NLCTigerFan07

Time of Possession 29:20 - Warsaw (15:00 1st Half / 14:20 2nd Half) 18:40 - Merrillville (9:00 1st Half / 9:40 2nd Half) Warsaw had 8 drives that resulted in 3 TDs, 1 FG, 2 punts, 1 turnover on downs, 1 final kneel down to end the game. Merrillville had 7 drives that resulted in 2 TDs, 4 turnovers (3 INTs, 1 fumble), 1 turnover on downs Warsaw 56 total plays - 332 total yards 54 rushes - 314 yards, 3 TDs 1/2 passing - 18 yards 21 First Downs 0 Penalties 29:20 TOP Merrillville 49 total plays - 346 total yards 33 rushes - 231 yards, 1 TD 6/16 passing - 115 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs 15 First Downs 3 Penalties for 15 yards 18:40 TOP

I am just hoping the Tigers continue to play as well as they have over the last 3 weeks. They have ran their offense to near perfection with limited turnovers and penalties, and their defense has been opportunistic and made big plays when needed. It would be a shame if the bright lights of Lucas Oil caused Warsaw to play tight and see another repeat of their Week 2 performance at Warren Central pop up. However, I do not see this happening and have the utmost faith in the coaching staff to have this team loose and ready to play the same way they have every game during this postseason run.

Yes, scoring went: 1Q - 1:56 Warsaw TD (XP blocked), Tigers up 6-0 1Q - 1:05 Merrillville TD, Pirates up 7-6 2Q - 6:54 Warsaw TD, Tigers up 13-6 (following a INT at midfield) 2Q - 2:11 Merrillville TD, Pirates up 14-13 (TD came on a 35 yard pass on 4th & 3) 3Q - 6:26 Warsaw FG, Tigers up 16-14 (Merrillville stuffed Warsaw on consecutive plays from inside the 3 yard line) 3Q - 5:23 Warsaw TD, Tigers up 23-14 (INT return for a TD) 4Q - 3:02 Warsaw TD (2pt conversion), Tigers up 31-14

I made this comment in the NLC thread, but figured I could throw it in here too. Also, I saw this on social media @WillCarmerShow... With Warsaw making the state championship game, the Northern Lakes Conference is the only current active conference wherein every current memeber school has played in a state football game. Concord: 1984, 1998, 2006 Goshen: 1978, 1981, 1988, 1999 Mishawaka: 1974, 2012 Northridge: 2021 NorthWood: 1980, 1986, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2016, 2023 Plymouth: 1977 Warsaw: 2024 Wawasee: 1985, 2004

Never in my life did I truly think I'd see the day where the Warsaw Tigers are playing in Indianapolis on Thanksgiving weekend. What a postseason run this has been. Here's to hoping for one more victory! Tough loss for Mishawaka, but the Cavemen can't hang their heads at all. They gave East Noble everything they could handle, and had opportunities to win that game. A fun fact I saw somewhere on social media, so I apologize that I cannot site the correct person who identified this but the NLC is the ONLY conference in the state where ALL CURRENT MEMBERS have made a state championship appearance. Such a cool stat, and speaks to the historical depth of this conference.

Per the IHSAA X/Twitter accout - the below teams will wear their home jerseys 1A - North Judson 2A - Linton 3A - Bishop Luers 4A - East Noble 5A - Warsaw 6A - Westfield @adambetz - now you can start your Championship Uni Watch thread 😄

Warsaw will be the "home" team and wear their home uniforms (black) while Decatur Central will be the "away" team and wear their away uniforms (white).

Correct - my apologies - I did not pay enough attention on John Harrell's site that while the Sectional and Regional Championships had been added, the Semi-State Championships have not been added yet. This will be their 3rd appearance.

