NLCTigerFan07

I said the same thing last night! Cathedral (and not taking anything away from Center Grove here) could win the state championship in any class in both Indiana and Ohio this year. Impressive seasons from the 2 Indianapolis Catholic rivals

@Raiderman 2016 thanks for joining and posting! Here are my Week 7 picks: Eastside (6-0) @ Concord (3-2): Kudos to both of these teams making it work this week. One thing that has been neat this year is seeing teams that have never and likely would never play against each other get something son the schedule. Should be an interesting ball game in my opinion. The Blazers are a solid program, and are averaging 41 points a game this year on offense, while only giving up 3.5! However... their schedule is FAR from intimidating. Four consecutive shut outs against teams with a combined record of 5-17. However, offensively they are a fairly balanced attack led by their Junior QB Laban Davis. He has just over 1,000 yds passing this year with 13 TDs to 3 INTs and averages about 175 ypg. He is also their leading rusher with 80 carriers for 455 yards and 9 TDs. But again, Eastside has not seen a team as big/talented as the Minutemen... Concord by 4 Mishawaka (2-3) @ NorthWood (2-2): Channel 46 Game of the Week crew will be in Nappanee at Andrews Field tonight. The winner of tonight's game still has a chance to hang in the NLC race, while the loser will most certainly be out of it. The Black Crunch defense gets its first of consecutive weeks looking at "Bart Ball". The Cavemen have turned the corner after two straight victories. NorthWood has not given up more than 15 points all year, while Mishawaka has yet to score below 28 points. Something has to give. Even though people were giving crap to the Cavemen for starting 0-3, take a look at those three teams they lost to and their records. Mishawaka Marian 6-0, Elkhart 5-0, Warsaw 5-1. All loses by an average of less than 6 points! I say the Cavemen keep it rolling... Mishawaka by 12 Northridge (4-1) @ Goshen (1-2): Not much to write about here. The RedHawks made it look closer than it was last week with two late TDs at Warsaw, and I do not see them scoring a point against that strong Northridge defense. The Raiders will get their 5th shutout of the season. I wonder what the state record is for shutouts in a season? At the very least shaping up to be an historic season for the Northridge defensive record books... Northridge by 21 Warsaw (5-1) @ Wawasee (2-4): Two teams going in opposite directions since week 2. Warriors are on a 4 game losing streak, while the Tigers are on a 4 game winning streak. Interesting stat, after the game is played, these will be the only two NLC teams to have played a game all 7 weeks of the season. Fingers crossed for both that they can finish the last two weeks as well. Like NorthWood, this will be Wawasee's first of consecutive weeks seeing "Bart Ball". While the Warriors could score a few TDs this game (and the Tigers need to be wary of all trick plays, etc.), after their defense has given up 28, 39 and 37 points respectively the last three weeks, they will not be able to score enough to beat Warsaw. As long as the Tigers continue to play disciplined football offensively (no turnovers, limited penalties and mistakes), the W Trophy will remain in their position and head back to 1 Tiger Lane... Warsaw by 24

What is the reason for the IHSAA making the change? Was it COVID related? (not sure how/why that would impact the Sectional draw)

I think there are many other issues at play when it comes to Anderson's athletic success since the consolidation of Anderson Highland after the 2010 school year. First - it is a well known fact that many of those families ended up sending their kids to Pendleton Heights, Yorktown, Lapel and Frankton over them all going to Anderson High School. If you notice, all of those schools have done pretty darn well in football, boys basketball and girls basketball in the last 10 years. As well - there has to be something going on within the Athletic Department and the hallways of Anderson High School. It is still a big enough school to get athletes from and be competitive, but they need the right coaches and enough support to encourage the students to play athletics. Outside of a solid 3 year stretch from the girls basketball team from 2012-2014, here are those 3 main programs records since 2010: Football: 29-79 (0.269 winning percentage) - with 1 winning season Boys Basketball: 71-161 (0.306 winning percentage) - with 1 winning season Girls Basketball: 128-113 (0.531 winning percentage) - with 4 winning seasons In my opinion, it looks more like a culture change that needs to occur within the school building to encourage/promote the benefits of extracurricular athletics while also making sure the programs have the right coaches and enough support to be successful.

Concord will now be hosting Eastside this Friday.

Concord will now be hosting Eastside this Friday.

Concord will now be hosting Eastside this Friday.

