FinePrint

I believe the IFCA regions require that a certain number of the players be from 1A & 2A schools so the teams are not completely dominated by kids from larger schools. And the players for the annual all-star game are selected from the IFCA list of region all-stars. In addition to this list, there is also an AP All-State by class and a Coaches All-State by class. I assume both of those have representatives scattered around the state who vote. Interesting that all of these all-state teams are done by position.

Not a coach. I don't get a vote.

Yes, if you really want to recognize the BEST players at each position, then you let them win on both sides of the ball and special teams. But since I'm a reasonable guy, I would be willing to limit a player to winning at only one position if that makes everyone feel better. It waters it down a bit in my opinion, but it's a compromise I could live with.

In my humble opinion, HNAC all-conference is a joke. It in no way reflects the best players at any position. It's simply coaches choosing who they want to have the honor from their own teams. Whatever happened to coaches voting on the best player at each position to be all-conference? If you happen to be the second best player in the conference, but the best player also plays your position, then you aren't all-conference! Sorry. I think all-conference offense should be 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 center, 2 guards, 2 tackles. Coaches vote on the best. They are the all-conference team. Period. If you want to vote on a second team, fine. But giving every team X number of players (regardless of the position they play) based on their finish doesn't mean nearly as much to me. It doesn't truly represent the best players in the conference.

The Judson / Pioneer game should be a good one, but it really doesn't matter who wins it. Next week is when it matters. I found it interesting that the frosh QB started last Friday rather than Hill. Is he the QB going forward? Or should we expect Rans back this week? The Triton / Winamac game will be much closer than some might expect. Winamac is a different team these last few games. I would guess maybe a 2 score game, especially with rainy weather on Friday night. Shively is much more effective when the playing conditions are favorable.

Oh wow! I would have guessed maybe 3-4 guys playing both sides. Thanks for the info! Hoping for a good game tonight! Welcome to the GID @Madvamp

Caston at Winamac - It's obvious Winamac has improved since early in the season. Sounds like the coaching staff is making some changes to utilize guys a little better. I'm taking the Warriors in a low-scoring affair. Caston will make a game of it for sure! Warriors 14-8 LaVille at North Judson - Senior night for the Bluejays! They'll play inspired ball after getting embarrassed last week in Bourbon. They'll be working on pass D all week to prepare for Plummer. As others have said, NJ looked pretty one-dimensional on offense last week and LaVille has the bodies to stuff the run. The Jays will need to be able to spread it out to score on the Lancers. Weeks ago I would have had North Judson winning this one. But today I'm going with LaVille. Lancers 31-21 Pioneer at Culver - Pioneer easily in this one, even if their playmakers need another week to heal up. This is the blowout of the night. Panthers 44-6 Triton at Knox - I've been waffling on this one all week. Triton's ailing running back should return this week. That should help the running game out. But I think Triton has to be able to pass the ball to make this a game. That means the O-line will have to play well in pass protection, and Shively will need to throw some great balls! (Which he is very capable of doing!) Knox averages 40 and gives up 13. Triton averages 30 and gives up 14. Something has to give on Friday night! The Trojans seem to rise up when I doubt them, so I'm going with the home team on Senior Night. Redskins 28-21

That ain't gonna happen against the Knox D. They'll be ready. I'm curious how many guys Knox has going both ways. I assume they have more depth and can platoon a little more effectively than the 1A schools in the conference.

Harrell Predictions: jh PREDICTION: Winamac, 24-21. jh PREDICTION: LaVille, 28-21. jh PREDICTION: Pioneer, 45-14. jh PREDICTION: Knox, 35-21.

I'm not sure they'll be any really good games this week. I hope the Trojans can hang around with Knox, but I'm not too confident. The Caston/Winamac game might be a close one. LaVille fans will be cheering for Triton Friday night!

Shively happened. 4 passing TDs. 1 rushing TD. 2 INTs.

Culver at Caston - Caston has had a tough go of it this year! But they have also shown some good signs against good teams. They'll be rewarded with a nice win this week over the struggling Cavaliers. Comets 27-6 Knox at Pioneer - The Redskins will handle the Panthers. The margin depends on who plays for Pioneer. At full strength it's one score. Missing guys it's 3. I don't think they'll play everyone. Redskins 35-14 LaVille at Glenn - This game won't be extremely close, but I don't know which team will play well and which team will lay the egg. I'm guessing the Falcons play with passion on Falloween Weekend! Falcons 28-14 North Judson at Triton - This should be the closest game of the week. Sagarin has them about as even as you can get. Factor in the home field and you get Triton winning a squeaker. But I still think the Trojans will be down a body or two, so I'm going with the visitors on Senior Night. Bluejays 21-17 Winamac at West Central - Going with the upset here. I think Winamac is turning it around and they'll knock off the previously unbeaten Trojans. Warriors 20-14 Good luck to all HNAC teams this week. Play strong and stay healthy.

I doubt if Triton with Schuh could beat AC. And I suppose when you're one of the final 4 teams in the tourney, you've made a "deep tournament run." So by that definition Triton, NJ or Pioneer could still make a deep run in 1A. But I agree, I don't think anyone is beating AC or Lutheran.

