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Fairfield would be a perfect fit with this group. And I can't understand why Rochester is opting out. From outside appearances they would seem to fit quite well.

I hadn't thought of North Miami, but they would fit pretty well. I could live with Rochester and North Miami, although I'd be surprised if Rochester doesn't end up in the new conference with Valley.

As a Triton fan, I'm sorry to see LaVille leave the HNAC, but I totally get it. This is a great new conference from a school size and competition perspective! Add Fairfield and Rochester to the list and this is pretty darn near perfect!

So if LaVille and Knox are leaving the HNAC, who does the conference go after to replace them? South Central West Central Argos Rochester Westville Oregon-Davis

I don't think you would ever see Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley in different conferences, so you could replace CA with Valley. Long drive from Winamac to Jimtown. Probably a deal breaker there. Why did Sheridan leave?

In order to build a sustained football program that can compete with the best in the class, the first thing you need is a winning culture. When you consistently get beat up by larger programs, you won't build a winning culture. I've seen it first hand. My oldest son played football at Triton in the NSC. They had some decent athletes but consistently lost by 40-50 points to the larger schools. (New Prairie was ahead 63-0 at halftime one year.) While they gave it their best efforts, they couldn't compete and never gained the confidence needed to be successful, even when playing other 1A schools. I then had 2 sons play in the HNAC. And even though they lost huge to Pioneer every year, they gained great confidence by competing with and beating teams from similar sized schools. They played for 2 sectional titles and won in a year that had 4 HNAC teams likely among the top 10 teams in all of 1A. (2018 - Pioneer, LaVille, North Judson, Triton) Yes, the competition you play matters. But it has to be balanced. Playing bigger schools doesn't automatically result in a more competitive team.

I hear this line of thinking all the time. But if this were actually true, the old NSC would have never broken up. Culver, Triton, LaVille would have been winning sectionals left and right! But look back at the facts. That simply didn't happen! Playing Bremen, Glenn, New Prairie and Jimtown every year DID NOT result in the small 1A teams having any kind of sustained tournament success! In fact, Triton has been much more competitive in tournament play since leaving the NSC.

That's what those schools should be saying. Pioneer should be next. Why would the small 1A schools want to bring in two additional schools with double their enrollments?

I've never been a fan of conferences larger than 8 schools, but I suppose I should adjust with the times. Ten+ schools seems to be the trend these days. I find it interesting that Bremen is ready to break their ties with Jimtown and leave them out to dry in the NIC. It seemed when the NSC broke up Bremen was joined at the hip with the Jimmies and was ready to ride that relationship to the end, even if it meant the NIC. Apparently things have changed... I don't think we would be in this situation if New Prairie had left the NSC and joined the NIC back in the mid-to-late 2000s. North Judson could have replaced them in the NSC and I think the conference would still be in tact and as strong as ever. But that's water under the bridge. If you have 10 teams, I like the Hoosier model with a couple crossover games and a championship final week. I'd be in favor of rotating the crossover games so you get to play everyone every 2-3 years. Does adding Bremen and Glenn push Caston back toward the Midwest?

It's unfortunate that assumptions are made about people who reside in rural areas. Yes, I live in a rural setting. But I'm highly educated and know a fair bit about private education. I will not speak poorly of private schooling, but I do enjoy seeing public schools overcome their disadvantages to beat similar-sized private schools.

Why is that relevant?

Every time! In any class!

My preference is to seed only the top 2 in eight team sectionals. That should satisfy the people who hate to see the two best teams meet in early rounds, and it would give the bad teams a chance at drawing another bottom half team in round one. This would assure that second round games (assuming no upsets) would always include at least 3 of the top 5 teams in the sectional. But it also allows opportunity for a dark horse to win a game or two, depending on the draw.

I was wondering when someone would put a poll out here. I voted for all in with seeding, but I don't want the entire field seeded. Seed the top two. Draw the rest. In my opinion this option provides the best of both worlds. It makes the season meaningful, and it gives the poor teams a shot at a favorable draw in the first round.

Mason McIntyre left education to run a non-profit organization after the 2020-2021 school year. Mr. Younis has been filling both roles (head coach and AD) this year, but is giving up the coaching duties moving forward.

Zach Whittacker named the new coach at Triton High School. He replaces Rodney Younis who remains with Triton as the Athletic Director. https://www.tritontrojans.org/articles/football/whittaker-named-new-head-football-coach?fbclid=IwAR03-DaVEmrmyrg6xZFjDl9nzf_MGFhh-N_0cChKXN7iPQrGfGYlkKzbWmo

West Lafayette @ Knox - The Redskins have had a great season! But it likely ends this week at the hands of the Red Devils. WL averaged over 45 per game against much better weekly competition. And while Knox can score the football, defense has not been their strong suit this year. I think Knox will move the ball, but they won't beat West Lafayette in a shootout. West Lafayette Red Devils 42-20 North Judson @ Park Tudor - North Judson is a game away from the rematch they've been wanting for the last 51 weeks! They need to take care of business Friday night to get their shot at the Jets. They should be focused and ready to impose their will. Can the Panthers slow down the option? Maybe for a while, but eventually the Jays will find a week spot and go to town. In the end this one shouldn't be close. North Judson Blue Jays 35-14

Knox @ Jimtown - The Redskins head over to Baugo to face the Jimmies for a Sectional 26 title. It's been a few years since this guy's been to Baugo Township for a game, but last I knew it was the home of Shaved Ice and burning leaves! Welcome to football in November! This should be a good game between two former NSC teams. Knox has been solid all year. Jimtown has won 8 straight after losing their first two, and they seem to be improving along the way! Can the Jimmies stop Knox's multi-headed running attack? I'm going to say no. Knox will be the highest ranked Sagarin team Jimtown has faced since their week one loss to Northwood. Knox Redskins 28-21 Culver @ North Judson - Culver had a very good season and won every game they should have won all year long. But they shouldn't win this one, and they won't. The Blue Jays are headed toward a rematch with Adams Central and nothing's going to stand in their way! Judson has too many studs on their roster to allow this game to be close. Their starters should get some rest during the second half running clock as they get ready for a drive to Indy next week to face the Park Tudor Panthers. North Judson Blue Jays 49-8

Actually according to Sagarin, Knox has played the more difficult schedule this year. In fact, the HNAC as a whole was a better conference than the NIC small schools. The HNAC has 4 teams with a higher Sagarin rating than the NIC champ, Jimtown.

It's too bad Triton and LaVille could not have played at full strength. Schuh at full strength could have changed that game. Same for Plummer. If he plays against Andrean it might have been a different outcome. Nothing against Czarnecki, but Plummer would have added another weapon to the Lancer offense. Same for Triton with a healthy Schuh.

Schuh got hurt near the end of the first half. He did not return to the game.

Well, Triton held them to four TDs. I think that was a pretty good effort defensively! But the offense shot themselves in the foot too many times. And of course the absence of Schuh really hurt. Shively did what he could, but he needed help and he didn't have much. Several dropped passes along the way. No real running threat. Plus poor field position in the second half. Proud of the Trojans for closing the gap against the Jays. Judson should cruise to their meeting with Adams Central. And that one will be a dog fight!

North Judson wins it 25-6. Triton played the entire second half without Schuh. Shively had no help offensively and couldn’t do it alone. Congrats to Judson!

North Judson 25 Triton 6 Final

North Judson 6 Triton 6 Half