NLCTigerFan07

Per the Twitter account for the Voice of the Tigers - Roger Grossman

"Breaking news from Warsaw. Warsaw has signed a two-year deal (to) play at Warren Central in 2024 and home vs WC in 2025"

Dublin Coffman (OH) this year, and then Warren Central in 2024 and 2025??? Coach Curtis is doing ALL he can to up the level of play/expectations in Warsaw, that's for sure.

@DT - Figured you would want to see/weigh in on this!

All I can say as a Tiger fan... WOW

Oh I definitely think we'll see a number of changes for 6A sectionals. This is what I believe will happen:

Sectional 1: Crown Point, Lake Central, Merrillville, and then either Hammond Central or Valparaiso
Sectional 2: Chesterton, Elkhart, Penn, Portage (no change)
Sectional 3: FW Carroll, FW Homestead, Noblesville, Warsaw
Sectional 4: Carmel, Lafayette Jeff, Westfield, Zionsville (talk about a GAUNTLET)

Sectional 5: Fishers, HSE, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North
Sectional 6: Franklin Central, North Central, Tech, Warren Central
Sectional 7: Avon, Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Pike
Sectional 8: Center Grove, Columbus North, Perry Meridian, Southport

40 minutes ago, Indiana Fan said:

Yes that would make sense to me. I forgot they were freezing enrollment from previous. Still not sure why the classes cannot be released yet. What more is there to discuss?

Perhaps they just want to release everything at once? Sectional groupings and class placements? Purely guessing here - but I would agree outside of where Hammond Central will be (were there any other school closings or consolidations?), everyone should pretty much know which class they will be in. The only question are those few schools at the top and bottom end of each class.

On 4/21/2021 at 12:07 PM, Indiana Fan said:

From what I have read and heard from different sources is that in 6A Columbus East and FW Snider will be dropping down because of Success Factor. This has been made clear. The next 2 teams to fill those spots would have to be who? Hammond Central? Zionsville? Jeffersonville?

Does anybody have thoughts or info on which 2 schools will fill those voids in 6A for the upcoming season?

I do not have legitimate information - however - based on the IHSAA statement, if everything enrollment wise is to be based off the previous enrollment report, I believe that means Zionsville and Valparaiso will move up to 6A as they were the 2 schools bumped down by Columbus East and FW Snider moving into 6A due to success factor. Hammond Central would be the only other possibility depending on how the IHSAA determines their enrollment. If Hammond Central is placed in 6A, that would bump Valparaiso back to 5A.

To me, those are the only 3 schools that can replace Columbus East and FW Snider in 6A.

Yeah it is highly unfortunate that over the last 4 years I would say our NLC thread has dropped tremendously in participation. I would say a majority of comments come from about 3-4 of us at most. As well, I would agree with @DT here some in the sense that I do not feel like the forum gets a lot of exposure. I would bet if more people knew about it, they would get on it and add comments. I am not as in touch with current parents of players and other supporters at Warsaw anymore as I do not live in the area, but I keep updated by listening/watching games and reading game recap articles on Saturdays. I bet if I asked 100 current parent/supporters at a Warsaw game if they knew what the Gridiron Digest forum was... 98 or more would have no idea what I was talking about.

On 4/9/2021 at 1:04 PM, eschnur66 said:

Here is the snake pit in Mt. Carmel, IL.  If you are an Indiana school it is full of all kinds of snakes ready to bite in lots of different ways ...

I gotta be honest - I LOVE this set up for bleachers. EVERY row is between the 40's, not a single bad seat in the house!

As for my input, I love East Noble's stadium situated right near Bixler Lake. The same goes for Culver Academies stadium on the north end of Lake Maxinkuckee.

1 hour ago, SK197 said:

Good question there.

 

Now is there an actual relegation in the IHSAA? Say a 3A school is completely outclassed at 3A but competes well against 2A schools. Does it get to move down or is it stuck at 3A?

