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Friday, Nov. 6 Pioneer at Bremen, 7 pm Winamac at North Judson, 7:30 pm Does anyone think Bremen or Winamac will pull off the upset?

I'm looking forward to this one too! Since we play both of these schools every year, I can sort of get a feel for the programs. I would say Pioneer - as a small school program - is farther along than Bremen. They just seem to reload every year, regardless of what they lose to graduation. But Bremen has a good team this year, so we'll see if they can hang around. It will be up to Bremen's defense to keep the game within reach. I believe Pioneer scored touchdowns on every offensive possession against LaVille last Friday. And that was a one loss LaVille team giving up less than 10 points a game. Pioneer has also played a much more difficult schedule than Bremen (according to Sagarin). Curious to see what Bremen can do.

Friday, Oct. 30 Calumet at Knox - This is a rematch of last year's sectional final that the Redskins won by a TD. Calumet is just getting ramped up on their season and Knox is trying to relocate their mojo. By now I would think the QB situation should be settled and the Redskins should be humming again. I'm going with the home team in this one. Knox 28-21 Pioneer at LaVille - The Panthers have too much offensive firepower. They score on a very high percentage of their possessions and LaVille won't be able to extend enough drives to keep the game close. The only way to beat Pioneer is to keep the ball out of their hands. LaVille won't be able to do enough of that. Pioneer 44-14 Culver at North Judson - The Jays will cruise to another sectional title contest by handling the Cavs with ease. Culver rushed for over 400 yards last week! This week they won't break 100. North Judson 56-6 Triton at Adams Central - Triton's run defense has been pretty stout over the last several weeks. And run is usually what the Flying Jets do very well! I think Triton might slow down the Jets ground and pound offense a bit, but when the home team goes to the air, the Trojans will struggle. The Jets will pull away in the second half and get their shot at Southwood. Adams Central 35-13 Caston at Southwood - With everyone healthy the Comets would be severely outmatched in this one. With a couple of studs out, they will be totally overwhelmed! A step up for Caston this season, but it ends with a blow out loss to a COVID-beating Knights team. Southwood 69-0

Sorry, but I'm not drinking the Koolaid. Pioneer by at least 25. LaVille might get one, maybe two scores. The Panthers will score on at least 75% of their possessions. (8-9 possessions each) Do the math.

Great job by the HNAC last night! Good to see everyone pull off the W. I was impressed by the Trojans. They dominated Busco for 3 quarters. Wore out a little in the 4th and let the Eagles get a couple of scores, but overall a very good performance! Triton was Busco's first 1A opponent all year and I wonder if they might have come in a little flat. In any case, very proud of the guys last night! Winamac had a tight one, but it looks like everyone else took care of business pretty easily. Even Caston had a pretty nice lead in their game. Got a little closer in the 4th, but hats off to them for their first sectional win in a while. Pioneer at LaVille next week. Looking forward to that one!

Triton 24 Busco 14 Final

Triton 24. Busco 0 4th

Triton 7 Busco 0 half

Great article from the Indy Star about Pioneer's Lewellen twins. https://t.co/O6lV8KXa2l?amp=1 It's hard not to like your opponents once you get to know a little about them. Everyone has a story and they are all unique and interesting! I'm glad this story got told and wish I could hear many other stories about kids on other teams.

I've been hoping for a Bremen / Pioneer matchup since the Panthers moved up to 2A. We may get to see it if things go the Sagarin way.

I would expect half the HNAC teams to be playing for sectional titles on November 6, and at least 2 to claim titles. Triton and Caston are toast in Sectional 44, although the Comets could get a sectional win for the first time since 2014! The Trojans are a long shot against Busco, but I wouldn't use pen to write the team from Turtletown into the semis. Winamac and NJ should battle for the Sectional 41 title, eliminating Culver along the way. But it's Judson's to lose in my opinion. Pioneer and LaVille should get their 2020 meeting in the semis as the Panthers cruise to the Sectional 34 title. And Knox has a chance to claim the Sectional 25 crown if they can pull things together. They got a favorable draw.

