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Nope. No chance. But I believe Caston - who is 0-8, believes they have a chance to beat 7-1 West Central in their sectional opener. Their game on August 19 was an 18 point loss, Caston's closest game of the season. I think Caston's football team is probably pretty excited about playing that game!

I haven't always been on board, but I have changed by opinion to a degree about seeding. You don't have to go to a qualifying system to seed the top two teams. I think it makes sense to seed the top two teams in each sectional so they would never meet until the championship game. I'm also okay with re-seeding the remaining teams after sectional play. So if there is any level of seeding, that would make the regular season meaningful. In my mind, this is a reasonable compromise.

As has been said on here many times already, using a qualifying and seeded playoff system will not eliminate blowouts. Every year under that system there will be several blowout games between 1 & 16 seeds and 2 & 15 seeds, etc. Now, of course, the losing team will have earned the right to be blown out. But still...

That happens so infrequently that it's statistically irrelevant. Ha! 😆 Sorry, couldn't resist!! Carry on...

It appears to be a pretty bland set of games this week. Not much to discuss for the last week of the regular season. Caston at Knox - Knox won't get much of a chance to sharpen their game heading into next week's sectional play. Caston is probably already looking at the rematch with West Central next week. Knox Redskins 56-0 LaVille at Culver - If there is an interesting game this week, this one might be it. I don't expect Culver to make it close, but it will be interesting to see how LaVille looks with a new QB running the show. LaVille Lancers 48-0 Pioneer at North Judson - The Jays have lost 13 straight to the Panthers. This is the year they turn the tide. Pioneer ends the regular season with their worst record in over a quarter century. North Judson Bluejays 42-0 Winamac at Triton - This young Winamac team will find themselves overmatched in this one. The senior dominated OL of the Trojans and the hard running Schuh will pummel the young Warriors. They might get a score off a turnover or late against the JV. Triton Trojans 49-7 Running clocks by the 4th quarter in every game this week.

Currently, every game in the regular season is an opportunity to improve because every team has a chance to win a game or two in the tournament, depending on their draw. My team has been consistently poor, and in 80% of their seasons they would be eliminated halfway through. But the players on the team how have something to play for right up until the last game. And coaches have something to coach toward.

Inescapable maybe. But not inarguable. How does this make football better for every Indiana high school football player? Isn't that the point of high school athletics? It's about players, not fan appeal. If 7,500 players in the state have nothing to play for after week 5, how is that better for them?

Definitely agree. The question is philosophical. But obviously many different philosophical positions on this topic. I really wonder just how many games by week eight or nine have the potential to move a team up or down enough in the ratings to get them in or leave them out. It seems by the last couple weeks of the season very little movement happens in the rankings. Would it be realistic to say that a handful of teams in each class could change their ranking enough to alter their post-season position? So maybe we have 30 games per week out of 160 that could potentially have an impact on whether or not a team makes the playoff? And of course by week eight we then have 150 teams that have nothing to play for. Probably 100 of those teams are eliminated after week 3. Personally, I just don't see how a qualification system makes football better for Indiana high school football players across the board.

Hopefully there won't be much of a drop off in offensive production. I know in the Triton game, LaVille's passing offense broke that game open. And I would suspect they'll need to be a little versatile against Andrean if they're going to win that one. At least Czarnecki will have a couple games to prepare.

West Central's only loss came at the hands of a bottom-half HNAC team by way of a shutout. If Carroll doesn't beat WC in dominating fashion, they'll be a sacrificial lamb at the hands of Adams Central. The deeper we get into the season, the more the 1A north looks to me like a showdown between North Judson and AC.

In 2018 Triton won the sectional by winning all three games on the road. It's not easy, but can be done. Although beating Judson at Liberty Field this year would be a monumental upset!

Only questions for me are if Triton will get refocused after two losses, and if LaVille will have any type of letdown after their big win. Culver is set up for a nice sectional run. They should be feeling good right now.

Nice that you have a positive attitude about the team, but I don't think LaVille has any chance to go anywhere in the 2A tournament without a passing game. Now, if you tell me the backup can chuck it like Plummer, then maybe they have a shot. That Plummer to Smith combo is essential for the Lancers. Without that connection LaVille would have had trouble beating Triton. They won't beat Andrean without it.

What's the report on Plummer this morning? If he's out for the season LaVille's hopes of a tournament run are done.

Some great games in the HNAC last night! The game for 1st was an instant Channel 46 classic! Congratulations to the Lancers for gutting out the win. Culver using a passing game to beat Pioneer!!! What's up with that? Triton spots Knox 16 points before running an offensive play, then fights back to take the lead in the 2nd. That was a fun game to watch! Caston self-destructs again in the 2nd half. A great night of football!

Wait until you see Schuh next week before you make that proclamation.