Additionally, it looks like next week's game of Plymouth @ Goshen is cancelled as well:

Additional information:

Additional information

I wonder with Concord now looking for an opponent if they'll reconsider and play the Minutemen since Plymouth had to cancel the game this week.

Per the Concord High School Athletics Twitter:

Per the Concord High School Athletics Twitter account:

Per the Concord High School Athletics Twitter: We have been informed that Plymouth will be unable to play us in varsity football this Friday (same for JV on Saturday). We are searching for a replacement opponent. Please stay tuned.

Halfway point of the regular season... here are my picks for Week 5: Concord (3-1) @ Mishawaka (1-3): The Cavemen finally picked up that elusive first victory of the season at the Rock Pile last week, as well as their first ever NLC victory. Their offense has had no issues scoring points this season, but after giving up a few late scores to Plymouth that made the game look closer than it was, their defense is now giving up over 37 points a game. Hard to win many games when you do that. As Slick John pointed out, Concord's defense has given up an average of 11 points this season, but their last 3 opponents weren't exactly world beaters. Tonight will be very telling for the Minutemen at Steele Stadium. I expect this to be a close game and after last week's victory, the Cavement keep up their momentum... Mishawaka by 6 Goshen (1-1) @ Warsaw (4-1): Honestly not much to write about this game. Very impressed with Warsaw's performance up in Middlebury including some key plays by the Tiger's defense. As I said last week, if their offense can play turnover free and limit penalties, they will be able to score enough (and play keep away) to win games against anyone. After defeating a terrible SB Clay team, the Redhawks had 2 weeks off then laid an egg against Concord. I cannot imagine they will fair much better this week against the Tigers. Here's to hoping both teams stay healthy and no injuries or COVID related issues occur... Tigers by 27 Northridge (3-1) @ NorthWood (2-1): This game could turn out to be a sluggfest. Both defenses are averaging giving up only 7 points per game; first to 14 win? It will be interesting to see how the Raiders bounce back after giving up their first points and suffering their first loss last week to Warsaw. That was their first test of the season, and here comes test #2. Are they pretenders or contenders? As well, I think this will be a telling game for the Panthers as they gear up for the toughest stretch of their NLC season. Coach Andrews stated after last week's game it didn't feel very organized and the Panters were very sloppy at times and that they did not execute very well. If he felt that way after a 39-0 victory... NorthWood by 8 Wawasee (2-3) @ Plymouth (0-5): Again, as Slick John mentioned, Pillow Fight of the Week in the NLC this week. After the Warriors scored 73 points their first 2 weeks, they've managed to score 1 touchdown the last 3, while giving up and average of 29 points on defense. Plymouth scored late in each half against Warsaw to make that game look closer than it was, and then again scored twice late last week when they were down 39-16 to make that game look closer than it was. The Rockies have not won fewer than 2 games in a regular season since 1989, and if they do not pick up the victory tonight, I am not sure I see them winning 2 of their final 3... Wawasee by 4

Extremely impressed with the Tigers last night and glad their defense stepped up and was much improved! I am sure Coach Curtis will keep the team focused, but as a fan, it's hard not to look forward a few weeks at the potential of Warsaw being 6-1 and 5-0 in the confernce with the title on the line the last two weeks at NorthWood and then home against Concord. Speaking of that Week 8 matchup - one thing that will be in the favor of NorthWood is that they face Mishawaka and Warsaw back to back weeks. Other than that, no real surprises with the results. Plymouth scored late a few times to make that game look closer that it was. Concord rolled over Goshen. And after scoring 73 points and giving up 0 in non-conference action, Wawasee has only scored 7 points in their 3 NLC games and have given up 87 points. The Warriors still have a good chance to win at least 4 games this year, and perhaps even have a winning regular season record for the first time since 2014.

Fair enough - it's a discussion forum for Indiana high school football. Gotta put things out there that drive discussion. That is why I ASKED the question "Will Coach Barron's seat ever get RED hot in Plymouth?" So lets Say the Rockies go 2-9 this year, and then below .500 the next 2 seasons as well. Would that be enough for him to be on a hot seat? Or is Coach Barron's legacy entrenched at Plymouth enough that the last day he coaches for the Rockies will be when he say so?

