oldunclemark

On 11/8/2020 at 9:23 PM, Whiting89 said:

That was me but I was brainwashed by the local media in nwi 

Merrillville 48,  6A No. 3  (52 points per game) Jefferson 14

..........maybe you spoke the truth😏

   1st three games postponed....quarantine.....   15-20 games postponed every night the first week.

CP was 26-1 last year.

Now to open at Warsaw  on Nov 21   at LaPorte Nov. 25....at Lawrence North on Nov. 28

CP at 2A No. 1 Linton Stockton (at New Castle) on Jan. 9   (hopefully)

23 hours ago, Knight82 said:

Knights have not had any challenges in the tournament so far, with running clocks in each of their sectional games.  Don't know what to expect from Calumet - Harrell predicts just a touchdown difference.  Will be interesting to see how Marian handles their third game in a row on the road.

Knight man, If you can access the 'WJOB Network' out of Hammond, there is a good broadcast of the Calumet-Hanover Central game. 

All six No.1s won sectionals, right?

26 minutes ago, southend said:

Has Elkhart been I this situation in the last 5 years? Might be a factor. Talent aside. 

Elkhart is largely an unknown at this level......  you know..a first year consolidation of Elkhart Central and Elkhart Memorial...

....The 14-10 Elkhart win over a Chesterton team that Merrillville beat 34-10 might be a 'tell' 

On 11/6/2020 at 10:44 PM, Whiting89 said:

Every time I read about merrillville they mention all the players transferred from Hammond Morton. Is this relevant or are others upset they got so many talented transfers? Cmon kids should be allowed to go to school anywhere they want, who cares if they transferred.

Its relevant and its mentioned because its unusual (almost unheard of) that five starters from one school end up at another school.  Not five players. Five starters.  All future college players at some level.  Merrillville has a once-in-a generation team.  But lets be clear.  It is not a knock or a criticism of Merrillville to say they got five transfers.   Two of the boys transferred last summer and the other three moved after the Covid-19 virus shut down Morton's program.  It just happened. One of the 'Morton transfers' is  Jo Jo Johnson, who, its my understanding, was originally at Merrillville as a freshman. When he was at Morton, he was a Merrillville transfer.  Who cares of we mention it?  Its part of the story.

 Andrean's QB is a transfer from Illinois.  Valparaiso got an all-state transfer at QB from Jefferson and he is always referred to as Jefferson transfer Max Grimes. . Elkhart is a consolidation of two entire varsity teams. In many senses, half their team is 'transfers'.     It is what it is.

This is a very, very, very unusual year.

6 minutes ago, Staxawax said:

The Brickies will be favored to represent the north at LOS. 
Then will be the underdog to 1 of 4 teams that survive down south..... E. Central, Mooresville, Mt. Vernon or Roncalli.

Help me, out Stax.

There's a mile or two between Northwest Indiana and Fortville.  Have you seen Mt. Vernon...?

What do they have?. What is their competition...?   Are they going to beat Roncalli? 

Hobart may see East Noble again at the semistate. Rematch of last year. 

        HOBART (11-6-20) Old school defensive battle.  No one scored the last eight times they had the ball.  It was 10-7 in the second quarter

       Lowell had to go without three offensive starters who were in quarantine including their top running back.

        But Hobart lost a 3-year linebacker Cam Smith to an injury.

       22nd sectional for the Brickies.....Lowell has 15

  Relatively (to past years) small crowd (maybe 1,500) but they were really into it.   

    The better team won.  Just not by much.

On 10/22/2020 at 7:41 AM, WCGrad92 said:

	6A	Total
1	Center Grove	100
2.	Westfield	80
3	Brownsburg	75
4	Elkhart	63
4	Lafayette Jefferson	63
6	Carmel	59
7	Homestead	30
8	Merrillville	27
9	Lawrence North	24
10	Hamilton Southeastern	12
	Carroll (F.W.)	10
	North Central (Indpls.)	4
	Avon	3

 

 

3 hours ago, Bobref said:

Cancellation of the tournament is not an option. I suspect the financial consequences to the IHSAA from the cancellation of the tournament, coupled with no boys’ b-ball tourney last Spring, would be devastating. The economic reality is as much a factor in the decision-making process as any health concern, if not more so.