A few quick story lines: Both teams are looking for their 1st ever State Championship in football. This is Warsaw's first ever appearance in Indianapolis on Thanksgiving weekend. Meanwhile, Decatur Central is playing in Lucas Oil for the second straight year for their second appearance in state championship. Decatur Central: As previously stated, the Hawks are looking to avenge last season's state championship loss. Is the second time the charm? Warsaw: The Tigers have defeated undefeated #1 Concord, undefeated #2 Lafayette Jeff, and 1-loss #3 Merrillville in consecutive weeks. Can they complete the superfecta and defeat #4 next Saturday night?

TOUCHDOWN TIGERS! Warsaw likely puts the nail in the coffin - they lead Merrillville 31-14 with 3:02 left in the game

Merrillville stops the Tiger drive at the 25 yard line on a 4th down stop. However, Warsaw ate alot of clock. Pirates need to score fast. Theyre driving at the Tiger 35 with 5 minutes left in the game. Warsaw 23-14 TIGERS WIN AN INTERCEPTION!!! Warsaw with the ball, leading 23-14 over Merrillville with 4:42 left at their own 25 yard line. 4 turnovers by the Pirates tonight.

Warsaw converts a long 3rd & 7, now over midfield and driving. More importantly… EATING clock They lead Merrillville 23-14 with under 7 minutes to play

Merrillville fumbles on the first play of 4Q deep in Warsaw territory. Huge play by the Tigers. Warsaw is now driving near midfield with a 2 possession game and under 9 minutes to play

Warsaw with a FG and a pick 6 in the 3Q. Tigers lead 23-14 over Merrillville heading into 4th Quarter. They’ve converted two 4th downs this drive.

Across the board? Probably. However, as a counterpoint, I'm pretty sure Concord has two kids who expected to make it to state in the 100M this year. But again, I would probably agree that as an entire team, Merrillville is by far the fastest, biggest, and most athletic team Warsaw has faced since Week 2 when the Tigers played at Warren Central.

I admittedly have not watched any Merrillville games this year. What do they like to do offensively? Warsaw has faced two teams with impressive offensive skill players each of the last two weeks against Concord and Lafayette Jeff, so it is not as if the Pirate offense is truly my biggest concern as a fan. Instead, I truly believe it comes down to the Tigers continuing their impressive ability in recent weeks to run "Bart Ball" to near perfection. That is what won their games the last two weeks. Sustaining long drives that end in points on the board. If Merrillville is able to force at least 2 punts this game, they will win the game. As others have predicted, I see either a Pirate blowout victory, or a low-ish scoring game that comes down to the final possession.

Agreed with the fact that lower enrollment 6A schools will likely never win a state championship. Look no further than the 5A north matchup of Merrillville and Warsaw. The Pirates dropped to 5A due to enrollment in 2022. In 3 years, they have won 3 sectionals and are in their 2nd straight Semi-State appearance. Granted, they did make it to Semi-State as a 6A squad 3 straight years from 2019-2021, but each of those seasons were ended in convincing fashion by Carmel and Westfield. Meanwhile, the Tigers are in their 1st season as a 5A squad since the IHSAA went to 6 classifications, and they just won their 2nd-ever Sectional Championship and 1st ever Regional Championship. As exciting as this postseason run has been for Warsaw, I can't help but think while a Sectional Championship in 6A COULD have happened this season, I have extreme doubts that they would have had any chance in defeating Crown Point in a regional matchup. You could take it a step further and look at each of those school's Regional opponents. Valparaiso was in 6A until 2018, and only won 1 sectional title and 1 regional title. Since bumping to 5A in 2019, they have won 6 straight sectionals, 3 regionals, and 2 state championship appearances, winning 1. Lafayette Jefferson has bounced back and forth between 6A/5A, and most years in 6A were defeated by much larger schools Carmel, FW Carroll, and Crown Point. In their 5A seasons, 3 straight years were ended at the hands of an ever growing Westfield that is now the 18th largest school in the state. It is a small sample size, but all four schools have seen immediate postseason success moving to a lower class that does not include the mega-schools of 2,500+ enrollment

I don't think anyone was seriously focused on comparing scores...