My weekly uneducated picks for the halfway point in the season! Goshen (1-0) @ Concord (2-1): The only chance the Redhawks have at staying undefeated is if all of Jake Field goes up in an inferno and the game gets cancelled (not postponed to Saturday morning). Minutemen should win this one easily before next week's showdown at Mishawaka. Concord by 24 Mishawaka (0-3) @ Plymouth (0-4): Quick - who at the beginning of the season would have thought this game would be a battle for each team's first victory? No one??? What a shocker. However, the Cavemen have played a far more and away better schedule and have been in every game. All 3 losses by an average of 5 points. The Mishawaka offense can score points; the Rockies on the other hand... cannot. Will Coach Barron's seat ever get RED hot in Plymouth? At most they'll win 2 games this year. Mishawaka by 21 NorthWood (1-1) @ Wawasee (2-2): After scoring 73 points in their first 2 games, the Warriors have only mustered 7 points in their first two conference games. Even though the Panthers have played 2 less games, that Black Crunch defense is STOUT. This could be a low scoring affair, but you have to score points to win a game. NorthWood by 16 Warsaw (3-1) @ Northridge (3-0): Game of the week this week in the NLC. This will truly be a litmus test for both teams as I do not think either team has faced a "good" team, although Mishawaka, Michigan City, and SB St Joe are far from bad teams in my opinion. Easily the Tigers and Raiders will be the best oppenent either has seen so far. As easy/simple as it sounds, this game will truly come down to who makes the least mistakes. While Northridge has a fantastic defense, if Warsaw can execute Bart Ball on offense (no turnovers, no/few penalties, no 3rd and longs) like they did last week against Huntington North and Mishawaka, there is no doubt the Tigers will put points on the board. But how will the Warsaw defense play? Time and time again, they continue to give up big plays. I truly do not remember a season in which I've seen so many 20+ yard plays given up by the Orange Crush defense. I'll take the home team in what should be a great game. Northridge by 11

Indeed they look to be down this year and currently on a 5 game losing streak (including last year's loss in the Sectionals). Previously, they had not lost 5 straight games since 2011 season. The last time they lost 6 games in a row was in 2001 during a 7 game skid that year. Interesting enough, they ended winning a sectional and regional title that year, even though they finished the regular season with a 2-7 record.

Just realized my post for predictions last week did not go through. Whoops. For what it's worth, I picked Concord to win by 14 and Northridge to win by 28, so those were good. However, I picked Mishawaka to win by 2. Glad to see my Tigers proved me wrong. That being said - extremely worried about Warsaw's defense. They continue to give up big plays. Mishawaka's QB is a stud and even though they've started 0-3, it would not surprise me in the least to see them run off 5 straight victories to end their season. They have defensive issues much like the Tigers. The only way either team loses another game throughout the year is if they turn the ball over or kill themselves with penalties. @NRRaider2001 - thank you for sharing the photos of the new stadium and field. What a gem they have up there now. Disappointed I probably will not ever see it in person, but wow! This week's game between Warsaw and Northridge is the only one I expect to be close, and who knows if that will even happen. It will definitely be a good eye opener for Northridge. While I do not doubt they are a good team, SB St Joe, Wawasee and Plymouth are possibly the 3 worst teams (outside of possibly Goshen) the Raiders will face. As well, even though it's already week 5 for Warsaw, I think it will be a great litmus test for the Tigers. In previous years, victories over Plymouth and Mishawaka would be a great indicator of the type of season you are having. However, Warsaw's opponents' combined record so far is 3-11. That is.... not good. I expect Goshen, Mishawaka and NorthWood to roll this week easily. I'll make a more detailed post later on.

If you accumulate 2 points, you will stay up in the class. Therefore, Dwenger is guaranteed to be in at least 5A for the next two years. https://www.ihsaa.org/Portals/0/ihsaa/documents/Tournament Success Factor/Tournament Success Factor Provisions.pdf

Seems like I'm just talking to myself at this point.... Over/Under on how quickly the Warsaw vs. Mishawaka game gets finished?

Just my own opinion, I definitely believe East Noble can make this a game and even potentially win it. Penn is down this year, but still a strong program. Yes Valpo and Cathedral are strong opponents, but LaPorte is not very good so the Kingsmen victory there doesn't say much. I could easily see this turning into a defensive slugfest similar to the Penn/Valpo and East Noble/NorthWood games. Hoping it's a good one!

Any news on NorthWood picking up an opponent for this week? I think the only viable options are Valparaiso (not sure how competitive this game would be this year) or North Montgomery (which would be a haul).

Wonder if NorthWood and Valpo could make it work this week as both teams are without opponents and have already lost 1 week of their season previously.