It is stuck at 3A. Schools cannot drop below their enrollment class

This past Saturday marked the fourth week of the HCAC's spring season. Results:

Franklin 26 - Bluffton 21
*A game in which Franklin led the entire time and Bluffton scored late to make it a one score game. The Griz were very balanced on offense and won the turnover battle (+2) which likely was the main reason for their victory. As well, a shoutout to Franklin punter Dylan Boswell (Jennings County) averaging 41.3 yards per punt with 3 pinned inside the 20 yard line. Franklin moves to 3-1, while Bluffton drops to 2-2.

Hanover 27 - Rose-Hulman 24
*A fantastic back and forth game that saw the Panthers win it on a 29 yard FG with 13 seconds left in the game. Both teams were extremely balanced on offense with limited mistakes made by either team (0 turnovers, 9 combined penalties). Walt Ballinger (Beech Grove) had 92 yards rushing for Hanover and QB Matthew Weimer (Floyd Central HS) had 284 yards passing. Panthers move to 3-0 (last remaining unbeaten team), while Rose drops to 2-1

Mount St. Joseph 41 - Defiance 22
*The Lions dominated in the air (395 yards passing) to pull away from the Yellow Jackets after the game was tied at 14 midway through the 2nd quarter. MSJ then scored 27 straight points, including a punt return for a TD. Julius Fisher had a heck of a game on the defensive side of the ball with 14 total tackles and 2 TFLs. Mount moves to 2-1, while Defiance falls to 1-3.

Anderson 55 - Manchester 27
*For the first time since yours truly was wearing the Orange & Black at AU, the Bronze Ball is back in possession of the Ravens. Tyson Harley (Mt. Vernon Fortville) had 401 total yards of offense (379 passing/22 rushing) and 6 combined TDs (5 passing/1 rushing). As well, the Anderson defense forced 5 Manchester turnovers on the day and had 6 sacks. Anderson moves to 1-2, while Manchester falls to 0-4.

2 hours ago, Goose Liver said:

DePauw University, Greencastle, IN... D3... Members of the SCAC, former members of the HCAC.

Has absolutely nothing to do with this thread.

This past Saturday marked the third week of the HCAC's spring season. Results:

Mount St. Joseph 56 - Franklin 19
*The Griz scored quickly in the game on a 2 minute possession to start, but the Lions put up 49 straight unanswered points to put the game away midway in the 3rd quarter. Mount dominated the box score, including quarterback Josh Taylor who accounted for 7 of their 8 touchdowns (2 passing, 5 rushing, 392 total yards). MSJ moves to 1-1 on the spring season, while Franklin drops their first game and moves to 2-1.

Hanover 51 - Bluffton 44
*The Panthers pounded the rock on offense (392 yards, 8.2 ypr, 7 TDs) to outlast the Beavers (357 yards passing) in an offensive shootout where both teams combined for 1,060 yards. Hanover had a 200 yard rusher and a 150 yard rusher in this back and forth affair, before scoring the game winning touchdown with 15 seconds left in the game. Hanover moves to 2-0 this spring season, while Bluffton loses their first game and moves to 2-1.

Defiance 22 - Manchester 16
*A real barn-burner in which the Spartans held a 9-6 lead going into the fourth quarter before the Yellow Jackets scored 2 touchdowns and held off a late rally by Manchester. The Defiance defense had 4 sacks, 3 INTs and 2 fumble recoveries that really prevented the Spartan offense from ever gaining consistency. Defiance moves to 1-2 this spring season while Manchester falls to 0-3.

As a reminder - the Rose-Hulman at Anderson game was cancelled last week.

This past Saturday marked the second week of the HCAC's spring season. Results:

Franklin 50 - Manchester 3
*As @btownqbcoach1 mentioned above, Derek Thompson and the Grizzlies ground game punshied the Spartan defense this week. Franklin rushed for 402 yards as a team in their thrashing of Manchester. Griz move to 2-0 this spring season while Manchester falls to 0-2.

