-area schools instead of two, but an abstain would have been the proper thing to do, IMO, for Jeff as the reasons just don't hold any real water vis-a-vis Jeff and Harrison.

Logan has typically a strong golf program. Just saying 🙂

This issue has been addressed previously, but like a bad penny it seems we’re unable to get rid of it. Had a coach contact me to ask my opinion on a play they use on 4th and less than 5 to try to make the defense encroach. They line up in punt formation, and then their linemen shift quickly from a 2 pt. to a 3 pt. stance. Here’s a video that demonstrates the technique: Lest there be any lingering doubt, this is a foul for a false start. Here’s what the rulebook says: “After the ball is ready for play and before the snap begins, no false start shall be made by any A player. It is a false start if: a. A shift or feigned charge simulates action at the snap. b. Any act is clearly intended to cause B to encroach.” The key to the proper ruling on this and similar plays is the speed at which the linemen go from their 2 pt. to the 3 pt. stance. Such an abrupt motion when the players are already set, “simulates action at the snap,” and is a foul. Of course, it is legal to shift while in punt formation, provided it is done in a deliberate fashion, and isn’t going to make anyone think that the play is starting. You still see this, and similar plays, with some frequency … because they work sometimes. If the play works, it’s because of an officiating mistake. And please don’t complain that it’s impossible to judge what Team A “intended.” Officials are asked to determine intent from a player’s actions all the time, e.g., intentional grounding. The bottom line is, this play is a foul by the offense in all of its many variations, because it is designed to produce a defensive encroachment foul. I just wish every officiating crew would get on board with this interpretation, since that is the only way to make this illegal tactic disappear.

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 !! 🤣

Risking racism and a “misaligning of culture” to save a few bucks on gas? So brave. Just publicly admit it was a mistake and kiss and make up already…the kids are suffering.

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/

I know it’s not 3/4A but I would love to see an annual CG/Whiteland matchup. The present vs the future.