FlyingHigh

Not to the extent of AC’s defense. Shut them out and shut him down. They’ll do enough to win, though.

Little to no doubt that Bluffton wins by 2 scores.

Week 5 Preview Heritage @ Adams Central: Easy choice for game of the week in the ACAC and likely NE IN if it weren't for Carroll and Snider matching up this week. There's been some comments made by media and others questioning whether AC is as good as in the past because of some slower starts. This team is certainly different than past years. Not as explosive at times, but they've shown moments of it. I honestly think that people, including Ft. Wayne media members, are tired of AC being good and are hoping that the Jets fall off. I'm hoping that the Jets show up big in their first legitimate conference test in the last two years. They have potential to be as good or better than the past couple of years if they turn things on from the opening kickoff. The work is cut out for the Jets, as Heritage's QB is looking like he can carry this team to a level of success that they haven't seen in years. If AC plays up to their capabilities, I think they win by 20+. It could also be a one-score game, which could go to either team, if AC comes out flat. Bluffton @ Jay County: Jay County came out and played hard last week against a much more talented AC team. Bluffton should be able to win handily with their physicality. I could see this being close at the beginning. Woodlan @ Southern Wells: Woodlan seems to struggle on the offensive side of the ball a little more than on defense. I expect the Warriors to win this one, but it will be closer than in recent years. South Adams @ Monroe Central: Last time SA lost two conference games in a row? 2018. They hit the road in a non-conference match-up that should get them back on the winning track.

We're about 2 weeks away from some real Friday night lights in the ACAC, so let's get some discussion on the 2023 season. I think the top of the conference is clearly AC. They lost 4 starters from a state runner up finish and, more importantly for this thread, a team that beat ACAC opponents by over 41 points per game. Teams 2-4 could get really interesting this year, which is exciting for the conference. Below are my thoughts on conference rankings: Adams Central (14-1 in 2022) - As stated above, AC ran through the conference last year pretty easily and they only lost 4 starters. One of those starters was Ryan Black who was very important to the team, but senior Jack Hamilton is stepping into the QB spot and will do a great job. I don't think there will be a drop off at all offensively and I see the defense being even stronger. The best case for the Jets is for the conference to provide some competitive games to prep them for another potential run at Lucas Oil. Heritage (6-4) - Heritage finished in 2nd place in the conference last year after getting over the South Adams hurdle. I think Heritage will be at the top of the fight for 2nd place between the Patriots, Bluffton and South Adams. Heritage has strong numbers and a huge senior class in Coach Kolkman's 4th year leading the program. The Patriots are headed in the right direction. Bluffton (8-5) - Bluffton returns nearly their entire starting roster after winning a sectional title for the first time since the 1980s. They'll be big and experienced. I think this is the year that Bluffton beats South Adams for the first time since 2015 (and the first time in Coach Kunkel's career). This is another program headed in the right direction that should build off the success that they had last year. South Adams (8-3) - The Starfires (I still have no idea what the heck a Starfire is) have turned into a really solid program under Grant Moser. The players seem to expect to win and that gives them a leg up in a majority of ACAC matchups. I think Owen Wanner is one of the best players in the conference, but they'll struggle protecting him. The defense will play fast like they always do. SA could knock off either Heritage or Bluffton, but I don't think there's a world where they beat both of them. Woodlan (4-6) - The Warriors lose their best athlete in Snyder at QB, but they beat Jay County last year so I'm taking them at this spot. I don't know a whole lot else about them. Jay County (2-8) - Jay County's only wins last year were against Blackford and Southern Wells. Fortunately for them, those two teams are still on their schedule for 2023. Southern Wells (0-10) - I think that I read on the GID that Southern Wells had enough numbers that they were struggling to find helmets. That's a short-term issue, but definitely a move in the right direction for the program in the long-term.

What’s the story there? That kid was a stud.

I don’t think AC looked nearly as deep into turf as you’re implying. Also, dollars going towards a turf field would be much more than an investment in the football program. Outside of potential maintenance savings, dollars spent on turf would also be an investment in baseball, softball, PE, band and would provide the K-12 students a wider range of opportunities.

I could see some of the leaders in the school wanting to move to turf, but it'll be a hard sell to the board and community since Minnich Field is one of the best natural grass fields in the area. My guess is that AC will get it eventually now that South Adams is getting it. SA ran into similar drainage issues that AC would experience and may even have to play some of their home games (possibly several) at Bluffton and AC.

Triton will likely be a top 5 team in 1A. They return a lot of experience I believe. I doubt South Adams finishes the season inside the top 10. They have a great QB but not much else.

The gap between AC and SA is larger this year than it has been. AC will need to improve in the secondary for potential bigger matchups down the road, but the difference up front between the two is way too big for this to be competitive. I do expect Heritage and Bluffton to compete on an even higher level than last year. Looking forward to what is hopefully another classic against Eastside with their new coach.