Exactly. When we made the decision to go with the season, we made the decision to go with the tournament....

We may lose a dozen teams along the way but we'll have 6 champs...

..and money to keep the IHSAA going does matter.    Each week, obviously, half as many teams will still be playing....

We're going all the way.......

18 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Gary West advances:   

 

East Chicago Central only has been removed, they were set to play Gary West 

I heard that EC didnt have many players, coach. Their season was so much in question in August. I heard they had low numbers,   If they lost a couple. they were done.

 Southwood wow.   They beat some good 3As....

You are right...1As and 2As are really vulnerable. Big schools can take a hit. Small ones just cant sit a dozen players and go on..   You probably cant have contact drills in practice, can you?

15 hours ago, Ballhawk said:

Bob, we can't debate or refute anything oldunclemark says because he knows all of this for a fact.  I guess in all of my travels for 1A and 2A football over 30+ years, I haven't seen the same schools that he has, or had the same experiences.

I guess I'll leave this debate up to you because I don't care to debate someone as closed-minded as OUM.

Cheers!

How many walk-ups does Tri Central get?  Or Carroll, Clinton Prairie, etc...?  I guess them city slickers don't realize how far out in the boonies some of these places are.

Sorry, Ball-Man.  The above message was meant for you. (maybe you and Bob) For the record, if we're talking about how 'old school' we all are...

I have worn out three cars 'wandering Indiana'  for high school sports since the mid 1980s.  Ever see the opening sequence in 'Hoosiers'.

I could swear those old roads Gene Hackman was driving down. I swear I've driven them. I'd bet you have, too,.  

But gentlemen, have you ever gone to the state finals and cornered some official from the IHSAA and offered them your deeply held convictions about how state prep sports should be run? 

You'll get an answer.

14 hours ago, Ballhawk said:

Bob, we can't debate or refute anything oldunclemark says because he knows all of this for a fact.  I guess in all of my travels for 1A and 2A football over 30+ years, I haven't seen the same schools that he has, or had the same experiences.

I guess I'll leave this debate up to you because I don't care to debate someone as closed-minded as OUM.

Cheers!

How many walk-ups does Tri Central get?  Or Carroll, Clinton Prairie, etc...?  I guess them city slickers don't realize how far out in the boonies some of these places are.

Bob. It does not matter what I know.  I agree 100%.   You and I have clearly lived in different places and seen different things.  You say you know of a school where no one has ever walked to a football game.  I have never been to that school.  To me, the beauty of fall football is to see the folks walking through town in places like Highland or North Judson or Griffith or Whiting or LaPorte or Crown Point to go to the games.  You should see it.  But walkups is not the ONLY reason I was told that the IHSAA likes neutral site playoff games. Do you know of a school where more fans/parents go to road football games than to home games. Of course we dont. That's why neutral site playoff games as a rule, probably isnt going to happen.

 As I said, when I was a young 'city slicker'  I took my 'closed mind' downstate many times for state finals in lots of sports and I would ask questions of IHSAA people about the all-inclusive tournament, Saturday and Thursday football, the overtime format, (the even-worse overtime soccer format),  teams being forced to play 2 soccer games in one day in the state tournament, teams being forced to play two basketball playoff games in the same day, etc.   I had all the answers.  And I wasn't shy about asking. You know how us folks from the big city are, right? 

 The one thing I've changed my mind on in my time following other people's children playing sports is:

I used to think that the IHSAA was a lot of 'closed-minded' people who spent most of their entire lives in education and athletics and had acquired the 'arrogance of education', an attitude that they knew what they were doing. They were so smart that they were not inclined to listen to guy who wasn't a coach or an educator whose walked up to them at some state finals with a pen and clipboard and camera and whose job it was to cover my local high schools most of my entire life.

As the years have gone by, I've have come to appreciate that the IHSAA is a lot of 'closed minded' but thoughtful people who have spent their entire lives in education and athletics, acquiring the 'arrogance of education, an attitude that they know what they are doing.  They cant listen to what 10 people tell them to do. They are probably smart not to listen to a guy who wasnt a coach or an educator who walked up to them at a state finals with a pen and a clipboard and a camera and whose job it was to cover my local high schools most of my entire life.