Chuck Freeby reported today that this game will be livestreamed on the IHSAA Champions network. Good news for those who can't make the game! Typically the Channel 46 games are a delayed broadcast at 11:00 pm on Friday's and 9:00 am on Saturdays. https://www.ihsaatv.org/whme46/

Here we go... Each of this week's games will likely determine the final standings for the HNAC for 2022. We know someone other than Pioneer will walk away with the trophy. Who will it be? Winamac at Caston - The cellar dweller will come from this matchup, and I have to think that's going to be the Comets. A couple of weeks ago I read an article where Coach Ulerick was publicly questioning his players' toughness and desire. At that point I knew their season was basically over. The only chance for Caston is if the turnover bug hits the Warriors again. But I don't think it'll happen this week. Winamac Warriors 27-14 Culver at Pioneer - The battle for 5th. Pioneer has played the toughest schedule of any conference team to date. And I still think they're a pretty good team! But Culver has the potential to eat up clock and make this a low possession contest. If that's the case, it'll be close into the 4th. I just think Pioneer will make a couple of big plays and probably have a special teams score. (Toloza will get one.) Culver hangs around, but comes up short in the end. Pioneer Panthers 32-22 Knox at Triton - Third place on the line. How will Triton respond after the disaster of last week? I feel like Knox has been improving weekly and they're prepping for a solid showing in Sectional 26. Triton needs to re-group and baton down the defensive hatches! Both teams are going to move the ball this week, so I think we'll see a lot of scoring and whoever wins the turnover battle will likely win this war. I want to be a homer and pick the Trojans. But my gut tells me Triton will still be a little dazed from last week and this might not be their best outing. Knox Redskins 35-28 North Judson at LaVille - For all the marbles. This one should be a dandy! Right up until last Friday I would have said LaVille is a shoe-in to win this one. Now I'm a Bluejay believer. Allen and company (or should we say Benson and company) are the real deal! While both defenses are very good, they will both face the best offense they have seen all year. LaVille can mix it up and I think that might give Judson some trouble. The Jays have a stable of good horses to ride and they'll find the one that the Lancers are having the most trouble stopping. I look for a lot of offense in this one despite the defensive numbers these teams have put up so far. Both teams would love to win a conference title, but I feel like both are looking at even loftier goals for the 2022 season. This contest will be good for both teams regardless of the outcome. North Judson Bluejays 35-31

Best group of matchups that we've had all season. All four games could be competitive.

I think LaVille's offense will be fine. They had a bit of an off night against Knox, but they've been able to score consistently against other decent defenses. Triton couldn't stop the Jays, but the Trojans had in excess of 350 yards of offense, and that was being very one-dimensional. The Lancers can chuck it and run it. I think they'll have success against Judson offensively. Personally, I think it'll be a shootout.

Bremen has a legitimate chance to finish the regular season 6-3. That's a lot better than the "glad we have Clay on the schedule or we wouldn't win a game all year" outlook after week 1! 😄

Channel 46 picked a whale of a game to highlight Northern Indiana small school football! This should be a great game!

What a great game by North Judson! They looked very good! Obviously our coaches took my advice and did not show the Jays our real defense. Ha Ha! 😂😂 Should be a great game next Friday between the Lancers and the Blue Jays!

Are you thinking they need to be off their game for you to beat them next week? Hmmm.

It's always fun to take a wild guess at these games! I have no idea how many of these I've gotten right through the year, but I just enjoy throwing an opinion out there. We need something to talk about on here! Caston at Culver - The Cavaliers will have absolutely no trouble with the Comets. This is likely the biggest blowout of the night in the conference. Shuman ought to have a big night. Culver Cavaliers 48-8 Glenn at LaVille - I suspect LaVille is a little annoyed that they didn't win a little more comfortably last week at Knox. The D will be fired up and on point this week! And the offense will likely be running like clockwork. I'm looking for a shutout and a comfortable win this week against their St. Joe County rivals. Saturday begins prep for the big matchup with North Judson which will likely determine the conference champ (possibly with Triton's championship hopes in the balance). LaVille Lancers 42-0 Pioneer at Knox - What a great effort by Knox last Friday! I was truly impressed they were able to slow down the Lancer offense and score enough on their defense to make it that close! Will there be a letdown this week? I don't think so. Knox has three winnable games to finish out the season and head into sectional play with some momentum. And Sectional 26 is not the loaded 3A sectional it has been in previous years. Knox has a chance to make some noise this year. As I've said before, Pioneer is not that bad of a team. They are definitely a step above the HNAC bottom-feeders. But the top of the HNAC is pretty good this year! In many other years this Pioneer team would still be a top 3 conference team. Just not this year. Having said that, I don't think they have the depth to hang around with Knox. They ran out of steam in the 4th at Triton last week, and Knox's numbers will wear down the Panthers again this week. It might be tight for a while, but Knox runs away in the second half. Knox Redskins 35-16 Triton at North Judson - This could be the game of the week. It should be one of the premier games in 1A! And it showcases (arguably of course) the two best backs in the conference in Allen and Schuh. According to Sagarin, these two teams have played the weakest schedules to date of any HNAC team - by far. So this will definitely be a test for both squads! The HNAC title is still within reach for both teams if the Jays can upset LaVille next week. So there is a trophy hanging out there as motivation. Liberty Field is a tough place to play. I'm giving Judson the edge at home. Hope I'm wrong! But... North Judson-San Pierre Blue Jays 21-17 West Central at Winamac - The Trojan's only loss has been at the hands of Culver, who squeaked by the Warriors last week. Winamac has definitely played the tougher schedule and should enter this contest battle tested and ready to take out some frustration on the Midwest Conference foe. West Central will get another taste of HNAC hard-nosed football this week. I think the Warriors get win #2 over another Midwest team and the HNAC cements it's place as the MWC's nemesis. Winamac Warriors 27-14