MHSTigerFan

Purdy is an elite LB. He was easily one of the best defenders on the field last night. Fast, strong as hell, great instincts, gets off blocks well. Castle D had some issues with coverage and and DL, though. At least against Memorial. I didn't watch them all that much against Boonville and NP.

Leo had some great catches against all 3 opposing defenses. I don't know if he's taller than he was last season. But he's certainly gotten bigger and stronger (he didn't play baseball this spring and has clearly been putting in a lot of time in the weight room). His mixture of height, reach, and strength with pretty good speed is going to be a matchup nightmare for teams. In a scrimmage like this without normal jersey numbers, it's not easy to tell who is who. But I'll do my best... Offensively: Both QBs had some quality reps and throws. If I had to guess today, I think we'll be seeing Ellspermann holding down QB1. But I wouldn't be at all surprised to see some mixing it up -- as was done with Lindauer and Stepto as wildcat. I think it would be hard to just keep Fisher on the bench. I thought Porter Rode looked really good. Forceful running, ran well off blocks, nice cutting (despite maybe a lingering knee or ankle issue?). But, obviously, it's hard to make too much of an RB in a non-live scrimmage. I think he'll be our primary RB if he's eligible. We were moving guys around on O-Line. 1st team OL looked good and held their own against NP's bigs (including Burgess, who is headed to Louisville, and Moore, who is headed pretty much wherever he wants). Not sure who they're settling on to replace Diaz and Duff. Mattingly is out with lower back issues. Vaughn, Waller, Seward, and Wade each got a lot of snaps. Weinzapfel, Hartig, and Cassidy looked like 3-year starters. Defensively: I thought they looked OK, considering that we've got so many shoes to fill. Kaleb Collins was out with an injury (leg, maybe?). Kelton Farmer and Weinzapfel looked like their usual selves up front. Joey Collins saw a lot of action at DE. As with OL, we moved guys in and out a lot up front. Pass coverage was a bright spot. We did give a couple up. But the opposing QBs usually had trouble finding open receivers. I thought Carac Johnson looked good in pursuit and closing. We weren't all that great containing the outside, unfortunately. That's clearly going to need some work. I think all 3 opposing offenses had success on us out there.

It goes without saying that this is a big loss for the Knights. I thought Gordon looked pretty green last night, which I guess isn't surprising.

Purdy is one of the best defensive players in southern Indiana.

Maybe institute a post multiplier for Northern and Central Indiana?

I hate to say it, but that’s probably right. If he enrolled at North - which is the district he’s in - I bet that would go through without a hitch. I loathe the IHSAA. It’s so transparent.

I don’t think they’re actually all that confident. He’s allowed to practice. And, in case he wins the appeal, it’s prudent to have him do so. His dad is in the process of moving to a newly built house. There is some hope this would help Porter’s case.

To ask the question is to answer it.

Yeah, I do too. In fact, Neidig has been quoted saying that their general intent with the transfer policy is to prevent the good athletes pooling up at schools with successful programs….so as to help level the competition.

And Andy Owen didn’t appeal the transfer? (shocked face)

Porter Rode was denied eligibility in his initial hearing. Seeking appeal.

Personally, I think we’ll see Fisher play quite a bit of QB - and probably be the fulltime starter by season. But I’ve heard that Caleb will be QB1 going into OTAs. Fisher is just a more gifted QB, you can’t keep that on the bench. Plus, Caleb has the athleticism to contribute elsewhere.

I doubt Rode ends up back at Central if the IHSAA ruling comes out unfavorably. He hated it there. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back at Westfield if that happens. His mom still lives up there and he’s there a lot.

Donovan Baker. His dad is Randall Baker, who was a stud RB for Memorial. Donovan is very strong and athletic. Might also see Landon Horning get some carries.

His transfer to Central after 1 year at Westfield was on the up and up. His transfer to Memorial after 1 semester at Central is not. Paul Neidig is the former AD at Central.

Memorial has a lot of guys to replace on D : Shea, A. Farmer, Russell, Agler, Rogers, Filbert, Scheberle were all regular starters. Tyler, Dehner, and a few others got some reps. But if anybody can pull that off, it’s Ben Johnson.