So let me get this straight.... A coach rightfully directs his team around the students who stormed the court The same coach purposely walks through the heart of the crowd of students, bumping into several of them A kid pushes the coach and gets suspended (the kid shouldn't have pushed the coach, I get it) Soon after the incident, Carmel notifies Center Grove that they want to back out of all future events between the schools Has there been any response at all from Carmel on the matter? Both on the desire to back out of future athletic contests AND any sort of consequence for their coach's immature and stupid actions? Either the coach expected the students to create a path for him through their celebration or he knew there would be some sort of conflict. Either way, it shows arrogance, immaturity and poor leadership. I don't expect the guy to be fired, but there needs to be accountability. I hold adults at a much higher level of expectations than teenage students and I'd hope that Carmel does as well.

It would add one win to your schedule. Bellmont was 0-2 against the ACAC in 2022 and those weren’t competitive games. The only team besides Southern Wells that Bellmont might have beaten is Jay County (according to what I saw this season and Sagarin) and I highly doubt that would’ve happened. Bellmont people may say they think they’re “too good” for the ACAC, but what it is is they’d rather be embarrassingly awful in the NE8 than lose conference races to county rivals every year. The Decatur people always have excuses and don’t want to accept that they’re much much lower than the “redneck” smaller schools in the county. There have been years where many Bellmont fans and families have claimed they would’ve beaten AC had they played later in the football season…after losing by 40+ in week 1. That’s the type of people we’re dealing with. They will never join the ACAC no matter how much it might make sense. I’m glad Bellmont dropped AC from their schedule for a number of reasons (don’t have to deal with their idiotic, delusional community), but first and foremost because it allows AC to find someone that might actually make them work a little bit. Garrett doesn’t seem to be that solution but they were far better than Bellmont.

Unless you have a personal relationship with Coach Mason or in some way are connected to the situation, I’m not sure how any of us can speculate as to why he made this decision. I’ve heard plenty of things about the situation, but it’s not worth discussing without any first-hand info. From what he said, I can tell you that educators, including coaches, all over feel a split between the admin and them in terms of what they think is best for the kids. If schools want to attract and retain good coaches, they need to provide support for what they’re trying to accomplish on the team and in the school. A good coach won’t be caught dead for long in a school district without support. Eastside may struggle to get a solid replacement for this reason. What I do know is Eastside will greatly miss Mason’s leadership and the football program may struggle in terms of discipline, motivation and all of the other things that Mason did so well. Hopefully they have someone on staff who can continue the type of program that Mason built. He was one of the best in NE IN and won’t be easy to replace. I wish him the best and will miss the annual week 2 showdown between Mason and Mosser!

I'm not so sure that I'd say Lutheran is better than last year. #10 is a great passer, but when a team loses players like Clay and Pasch I'd have a hard time saying that they are better. I'd also hesitate to say that AC isn't as talented this year. They are just a different team. Idk if I'd say they're "better" or "worse" than last year. They're stronger, bigger and tougher up front, but not as fast in the back end or in the backfield. The matchup may not be as favorable in some ways for the Jets considering the secondary, but I think we match up better with them up front and Black is a much better QB/leader this year vs. last. I'm expecting a very similar game to last year's. It should be another great one. Jets by 7!

I think you have the answer to your question.

Oh boy, here we go.... If no North Judson fans respond to this, I think Coach Lambert has a hush order in place on all players and fans this week because that topic usually has potential to take over a thread.

As an AC fan, I couldn't care less if they fired off a cannon or rang a bell. If that impacted our guys' ability to take care of business then they weren't going to win anyways. As far as fans having noise makers and whatnot, who really cares??? Obviously the IHSAA is, but if they're truly concerned about neutrality in these games, then they need to be played at neutral sites.

I'd argue that AC would have at the very least the same record that North Judson has if they played their schedule. I would also say that North Judson would still have 1 loss if they played AC schedule. Eastside would've been a hard team for North Judson to beat because they are incredible at taking away the run. AC had to turn to the air to win that game and I don't think the Blue Jays could've done that well enough. The Blazers are a team that could very well be playing this Friday for a chance to get to Lucas Oil if their QB hadn't gone down to injury in the first half against Bishop Luers. This should be a much better game than last year, but I expect AC to pull it off - Jets 31-17.

Final 4 Week! Adams Central @ North Judson (JH has AC 35-31): North Judson gets the rematch they have surely wanted since last year's semistate game...and they get to host again. North Judson sounds like a tough team with a lot of guys back from last year's team that fell short to AC 42-7. AC returned a solid core of players from their run to state, but are missing the speed that broke that game open last year. AC's strength offensively is its fullback/QB duo behind a really good OL. The wings have decent speed/shiftiness, but this is a different team. I think this team likes to hit a bit more than last year, though. Defensively, AC is set up to stop the run with two fantastic junior DTs. The Jets D stopped a Carroll offense that was averaging over 40 points per game, but North Judson has more options in the backfield. I think AC gets it done again, but I don't expect a running clock right out of the gate in the 3rd quarter...or at all for that matter. I say Central by 14. Lutheran @ North Decatur (JH has Lutheran 45-17): I don't know enough about either team to offer much legit insight other than...Lutheran wins big.

