South Paw

In MD's last 6 they are averaging 40.1 and giving up 12.3. Some of those 12.3 are garbage points against MD's 2nd & 3rd string. I don't think you want to use points scored and points allowed as a reliable metric when trying to gauge Mater Dei. Some of the teams they play in their regular season schedule (Central, Castle, Memorial, Jasper) make it difficult to compare L-S and MD that way. My gut feeling is that the Miners will need some breaks, MD miscues, turnovers, etc. to stay in the game, and that can happen, but MD is pretty sound. They will bring it to you for a full 4 quarters and seem to get stronger as the game goes on. Even if you get an early lead they will keep coming as North Knox saw. That game started as well as it could for North Knox going up 12-0 early, but then MD proceeded to outscore them 30-7 the rest of the way. MD also doesn't have 1 or 2 superstars that you can key on. They have several solid kids that can make plays from anywhere on the field.

I just heard a rumor that Tell City will have a bunch out again tonight due to quarantine. If true, it could mean an early end to a very strong season they've had thus far. I'm hoping for their kids, especially their seniors, that it's nothing more than a rumor.

Must be a lot better than the SIAC too.

I typically agree with you, and can't speak for what the actual situation was at TC. Just trying to hypothesize how they lost that game after their previous performances and taking Southridge to the wire. I went to Castle, and we never gave anyone anything. Sure we played reserves early a lot, but losing was unacceptable. We would have never lived down a loss like that. There would have been a lot of hell and puking the next day. Different times. I was talking to someone from South Spencer last night, and they heard that Tell City was dealing with some injuries and possible COVID holdouts. Must have been some pretty significant injuries. Good luck this weekend.

That one didn't have much. Sectionals had already been drawn, and Tell City wasn't playing for an undefeated season since the loss to Southridge. I would rather make sure my horses stayed healthy heading into sectionals than risk losing one of them in a game against a team with 1 win. I don't know what their thought process was but if they played 99 more times Tell City would win all of them unless it was COVID related or they were sitting their best kids on purpose.

Assuming this is sarcasm, but if not, that's a bold prediction. That said, there are 2 teams in this sectional that wouldn't surprise me at all if they made a deep run. Then again, they could also lose early.

I think it's a valid question. While they did win the SIAC, they didn't "steamroll" it. They beat 2A Mater Dei 21-0 and Mater Dei turned the ball over 5-6 times, at least half of those on their own side of the field giving Central a short field to work with. That game could have easily been a 7-0 game. Jasper gave them all they wanted in their first meeting at Central. Central beat Memorial by 11 and Castle by 11. Central's offense has some studs, but they're fairly one dimensional on offense. They're a really good team, but it wouldn't be a complete shock if they didn't get out of the sectional. Playing at Jasper will be a great test. Jasper knows they can play with them, and the Jasper home fans should be a big boost for the Wildcats. If Central makes it out of the sectional, they could make a deep run.

Yeah I wouldn't sleep on them. I figured they either had COVID issues or were just playing their reserves since the game didn't have any real significance.

Hard to find cake in Newburgh these days. Wokeness has set in and cake is no longer allowed since it is a symbol of wealth and may offend those that are oppressed and less fortunate.

There's a few teams in Indiana playing up based on enrollment (Ev. Memorial, Columbus East, New Palestine, Pioneer, Indy Cathedral, etc.) Cathedral was playing up 2 classes for a bit. Southridge only beat 2A Tell City 14-12, so it might be good for Southridge that they're up in 3A and don't have to play them again in a sectional game. It also might be good for them that Memorial had to bump up to 4A instead of 3A. 2A Mater Dei played two 5A ranked teams this year and lost to one by 3 points and beat the other by 14. What does that mean? If Linton, MD, or another team beats Tell City what would that mean?? Congrats to Southridge on their success. The reward is they are now 3A. They can either continue to win at 3A or go back to 2A.

Wow! The Central at Jasper 1st round draw is crazy. It was close game at Central, but Central was a little banged up for that one. I bet Jasper likes getting a shot at them on the home field, and that will be a big advantage for the Wildcats in more ways than one. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them knock the Bears out first round.

It should be Castle's sectional. North seems to have lost something the past couple of weeks. Maybe they will rebound in time for sectionals. It's also hard to get a read on the Bloomington teams this year without seeing them play. Sectional 24 is a dandy! Can't wait to see the draw on this one.

2A Sectional 40 should be a good one as well. Looks a little mediocre on paper, but don't let it fool you. Tell City and Mater Dei (3-4) will be the favorites, but there are 3 or 4 other teams that can play spoilers if you don't come ready to go. Tell City looks to be for real and MD has a 3-4 record, but that includes a 3 point loss to 5A #8 , a win over 5A #10, and losses to 4A #2 and 4A #9. Only other defeat was a 13-10 loss to an underrated 4A Ev. Memorial team. The draw will be interesting. SECTIONAL 40 Sect Class Overall Tell City 2- 0 2- 0 6- 1 North Knox 1- 0 1- 1 3- 2 Forest Park 1- 1 1- 1 5- 2 North Posey 1- 1 1- 1 3- 3 Evansville Mater Dei 0- 0 0- 0 3- 4 Crawford County 0- 0 0- 1 0- 3 Linton-Stockton 0- 1 1- 1 4- 3 South Spencer 0- 2 0- 2 1- 6

So let me ask you this. Do you see organized sports as an arbitrary sideshow devoid of positive benefits in the development of our youth? I would definitely argue the contrary. Of course that depends on quality of coaches as well. Sports, and my coaches, definitely instilled in me qualities like courage, humility, work ethic, team work, sacrifice, how to respond to pressure or adversity, how to compete, determination, perseverance, mental toughness, physical toughness, and sportsmanship just to name a few. Now there are other potential avenues to gain these things, but in my own experience, I found sports to be a leading contributor. A coach can instill these values in a young person that may not have another support structure. If you have strong parents and athletics, you are almost sure to get these experiences. A kid without strong parents and athletics may never experience or learn these things. Of course the wrong coach or parents combined with athletics can teach the wrong things as well, but by and large, athletics teaches positive characteristics that will benefit most later in life. The more people that develop these qualities as a whole, the stronger our communities and country become as a whole. The fewer, the weaker. If fewer adults or future parents are interested in viewing a sport the more likely their children are not going to participate at young ages and possibly not ever knowing they will not have the support of their parents.