Bluffton 35 - Anderson 27
*Same story different week for the Ravens. 10 more first downs, 81 more total yards, and 57 MORE plays than the Beavers, but turnovers (4 INTs) stop their comeback short again. Bluffton fairly balanced on offense while averaging 7.2 yards per play. Beavers move to 2-0 this spring season while Anderson falls to 0-2.

Hanover 56 - Defiance 12
*While the offensive team statistics were in favor of the Yellow Jackets, much like Anderson, turnovers (5 total) killed Defiance. The Panther defense scored twice (1 INT and 1 Fumble Recovery a piece returned for a TD). Hanover QB Matthew Weimer (Junior - Floyd Central HS) had 4 rushing TDs. Panthers move to 1-0 this spring season while Defiance moves to 0-2.

Rose-Hulman 31 - Mount St. Joseph 21
*This game appeared closer than it was. The Fightin' Engineers held a lead of 24-7 at halftime, and 31-13 until the final TD of the game by MSJ with 6 minutes left. Rose-Hulman moves to 2-0 this spring season while the Lions fall to 0-1.

Interesting note - this week's game between Rose-Hulman and Anderson has already been cancelled. Per the Anderson University Athletics webpage "Based on this week's injury repor tand shortage of healthy players, Anderson University and its coaching staff have made the decision that competing in Saturday's football contest does not lie in the interest of student-athlete safety and well-being. Anderson will take this week to focus on healing from injuries with the expectation of competing in the Saturday March 27 contest against Manchester University." - this would have been Anderson's first home game this season as their first two games were road contest.

Anderson University - Anderson, Indiana - Ravens

Bluffton University - Bluffton, Ohio - Beavers

Defiance College - Defiance, Ohio - Yellow Jackets

Earlham College - Richmond, Indiana - Quakers (dropped football a few years ago)

Franklin College - Franklin, Indiana - Grizzlies

Hanover College - Hanover, Indiana - Panthers

Manchester University - North Manchester, Indiana - Spartans

Mount St. Joseph University - Cincinnati, Ohio - Lions

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology - Terre Haute, Indiana - Fightin' Engineers

Transylvania University - Lexington, Kentucky - Pioneers (no football program)
   

Thanks for sharing! Loved going to Bishop Dullaghan camp in high school, and then coached a few years as a college coach and then player at his camps. Great man

20 minutes ago, PDB26 said:

The same is true in the NIC with the exception that Tuesday night prior to the first sectional game has been the end of the frosh season. So, NIC teams lose each Thursday practice for the first eight games plus the Tuesday and Wednesday in the last week. 

In my mind each Thursday game, any weekday game, is a lost practice. A Thursday game probably means that you're not getting much of a Friday practice  either, maybe film and some recovery running. To me, that means you get Monday-Wednesday each week plus however you want to count Friday.

Playing on Saturday would give you at least four practices each week, but it probably turns into five because I don't know why you'd want to completely waste Friday. I'd be looking to maximize the number of reps for every player whether they're game reps or practice reps with in all levels of a program. It seems like a no-brainer if you can play Saturday and get eight to sixteen practices during a season. Maybe they're speed and training days or anything else to carve out some competitive advantage. 

I would imagine with JV games and college football games on Saturdays, there is already a shortage of referees. Makes it difficult on that end without a doubt. As well, most schools probably do not have a big enough coaching staff to cover a Saturday filled with Varsity film/recovery workout, JV game, and Freshman game.

This past Saturday marked the first week of the HCAC's spring season. Results:

Rose-Hulman 52 - Defiance 6
*Engineers had 531 total yards of offense while holding the Yellow Jackets to 124 total yards (including -9 rushing)

Bluffton 49 - Manchester 14
*Beavers extremely balanced on offense (223 yds passing / 201 yds rushing) while forcing 8 turnovers by the Spartans (6 INTs, 2 lost fumbles)

Franklin 55 - Anderson 48
*Both teams combined for 1,317 total yards of offense as neither defense appeared to show up. The Ravens dominated the statistics (40 first downs, 153 yds rushing, 547 yds passing) but 6 turnovers (4 INTs, 2 fumbles lost) were too much to overcome as the Grizzlies hung on against a vigorous 4th quarter comeback by Anderson.2

The Mount St. Joseph @ Hanover game did not appear to be played, but both of their football program Twitter accounts mention a "scrimmage" being held today? Could not find any news about why the game was not played Saturday and why whatever they are doing today is not apparently being concidered as an official game.