I wouldn’t guarantee that their matchup next week would be against AC. There are too many people assuming things about this AC team. In all honestly I don’t think anyone knows how they’ll respond to a tight game. They haven’t had one since week 2. I hope AC takes care of business, but I’m not assuming anything. Although, I’m assuming you’re right about the Blue Jays wanting the rematch.

Selfishly I would like Park Tudor to beat North Judson so AC could host semistate if they beat Carroll Flora this week, but I see the Blue Jays taking care of business.

If you go by John Harrell's predictions, NE Indiana will have semistate representatives in all classes except for 3A. I don't know enough about most of the matchups, but there is no way that Bluffton keeps up with Luers. AC should win by a few scores, but I bet it's closer than most expect. Carroll Flora is a good team.

Regional matchups!!! North Judson @ Park Tudor (JH has NJ 45-21) - This could be an interesting matchup, as Park Tudor likes to spread things out a bit. I'm not sure if NJ has played a competent spread team this year, but I imagine they will figure it out and Harrell's prediction will be pretty close. PT will struggle to stop the NJ running game. Carroll Flora @ Adams Central (JH has AC 45-17) - This is another interesting one. AC faced its first under center, run-first team of the season last week and shut it down. Both of Northfield's touchdowns came against AC's JV. Carroll is much more talented than Northfield, though. They're big and have a solid RB in #8. Both teams rely predominantly on their big fullbacks (both are over 6' and over 200 lbs, but are athletic). AC will need to be effective at running the ball outside and possibly hitting some PA passes to put up Harrell's predicted 45 points. I think the Jet defense will be ready for the task. North Decatur @ Sheridan (JH has ND 35-24) - Not sure about this one. It's been assumed most of the year that North Decatur would match up against Lutheran in semistate. Can the Sheridan tradition get it done? I doubt it. Providence @ Lutheran (JH has Lutheran 45-17) - Lutheran by as much as they want. If I were Lutheran, I would probably want to face off against Sheridan instead of North Decatur. Lutheran will win either matchup, but a run-first team like Sheridan would be a better way to prep for North Judson or AC.

Shots fired! We'll see if any of the Judson crazies take this bait...

Sweet 16 week! Time for the sectional finals and I'm curious about what the GID has to say about a couple of these matchups. For the most part, I think the favorites are pretty clear, but anything can happen in November... Sectional 41: Culver @ North Judson (JH prediction NJ 49-7) - I think this one is pretty straight forward. I expect NJ to score a lot of points to try and prove that the Triton matchup was a one-time thing. Did Triton figure out a defensive formula to limit the high-flying NJ offense? Time will tell. The final score was misleading in that one, as the Blue Jays scored a couple of late TDs after some late-game desperation with a Shuh-less Triton. Sectional 42: Traders Point @ Park Tudor (JH prediction PT 45-28) - This is an interesting one. Both teams are spread, pass first teams and will present an interesting challenge for North Judson next week. PT edged TP by 5 earlier in the season. I think the Blue Jays handle whoever comes out of Section 42. Sectional 43: West Central @ Carroll Flora (JH prediction Carroll 35-21) - I expect Carroll Flora to take care of business in this one to set up a road trip to the Landing Strip in Monroe for a regional championship. Does West Central have any chance here? Honest question. I know Carroll is big, but what does WC do well? Sectional 44: Adams Central @ Northfield ( JH prediction AC 49-14) - The AC offense looks like a machine right now. They have 4 guys who can hurt you on the ground at any point and they equally distribute the carries. AC's strength on D is their front 7 and I expect that to show on Friday against the Northfield option attack. AC has not faced many non-spread teams this year, so I'm curious to see how their guys adjust, as they'll need to defend the run well the next few weeks if they want a chance to make it back to LOS. Sectional 45: Sheridan @ Hagerstown (JH prediction Sheridan 42-14) - I don't know much about the South this year, so I'll need to rely on other GID posters for these matchups. Sectional 46: Knightstown @ North Decatur (JH prediction ND 42-0) - I expect North Decatur to advance and will be surprised if they aren't Lutheran's semistate opponent. Sectional 47: Lutheran @ Covenant Christian (JH prediction Lutheran 49-21) - This is the matchup I'm most curious about, as AC pulled off a 42-19 win against CC in week 3. As an AC fan, this will be the only chance for me to compare the Jets to Lutheran if we make it back to state. The AC game easily could've been a much larger deficit. Sectional 48: Tecumseh @ Providence (JH prediction Providence 31-30) - Congrats to the winners of sectional 48, but whoever comes out on top will only play 1 more week.

Have you watched Eastside at all this year? I don't think they're as far from 2021 as you think. Obviously they don't have Laban Davis, but they are just as physical. Their loss against West Noble is an issue, but Dax Holman didn't play and I believe they had another 2-3 year starter out that game. Holman is a beast on both sides of the ball. I'd argue, though, that Bishop Luers took a bigger step back from last year's version of themselves than Eastside did. Luers won 4 games in the SAC, which I understand is difficult to do for a 2A school, but they won 8 SAC games in 2021. That's a big step back.