Personal observations as we head into the final 1/3rd of the season... Culver - I know they lost some key folks to graduation last year, but I didn't expect them to be this bad. The Cavs have always been a hard-nosed gritty team. Not so much this year. I don't see them winning a game this season. Caston - They have some senior leadership and talent, but their schedule to date has been brutal! They've played 6 games and their opponents have a combined 7 losses!! That's just crazy! Their next two games are winnable, and - depending on the draw - they have a chance to win a couple of sectional games. Winamac - I think these guys are an improving football team. They played NJ pretty well and won easily last week. I wouldn't be surprised if they upset West Central this week. And I think Triton better be careful or the Warriors could surprise them too. Pioneer - The surprise of the season in my opinion! I figured they would be improved, but to compete toe-to-toe with the best in the conference is a shock to me. At full strength this is a very solid team! Still a couple of tough games ahead, but they seem to be gearing up for a post-season run. A sectional title wouldn't surprise me. Triton - We can all play the "what if" game. But at the end of last season I was very excited for this year's prospects. The loss of Schuh was such a big blow to the Trojan's outlook for this season. Still a very solid team, but not one that can make a deep tournament run in my opinion. With three games to go, they could still win a share of the HNAC title, but it would require some really great performances. Not impossible, but I don't see it. North Judson - I've thought all along the Jays would be in the conference title hunt. But they haven't really shown me that they are a step above the pack in the conference yet. They have a chance to prove that in the next three weeks with Triton, LaVille and Pioneer on the docket. They could win all three or lose all three. Their season hinges on the their performance down the stretch. LaVille - They are proving to me that they belong near the top of the conference. I wasn't a believer early on, but they seem to be coming together and playing some good football at this point. Their offense hasn't put up the numbers we saw from last year's team, but the D is solid and will keep them in any contest. I still don't think they are near the top of 2A, but they have a legit shot to win their sectional. Knox - Just need to get past Pioneer and Triton to earn the HNAC title and an undefeated regular season. These games may be competitive, but I don't see the Redskins losing either one. And good for them! The new NSC is going to challenge them in the years ahead. That's a very solid football conference they are joining!

Agree. I don't think any of these games is a blowout. Harrell's Predictions: jh PREDICTION: Caston, 35-21. jh PREDICTION: Knox, 31-21. jh PREDICTION: Glenn, 24-21. jh PREDICTION: Triton, 28-27. jh PREDICTION: West Central, 35-24.

It’s a shame these teams didn’t get to play this game at full strength. There was a lot at stake. Still a chance for the winner to get a share of the HNAC title. Some good games again next week. The next few weeks should be a lot of fun for us fans.

What a gutsy performance by the Trojans tonight! After giving up a big score on the 2nd play of the game, they buckled down and scored the next 20 points! All that with a 3rd string running back. (Where was Prater?) Took advantage of a couple of 4th quarter Pioneer turnovers to ride it out and finish off the Panthers. That's a quality win for Triton. Close win for Knox to keep their conference title hopes alive, and a competitive game for the Comets! Almost pulled off the big upset!

That doesn't include the Culver game where I think Shively was 5/6 in the first half. I don't think he kicked the PATs while the JV was playing the second half. He's a skilled kicker! Just a couple of lapses in concentration, I would guess. But I wouldn't hesitate to run him out there for a 40+ yarder if the situation called for it.

Shively has missed one in every game he's played in this year. So I'll take Triton.

Caston at North White - Are Caston's Sr backers good enough to corral NW Sr QB Quasebarth? According to MaxPreps he averages about 13 yards per carry and they put up a lot of points! I'm guessing they'll slow him a little, but probably not enough to get a win over the 12th ranked Vikings. Vikings 28-14 Culver at Winamac - Who gets their first win of 2023? After watching the Cavaliers last Friday, I just can't imagine them beating anyone. And apparently the Warriors put up a fight with the Jays. I'm taking Winamac comfortably. Warriors 34-13 Knox at LaVille - One of two good games this week! The Lancers received a 1st place vote in the 2A AP poll this week. Are they really that good? I'm not convinced yet, but they can prove they belong closer to the top of 2A with a win this Friday night. Two weeks ago I said the Knox / Judson game would determine the conference champion and I'm sticking to that. Knox wins this one to solidify their place atop the strongly competitive HNAC. Redskins 21-17 South Central at North Judson - Likely frustrated by their performance last week, the Jays will take it out on the Satellites this week. SCUM isn't a bad football team, but they'll take a shellacking by a worked up North Judson team on Friday. Is it homecoming night at North Judson-San Pierre High School this week? If so, they'll celebrate with a big win. Blue Jays 42-7 Triton at Pioneer - The second of the good games this week! Both have shown signs of being in the upper ranks of the conference, but both teams have skeptics. So which team is going to prove it belongs among the 1A top 10, and who ends up licking their wounds after this one? I will be shocked if one team dominates this contest. It should come down to execution versus mistakes. Pioneer can be tough to stop when things are running smoothly! Though I hope I'm wrong, I have to take the Panthers at home. In Bourbon I take the Trojans. In Royal Center it's Pioneer in a squeaker. Panthers 21-20

https://team1sports.com/pioneertv/?B=590633

I watched some of the Pioneer / Hammond game and I must say I'm not at all surprised by the Panther win! I think there are at least 3, and maybe 4 other HNAC teams that would beat HC. Pretty sad for a 5A program. And the fact that they won their first 4 games... go figure. Give Pioneer credit for sure, but after watching it I'm not sure that was even an upset.

There should be some good games this week! At least one conference team will get their first win of the season. And I wouldn't be surprised if it's two! Here are your John Harrell predictions for this week: jh PREDICTION: North White, 38-24. jh PREDICTION: Winamac, 35-21. jh PREDICTION: LaVille, 24-23. jh PREDICTION: North Judson, 38-17. jh PREDICTION: Pioneer, 28-21.

Definitely agree about the kicking game. It makes a huge difference when you have to start every drive at the 20! I wonder if Plummer could get some D1 looks as a kicker? Probably hasn’t kicked enough field goals in high school to get the attention, but with some dedicated coaching you have to wonder if he could do it.