The moral: The IHSAA has almost certainly considered everything you and I have discussed. Just ask 'em.

Good effort here B-62!

On 10/15/2020 at 8:17 AM, oldtimeqb said:

Illinois pretty much plays all playoff games on Saturdays, except for a few Friday night games around Chicago in the first and second rounds. 

My family members there talk about the special atmosphere of earning the right to play on Saturdays because that meant you made the playoffs. (Not to open that can of worms.)

But yes, semi state definitely could be Saturday doubleheaders (3pm and 7pm) at neutral sites. 

One reason most coaches don’t like Saturday games is that they think their opponents who play on Friday get an extra day of game prep on them. Everybody playing Saturday changes that equation.

I grew up in Illinois and we loved watching big games Saturday in the sun. It felt like the NFL.  (When I was young, al NFL playoff games were played in the afternoon) 

They have a lot of neutral site regular season and playoff games inn Illinois because many Chicago schools dont have exclusive home fields. Mine did not. 

No double-headers for Indiana, though. To bring 4 schools to a neutral site in November weather might be a mess. And few teams would want to play or host Saturday night.

11 hours ago, Ballhawk said:

You may know it all about everything else, but the only people walking to North Newton or Tri County are walking from their cars and trucks.  There isn't a house within walking distance.  There is NO walkup crowd at these two schools, so how many others are in the same situation?  How many smaller schools have no bleachers on the visitors side?  

How many years ago was it that this person from the IHSAA told you this?  Is this the same person who said they would NEVER mess with the basketball tourney?

 

 For the record, I've never been to Tri County except to drive by on the highway.  Been to North Newton for multiple sports. 

In every school in Northwest Indiana, kids walk to the football game.  

Kids walk from places that you and I wouldnt walk.  For the record, South Central and LaCrosse have no basketball bleachers on the far side. Has nothing to do with who goes to the games. 

Neutral sites regional and semistate football games would lose the IHSAA money and, would lose the 'feel' of having a home team. That's not debatable. 

More people attend home games than road games.  Always have. Always will.

I've been to at least 10 semistate games (I assume you have been to some, too) at several different schools and you have to admit it is the ultimate in drama.

Senior boys who have played on this field all their lives play one final game there to reach the state finals,. 

I was told the IHSAA likes that atmosphere. You can call me or them liars but that's what I was told.  I dont like the all-inclusive state playoff. They do.

the larger point you are missing is: It is the ultimate of hubris for you to assume that your opinion (or me to assume that mine) has never been considered.

The subject of neutral site playoff games has has come up. I've asked. I was answered.   A message board argument is unlikely to break new ground. 

14 hours ago, gonzoron said:

You should probably get out of the big city sometime, see what life is like in the heartland.

Maybe I should get down to Rensselaer.

God's Country!. 

9 hours ago, DE said:

@oldunclemarkI didn't know Lowell and Crown Point were the "big cities"?  Did you?

Sure didn't 😉. 

1 hour ago, Bobref said:

In your zeal to make sure the IHSAA captures the all-important walkup market for its upper level tournament games, you’ve failed to address a central issue. At that level of the tournament, since we don’t have seeding, why should one team have home field advantage?

One team should have home field so the IHSAA can draw the most fans, Bob.  That's the answer. You're not hearing me. They dont care how you and I feel. 

   Its the IHSAA's tournament and they have no reason to change. They apparently feel that alternating arbitrary home sites is fair. They want home sites.

 I guess you missed the moral of my little E-true Hollywood story story.  I have asked that question that you ask and I'm telling you the answer I got. . 

They dont agree with you and they dont care how you and I feel.

7 hours ago, Ballhawk said:

On this point, you are incorrect, unless they are dropped off at the road and they walk to the building.  Unless in your 100-year old world kids still walk uphill 6 miles in a blizzard to get to school.

Just off the top of my head, North Newton or Tri County don't have a home within walking distance.  I'm sure that list would grow if I put my old noggin' to work, but it ain't happening this morning.

I have a real problem with those that say never or say something won't work without giving it a shot.  That's just the kind of thinking that feeds the impression that Indiana is always way behind the times or too stuck in the past.  I'm old, but I'm not close-minded.