Great gotcha question. Idk. Maybe you could find out. Maybe it's just "progress" in our society, and we're doing it to ourselves. Who would benefit from the decline or weakening of America? Just some observations over the past 40+ years that separately seem purely unrelated or coincidental, but as a whole would have a very detrimental impact on our society unless those attributes are replaced somehow. How many people have turned away from the major sports recently? NBA Finals have seen a roughly 50% decline in viewing. NFL viewing numbers are down over the past couple of seasons. MLB viewing numbers were down. What is that going to do to the already declining participation at the youth levels in the future? Kids in general are more sedentary than they're ever been. Cell phone apps and video games rule. Perhaps it's all just unrelated and coincidental...

I'm starting to wonder if there is a much deeper agenda by someone who wants to destroy the American public's love for sports in general. Maybe they realize that one of the keys to our strengths as a nation comes from our sporting backgrounds. One of the best ways to weaken a nation as a whole would be to destroy that physical toughness, mental toughness and teamwork structure. It sure seems as if many are turning away from sports in general for various reasons other than the hardcore base. If that is the case, it's working.

I like it the way it is. I just need to find a bookie willing to honor those lines! I'll take any of the sectional 24 or 40 games with those points.

Castle's defense will keep them in games, but if they face a team with a stout run D, they may not be able to score enough to win. This week's game with Jasper will be a good litmus test for the post-season for them. 5A is basically a 1 or 2 horse race for the state title anyway. I don't see anyone challenging Cathedral barring some disaster. Valpo looks to be really good, but Cathedral is beating some of Indiana's best 6A teams and nationally ranked Ohio teams on a weekly basis.

I hope you're right and MD does win the sectional. Do I think MD has played a tougher schedule? Yes. I'm not fooled by their record. A couple of plays here and there against Castle and Memorial, and they could easily be 4-2. They will likely finish up 5-4 barring any craziness. The rivalry game with Reitz game at the end of the year will not be a given. The MD defense is stout. The offense is still finding its way. North is good team, but 5A top 5 is a bit of a stretch. They may be 5A top 10 when they're at full strength. They squeaked by Castle first game of the year, but have yet to play Jasper and Central. Hopefully they get back to full strength soon. I still wouldn't be surprised to see them not make it out of sectionals. While Tell City doesn't have the strength of schedule, a 14-12 loss to Southridge showed they're for real. Tell City D has pitched 4 shutouts this year and held a Southridge team that was averaging 40+ before that game to 14. Assuming you've seen Southridge, maybe I'm giving them too much credit, but I tend to think not. Maybe they played down in the TC game. I know several of the TC kids and their 2021 class is a tough, athletic bunch. I understand what you're saying about MD, the history, being battle tested coming out of the SIAC, and so on. I just don't think there's a clear separation between MD, L-S and TC, and whoever shows up ready to play and executes each Friday will take the sectional. Whoever survives the sectional could play a couple more weeks.

MD offense seems to be improving a little each week. They'll have the next 2 weeks to get some kinks lined out, but I think Tell City looks like the team to beat with L-S and MD in tow. Forest Park is having a good season also. North Posey could play a spoiler if someone doesn't respect them. Sectional pairings will be interesting.

Castle's defense hasn't been able to slow Central down the past 4 or 5 years. Can the Knights D solve the Central offense and can the Castle offense throw effectively enough to keep their ground game open? Central will slow the Knights ground game down and the Knights will have to spread them out and throw some if they want to win. If Central jumps out to an early lead the Knights will be in trouble.

I heard both Madison and Boberg were out for Central. If that was the case that's a good win for Central, and doesn't bode as well for Jasper in the postseason if Central gets those guys back healthy. That's some serious offensive and defensive firepower that was missing for Central. North looked very shaky on offense without Brawdy other than Presswood's ability to get loose on any play. I was surprised at MD's ability to run the ball and score against North's D. Pierre is really coming into his own the last coupe of weeks, and the MD line seems to be improving in the run game. Has Reitz packed it in for the year? I didn't see them beating Castle, but I thought they would at least put up a fight. Outside of the SIAC, it looks like Tell City is for real. Gave Southridge all they wanted.

It's hard to tell if it's parity or mediocrity. Consistent offense seems to be the struggle point for many teams. Is it because the defenses are so good? There's a lot of young QBs in the SIAC right now. Will the offenses catch up with the defenses at some point this year or will it be a year or two? I just don't see many SIAC teams that are strong on both sides of the ball right now. That normally wouldn't translate well to the post season. You need both phases to make a run.

That would be a big loss for them. I don't think it will impact the offense as much as Boberg can fill the gap with more carries, but it could really hurt defensively.

I think it's still too early to say that Jasper has separated themselves and is in the top tier. I'm not a hater, but they haven't played Central, North, or Castle yet. The eye test says they should be able to compete, but if they go 0-3 in those games, it will move them back in the pack. We'll find out more this Friday night.