I didn’t say it did. His mother lives near Westfield and his father lives in Evansville. Other than his family situation, I don’t know what played into that transfer. I’m just saying, in light of the comment about athletes getting a freebie, that this was his second transfer. I’ve heard that he found the learning environment at Central bad, his grades were suffering for it, and that he’s done much better at Memorial.

It's worth pointing out that Porter Rode has transferred twice: once from Westfield to Ev. Central after his freshman year, then from Ev. Central to Ev. Memorial after his 1st semester sophomore year. But that's not why he's probably going to be denied eligibility. Paul Neidig is a Central guy and so is his protege Andy Owen (who is pursuing this). And it seems apparent that Neidig's vision for enforcing the transfer rule is less about how it reads and more about encouraging parity. As such, he would seem likely to place a high value on the athlete's ability and the relative success of the sending and receiving schools. But I guess that wasn't a problem when Javonte Madison transferred from struggling Bosse to the then-SIAC leader Central.

I suspect we’ll be seeing Fisher start. He’s just got a better arm than Caleb does. And they could easily utilize Caleb at another position. Caleb is quick and elusive, has decent hands.

Thanks for the link -- a lot of good info there. But also a lot of infuriating info too. So, yeah, there's no wonder that the IHSAA has moved to prohibit lawyers from the hearings. I'm surprised nobody has filed suit over that, considering the IHSAA's legal status as a quasi-governmental body. It seems like some pretty thin ice to tell people they aren't entitled to legal counsel -- especially for something that may well end up in court. And then to say that the IHSAA *is* entitled to confer with their general counsel? Robert Baker sounds like a real peach. Thank God they "retired" him after all this drama. Still, the thing I keep coming back to is Neidig's comment that suggests their motivation is actually about competitiveness. If that's the case, then how good an athlete is, how good the "sending" school is, how good the "receiving" school is...would likely play a huge role in determining their decision. OK. But the problem with this is that the written policy is facially neutral on all of those points. No wonder the courts have been so hostile to some of the CRP's determinations.

I found a story about the IHSAA transfer process. One recent denial was overturned by a court, so they have been looking at revisiting the process. One change they’ve made is that attorneys can’t be present for either party (which in itself seems ripe for a legal challenge…the IHSAA is a quasi-governmental agency). Interestingly, the IHSAA maintains the right to consult their counsel, but the student does not. Then I found this quote by Neidig: “What I do know is there has to be a transfer process along the way,” Neidig said. “As soon as there’s not and the best kids within a large metropolitan community can gather on a team, the hope of winning a state championship if you’re at a smaller school or in a school that is more rural where the kids who grew up in that community and play in that community, is probably going to go away. In my mind, that’s not going to be very much fun anymore. All 407 of our schools ought to start the season with a chance — or at least a dream of success." The written transfer policy says that a transfer can’t be deemed to have been “primarily for athletic reasons.” But that quote from Neidig sounds like they’re actually more motivated by preventing concentration of the best athletes…so as to maintain competition. So which is it? Given the written policy, that sounds like a misguided comment for Neidig to make. No wonder they’re moving to keep kids from having legal representation.

Speaking of my Tigers, a couple important and as yet unanswered questions: 1) Who will start at QB? 2) Will Porter Rode be suiting up for the Tigers? His hearing is May 3rd. I’ve heard that Andy Owen has made a particular effort to thwart Rode’s transfer. Does anybody know if Paul Neidig will be involved in the decision? Him and Andy are obviously very close.

As great as Brady Allen is, I still think MHS would’ve beaten GS last year. The Titans struggled with (but beat) Lawrenceburg. The Tigers struggled with (but beat) East Central. Those two teams played: EC beat Lawrenceburg 34-6.

VL to stay put in SIAC after being rejected by PAC. https://www.courierpress.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/03/11/vincennes-lincoln-remains-southern-indiana-athletic-conference/6994885001/

I agree (obviously). But, if I was Porter Rode, I wouldn’t mold my mouthpiece just yet. I should point out that we have had at least some transfers in from public schools without loss of eligibility. The most recent I can think of was Xavier Tyler, who came from Bosse. I don’t know if his xfer was challenged. But his dad is a Memorial alum and that might have worked in his favor. Rode’s father is a Bosse grad, I think.