Folks walk to the football game at North Newton, Ball.  Havent been there for many years but I've been there and they do./

. I've never been to a school where, kids didnt walk to the game. Neutral site games take that away.

When I was in high school in Illinois, we didnt have a home field and I walked to all our 'home' games. But the field was only 14-15 blocks away.

I dont understand the reason to try neutral site games in Indiana but you do so you may be missing my larger point. 

When I was young, I thought I knew everything so I'd go downstate (for my newspaper) with teams and I'd give them a piece of my mind. I'd ask someone from the IHSAA about seeding. Or Saturday football. Or a 10-game regular season. Or the all-inclusive state tourney. Or the horrible overtime format.  Or neutral site games. I would tell them what I think. 

Then the very pleasant HSAA fellow would look at me, ask me where I was from and smile politely. And then he would sound like 'The Rock' on the old wrestling shows when he would say very kindly,   "It doesn't matter what you think!!!!"

The answer was: We want games played on home sites. We want that home sellout. That atmosphere. 

Then the nice IHSAA fellow would remind me that I got in for free and that if I ever wanted to ever get in for free again, that I should sit down and shut up. 

8 hours ago, oldtimeqb said:

Illinois pretty much plays all playoff games on Saturdays, except for a few Friday night games around Chicago in the first and second rounds. 

My family members there talk about the special atmosphere of earning the right to play on Saturdays because that meant you made the playoffs. (Not to open that can of worms.)

But yes, semi state definitely could be Saturday doubleheaders (3pm and 7pm) at neutral sites. 

One reason most coaches don’t like Saturday games is that they think their opponents who play on Friday get an extra day of game prep on them. Everybody playing Saturday changes that equation.

Not my experience OT QB. Most coaches dont want to play Saturday because it changes the routine of the team. Players are creatures of habit and coaches do not want to change their season-long habit.

Again, that is NOT my opinion. That is what I've been told over and over by multiple coaches.

I agree with everyone here who says that Saturday afternoon regional and semistate games in November would be a beautiful thing.

I dont want a thousand of my fans traveling at night. Days games get warmer as they go along. Night games get colder.

But there is a not a lot for support for Saturday games in  my part of the state....When I suggest it, I get a dirty look and am told to go watch the movie 'Friday Night Lights'

3 hours ago, Ballhawk said:

Everyone has their own opinion, and they're all right, because it's just an opinion.

I think people would travel.  You don't always have to play on a Friday night.  There are Saturday during the day and night options available as well.  You could play 3-4 games on a Saturday.  That would probably help the host school make some concession money.

I know fans who won't drive 3 blocks in bad weather to sit out in the rain or cold, so using weather as an excuse doesn't really hold up.  There are also many schools I've visited where kids would have to walk 10 miles on country roads to get to the field, so a lot of schools don't have walkability.

Good points from both sides.  I would like to see it attempted.  You can't say it won't work if you don't at least give it a shot.

I agree with Saturday play..but, as you may find out Ball, very few coaches want to play on Saturday..

I love Saturday afternoon playoff football.  I think half the state tourney should be on Friday and the other half should be on Saturday (as the finals are) But we are in the vast minority.

  ..and we're not talking 10 miles to a nuetral site. We're talking rfegional and semistaes so we're talking 40-50 miles. 

 Kids walk to school at every high school on earth. Nobody walks 50 miles to a football game at night in November....

I cant swear to you that it wont work since its never been done. I'm just saying that in 100 years of following other people's children, I've asked a lot of these questions (including this one) and the answer is:  The IHSAA will not consider neutral site football playoff games because they like sellouts on home sites. . . 

3 hours ago, gonzoron said:

You should probably get out of the big city sometime, see what life is like in the heartland.

You mean like Lowell. Cedar Lake.   I''ll try to getdown there once in awhile.

4 hours ago, gonzoron said:

No one walks to home games at Hamilton Heights. I imagine there are hundreds of schools in Indiana where there aren't any walk up fans.

No sir. Every school I have ever been to has kids who walk to the game because they are too young to drive..  Its high school

Take the week off..  4As dont get a bye week..and KV needs it