On 3/4/2021 at 10:53 AM, PDB26 said:

Playing games on Thursday nights has always seemed like a waste of nine additional practices to me. 

What do you mean? For the NLC, the frehsmen play the Thursday night AFTER the varsity teams play. So in the NLC's example, they play the Thursday night before the first night of sectional play the following night.

On 3/2/2021 at 1:25 PM, PDB26 said:

In NIC country we play freshman games on Thursday nights. I think most JV games have gone to Saturday, although I remember a time when there was a Saturday/Monday split.  

Same for the NLC which shares the geographical footprint of the NIC. Thursday night freshman game, Saturday morning JV games.

Warsaw has a freshman team, but I think some teams over the last few years have had to cancel games due to numbers. This year Plymouth did not have a freshman team so Warsaw played FW Snider. I think the NorthWood game was cancelled due to COVID with the Panthers because the JV team did not play NorthWood either.

4 hours ago, Indiana Fan said:

There is always going to be exceptions to things and I don't complain or care that much with how the rule is right now. That is just how I feel. For playing sports I like to play in the community you are living in. I don't like all the transferring and choosing where you want to go. It is what it is though. It isn't even the IHSAA's fault. This started when schools started allowing kids to choose whichever district they wanted for education.

My response was more concerning the fact that you said "yes" to the question of whether or not you'd feel the same way concerning a student enrolling in an out-of-district school for the purpose of advancing themselves academically. For example, I could not imagine being against a student at Triton or Wawasee coming to Warsaw because we have a vastly superior (insert whatever academic area) program than what their schools can offer. I see no reason why their family should be forced to move to Warsaw school district just for that.

26 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Would you feel the same way if a kid with extraordinary gifts in math skills enrolled in an out-of-district school that had a reputation for excellence in that subject matter?

3 minutes ago, Indiana Fan said:

Yes

😬😬😬

13 hours ago, Indiana Fan said:

Harrison (west Lafayette) may have a shot of being put into 6A. Their enrollment is right on that edge

Yes I know. This was only based off @crimsonace1 numbers he provided earlier on in the thread. It'll be very interesting to see which schools make the "cut" and which do not. Columbus North (2,090), Tech, Chesterton, Laf Jeff, Hammond Morton, Warsaw, Laf Harrison, FW Northrop, Valparaiso, Merrillville and Whiteland (2,022) are all within 100 students in his estimate he provided. Any 6 of those 11 could end up in 6A and depending which ones will obviously greatly affect the layout and groupings.

2 hours ago, psaboy said:

Sooner or later, 6A will be 75% or more of Indy Metro area schools with a few from other parts of Indeander

In the estimate from @crimsonace1 numbers, 19 of the 32 teams would be in the Indy Metro area, so 59%. To get to 75%, there would have to be 24 of the 32 teams. Looking at the highest enrollments in 5A, the only ones from the Indy Metro area would be Whiteland (2,007), Decatur Central (1,818), and Plainfield (1,744). Stretching further out you could include Anderson (1,786) and Franklin (1,582), but I do not personally consider those cities part of the Indy Metro area. Personally I feel like it will be closer to the later side of your statement as schools like Greenfield-Central, Mooresville, and Greenwood are still in 4A and 500+ student enrollment away from sniffing 6A.

6 hours ago, BDGiant93 said:

Makes for some messy travel in 6A Sectionals. Lafayette Jeff probably has to go up I-65 and Noblesville up I-69 if Crimsonace's great enrollment projections are correct.