I watched the NJ / Pioneer game yesterday and came away with a deeper respect for the Jays than I had previously! Judson played hard and did some of the things you must do to beat a team like Pioneer. They controlled some clock, got some first downs, didn't give up a lot of big plays, made the Panthers earn their scores for the most part. I definitely like the Blue Jays in their sectional and think they have a decent shot to represent the Northwest quadrant in the 1A semi state, especially if they get to host LCC in the regional. As for Pioneer... I hate losing to them by 50 every year, but I love watching that team play! They are so fundamentally strong and disciplined! It's just awesome! Bremen is probably the only team in their sectional that has a chance to play with them. But even though they play 3A & 4A teams, they haven't seen a team like Pioneer. I just enjoy watching them execute. It's a thing of beauty!

It's time for the postseason! How will HNAC teams perform in their runs toward postseason success? It should be fun!! Friday, Oct. 23 Knox at Benton Central, 7:30 pm LaVille at Cass, 7 pm Delphi at Pioneer, 7 pm Winamac at South Central, 7:30 pm Culver at Lake Station, 7:30 pm North Judson at West Central, 7:30 pm Churubusco at Triton, 7 pm North Miami at Caston, 7 pm

I saw on another thread that the sectional game between Goshen and Mishawaka was going to count as their conference game since they didn't get to play during the regular season. Why couldn't the semi-final game between Pioneer and LaVille (if it happens) be the same? Count it as the conference matchup for final placing. If LaVille wins they share the title. If Pioneer wins they are the outright champion. Pretty simple if you ask me.

Final Winamac 10, Triton 9

Triton 3 Winamac 0 half

Totally agree. Now, why do you think North Judson will win by two points tonight? Do you have some analytical data that supports your prediction? Do you have some position matchups that in some way favor the Jays? My prediction of a Panther win was based totally on previous game results. But if you're not looking at that, what is driving your prediction? Maybe it's just a gut feel, and if so that's fine. Just wondering how you're coming up with a Blue Jay win.

On Harrell's basketball site there is a guy who uses the transitive property to show how a one win team could beat the best team in the state (assuming they have lost at least one game). It's a blast to see how that works! I wish someone would do that here on the football site. Surely someone could figure out why Taylor should be able to beat Brownsburg!

That's a great point! Teams are not stagnant. But in theory every team would be getting better each week, so week one results could accurately predict week 9 results. Of course, as you said, we all know some coaches are better at getting their teams to improve than others, so I suppose there's room for debate. Which is exactly why we are all on here! To express opinions and have some fun! If we are all expected to ignore previous weeks' results when discussing future games, this site would be EXTREMELY boring! So I will continue to consider the results of previous games when discussing future games. Since you are not looking at results from previous weeks, why don't you break down your reasons for thinking North Judson will win the game tonight by a couple points. I'm interested in hearing your analysis.

Caston at Knox - I know Knox is shorthanded, but they did not impress me at all last week. Triton should have won that game and just let it slip away. But the Redskins should have enough to take down the Comets. Not a huge blowout, but it will never be in doubt. Knox 35-7 LaVille at Culver - Culver's defense hasn't been good. I can't see them stopping LaVille. I'll take the Lancers with a running clock. LaVille 42-6 Pioneer at North Judson - Every time we see a conference team that looks pretty solid, we all want to jump on the bandwagon and give Pioneer their first HNAC loss. But every time we do, the Panthers remind us just what kind of team they are. Judson is a good team and I think they have a shot to play into mid-November, but they aren't Pioneer good. I think the Jays will run some clock, but will ultimately struggle to put up points. Pioneer 30-7 Winamac at Triton - The best game of the week in my opinion. Triton has looked pretty decent in a couple of games, but they haven't been very consistent. Probably due to their youth at some key positions. I think the Trojans would have the same record had they played the Warrior's schedule. Triton's kicking game cost them last week. I think they redeem themselves this week and win by a field goal. Triton 24-22

If I was a betting man, I'd take that one. Of course it's possible the Trojans could run all over the Warriors... so I could be wrong. 😁 Judson has scored exactly 1 TD against good teams this year. Pioneer's defense will be the best they've faced by far. Maybe the Jay's defense will keep it close for a while, but I just don't see it being a game deep into the second half.

Only one close game this week and it won't be the Jays and Panthers.

Knox 22 Triton 18. Final

Knox with a 98 yard drive and a score inside of a minute to win it 22-18.