I'm not sure I hold a lot of weight in that - but I won't be mad if it holds true! I believe Merrillville will be, by far, the best team Warsaw has played against since Week 2's Warren Central matchup. The Warriors completely dominated the line of scrimmage, and the Tigers could not get anything going offensively. Turnovers and offensive penalties didn't help. For the most part, Warsaw has played fairly disciplined "Bart Ball" over the last 2 months. That will be the key to keep them in the game against Merrillville. It's the same game plan as the last 2 weeks. Long, sustained drives that eat up clock and put points on the board. When these teams last met in the 2019 6A Regional, the Pirates size and athleticism was too much for the Tigers. It was a respectable final score, but at no point did it feel like Merrillville wasn't in control of that game. Obviously, that was 2019 and this is 2024.

A big time matchup in the Lake City on Friday night. I expect it to be one of the best environments Fisher Field has ever seen. The Tigers are making their 1st ever Semi-State appearance, while the Pirates are making their 10th Semi-State appearance, including 5 of the last 6 seasons. Merrillville has gone 0-9 in those previous games. This will be Coach Bart Curtis' 3rd trip to the Semi-State round, previously going 1-1, each with New Prairie (3A loss 2004) and Mishawaka (4A win 2012). This will be Coach Brad Seiss' 5th trip to the Semi-State round, previously going 0-4, all with Merrillville (6A losses 2019, 2020, 2021 and 5A loss 2023). The teams have 1 common foe, Michigan City, whom both defeated this season. Warsaw won 20-7 in Week 1; Merrillville won 14-12 in Week 5. Both teams have defeated a fellow Semi-State team. Warsaw beat 4A Mishawaka 21-13 in Week 7; Merrillville beat 2A Andrean 27-0 in Week 1. I mentioned this in the 5A thread last week before the Regional games were played, but what an amazing story line this Friday night. Arguably the best Warsaw Tiger football player in the history of their school is Brad Seiss. In order for Merrillville to finally get over the Semi-State hump and make it to Indianapolis on Thanksgiving weekend, Coach Seiss will have to make a homecoming visit to Warsaw and defeat his alma mater. You can't write a better script! As well, with no disrespect to Bloomington South, the story line for Warsaw is this. They have defeated unbeaten #1 Concord in the Sectional Championship. They then defeated unbeaten #2 Lafayette Jefferson in the Regional Championship. This week? They have #3 Merrillville for the Semi-State Championship. Should they defeat the Pirates on Friday night, and Decatur Central win, they would then face off against the #4 ranked Hawks. What a postseason run that would be! All information below from the great John Harrell's website:

I love this hypothetical game each week. I'm in agreement that Semi-State games should 100% be neutral fields. I am mostly on board for Regionals, but Semi-States 100%. For the two games above, I would swap the 4A game to Northridge. That facility is beautiful! And I think both the home and visitor stands have a larger capacity than what Wawasee has. For 3A, Northrop would work just fine BUT ... it's hard to leave out what I would argue is the BEST facility in the state at Fort Wayne Carroll. I'm pretty sure their stands could hold the entire population of Garrett! And it's almost a perfect middle location between the two schools. Seriously - if you're a high school football fan in the state of Indiana - get to Fort Wayne Carroll at least once to see their athletics campus.

Seriously - both offenses dominated. Difference in the game was turnovers by the Bronchos. Warsaw - 62 plays - 459 total yards - 419 yards rushhing and 40 yards passing Jeff - 71 plays - 411 total yards - 368 yards passing and 43 yards rushing

WARSAW WINS THEIR FIRST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN SCHOOL HISTORY!!!! 44 - WARSAW 27 - LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON The Tigers defeat #1 Concord last week and #2 Lafayette Jeff this week. Next week? #3 Merrillville and Coach Brad Seiss' homecoming at Fisher Field in Warsaw.

Yes - that was a botched, inadvertant whistle by the referees 100% - however - while it appears Jeff could have "scored" - the player was wide open because that whistle was blown and the Tiger defense had completely stopped on the play.