Yeah IF those numbers are accurate (they probably aren't 100%) this is what I see as the best option for 6A sectionals (tough breaks for Lafayette Jeff and Noblesville you are correct):

Sectional 1: Crown Point, Hammond, Lafayette Jeff, Lake Central
Sectional 2: Chesterton, Elkhart, Penn, Portage
Sectional 3: Carroll (FW), Homestead, Noblesville, Warsaw
Sectional 4: Carmel, Fishers, HSE, Westfield

Sectional 5: Avon, Brownsburg, Pike, Zionsville
Sectional 6: Ben Davis, Perry Meridian, Southport, Tech
Sectional 7: Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, North Central, Warren Central
Sectional 8: Center Grove, Columbus North, Franklin Central, Jeffersonville

Not many changes already compared to what they were this last season. You just sub in Hammond for Merrillville in Sectional 1, Noblesville for FW Snider in Sectional 3, Jeffersonville for Columbus East in Sectional 8. Then Carmel moves back north into Sectional 4 replacing Noblesville and Zionsville slides in for Carmel into Sectional 5 (where there were in 2019 when playing in 6A).

On 2/17/2021 at 3:21 PM, DanteEstonia said:

A, 8-team conference doesn't have to have all of its games in Weeks 3-9 to have a shuffle. 

Correct they do not have to have all of its games in Weeks 3-9, HOWEVER they do need to have all teams playing conference games on the same weeks.

In my example of the NLC, two teams played a conference game week 2, but then had out-of-conference games in week 6. Well if all a sudden the next year you want to switch things up, whoever the team or teams are in that week 2 schedule now are force to find an OOC opponent in week 6 of their schedule, and whoever their normal/typical OOC opponent was might not be available. Perfect example is Elkhart Memorial. They were always scrambling to find/change OOC opponents in week 6. They played Mishawaka Marian, Detroit Country Day (MI), Gary Wirt, Greenwood, Bowman Academy, South Bend Clay, Indianapolis Shortridge, and Culver Military Academy in that week 6 slot in the 19 seasons they were in the NLC. Tough to find an OOC opponent to consistenly play in the middle of the season. Much easier to find them in weeks 1 and 2.

33 minutes ago, Indiana Fan said:

Teams need to play opponents at different times of the year. It keeps it fair and keeps it fresh.

I definitely agree here. Would love to see the NLC switch things up. I think one big reason why the conference couldn't was mostly due to Concord's schedule.

Prior to Elkhart Memorial joining the conference in 2001, Concord and Memorial played every year in week 2 of the season. Concord also played Jimtown (an out of conference opponent) in week 6 of the season. However, when Memorial joined the conference, the schools just kept that game during week 2. So those teams would always start the conference part of the schedule a week earlier than the rest, while also having an OOC game in the middle of the conference season.

With Memorial leaving via consolidation and Mishawaka taking their place this year, Concord and Jimtown thankfully moved their game up to week 2 of the season and Mishawaka slid into Memorial's slot on the schedule for all other teams (and into week 6 for Concord).

Now that the NLC has all teams playing conference games in week 3 through week 9, maybe there is potential for some schedule shifts every 3-4 years. Definitely an advocate of it.

I agree with this. The NLC has kept the same conference schedule for as long as I can remember.

Looking at our friend @Rudy Almanacsports.com website, Warsaw has had the same conference schedule rotation since the 1985 season. The only change ups have been when teams left or join the conference:

Plymouth
Bremen (1985-88) / Out of Conference Opponent (1989-2000) / Elkhart Memorial (2001-2019) / Mishawaka (2020-present)
Rochester (1985-86) / Northridge (1987-present)
Goshen
Wawasee
NorthWood
Concord

One reason why I would like to see a possible change up is because it seems every EVEN year, the homecoming opponent is Goshen and on the ODD years is either Northridge or Wawasee. It would also be nice if another school in the confernce had to deal with the traffic and parking nightmare that is related to Plymouth's Blueberry Festival 😆