Football Fanatic

Bosse @ Castle - The Knights win this one with a running clock. Central @ Memorial - The Tigers finally get into the win column and win by a lot here. Mater Dei @ Vincennes - Much like Reitz did, I think Mater Dei has a hard time with Vincennes most of the game, but unfortunately for the Alices, they fall in another close game. North @ Harrison - The Warriors will be riding on some momentum after their big win but I think the Huskies go in and take care of business. Jasper @ Reitz - Easily game of the week and could go either way. I know both teams are dealing with some injuries so it's a toss up. The Panthers are talented enough to finally get over that hump and beat Jasper.

Not sure they’ve necessarily been exposed yet, except for being undisciplined with the penalties I guess. I was told they had some linebackers out to start the game and then lost 3 more starters during the game. Think it was their big nose, middle linebacker, and corner. Now if their run defense is truly their weakness, then you could say they got exposed but it appeared on the broadcast and from reports that VL just took advantage of an ailing defense and ran the ball with their talented QB. I believe Reitz has Jasper and then North coming up so those games could be very telling. Although I wonder if they will have their injured players back. But personally I’d still have Reitz ranked maybe 4th or 5th until after they play Jasper though.

I see Jasper as the favorite. But if they do not have their two guys back then you could definitely argue that Reitz is the favorite at home. Regardless, I would not be surprised by either team winning. Big time game, definitely will be watching that one.

Never expect to hear a Jasper OL getting thumped up front. Are they just more undersized this year or was Harrison’s defensive gameplan just very well executed?

Watched some of the broadcast via phone. I guess Reitz had 13 penalties for 145 yards!? Crazy that they won that game. Panther said it best, it seems they are their own worst enemy right now but if they clean the undisciplined stuff up they could be a really good team. After the broadcast VL Coach Salters talked about Reitz having the best RB/WR combo and Summers being the best WR in the conference. They had him with 13 catches for 189 yards. Impressive performance. They’ve got the talent to beat anybody, but the thing about football is there is much more to the game than just having talent. Still hard to say but it would seem VL is legit and not a team that can be taken lightly. Their QB Hunt is an absolute gamer and they have a lot of fight in them as a team. We get to see them tested again at their place next week as they host MD. And for Reitz they host Jasper next, which could be very interesting. I wonder if Jasper will have all their guys back for that. SIAC definitely got way more interesting after tonight. Gotta love a little parity.

My power rankings after week 1: 1. Mater Dei 2. Jasper 3. Memorial 4. Reitz 5. Castle 6. North 7. Vincennes 8. Central 9. Harrison 10. Bosse I could see 1-6 changing all throughout the season. Those teams all seem like they could be close, and I'm sure it will change a bit after week 2 as well.

Castle is solid but we will find out more this week. Huge chance to prove that they are "for real" against MD. But for many fans/media folks to consider a 5A school for real, they should be able to beat smaller schools in their conference and be a legit threat to make it to regionals. North is in a better position until Memorial has all their guys back. North has talent and a solid running game, but can they pass when they need to? How is their defense? Just some questions we may have still. And at this point I think Memorial only cares about getting hot and healthy at mid to late season going into playoffs. Reitz might be for real. But again, they will have to beat some top dogs to prove it. Next few weeks will show more obviously. If they go to VL and win by 3+ scores and then at least give Jasper a close game, I think you can definitely start to argue that they're legit. Have to remember, they were within 1 score with 4 min left in the game at Jasper last year, and also had close losses with North and MD. That team was on the fringe, and this team returned a lot of those players plus had some huge additions.

Castle @ Mater Dei - First to score 3 TDs wins? I expect a low scoring battle with the Wildcats coming away with the win. Harrison @ Jasper - unfortunately for the Warriors this will make two running clocks in a row to start their season. Central @ Bosse - Both teams going through some struggles but have some good pieces. I think this one will be close throughout but the Bears win by a few scores in the end. Memorial @ North - Memorial is without some key players. Do they have enough to beat a talented North squad who will be hungry after a close loss? I think the Huskies get into the win column here. I expect them to lean heavily on the RB St. Louis. Reitz @ Vincennes - The Panthers blew out the Alices last year. Both teams return/gain experienced talent. Alices are a sneaky upset pick every week I think. But some things I question: Can the Alices deal with the speed Reitz has? Can they score on the experienced Reitz defense? I predict Reitz wins but I do think the Alices are right in this game at half.

I figured VL would win but not by a score like that. Reitz has a lot of hype but I could see the Alices giving them a tough game at home. Don’t sleep on the Alices this year! MD is really good but the Bears may be in for a tough season. Herdes scoring on them was just salt in the wounds. MD has a great shot to win the SIAC. Panthers roll as expected. Looks like Ben Davies ran away with the QB job. Came in and I believe threw 3 TDs, 2 to Xavier Thomas and 1 to Hayden Summers. Defense seems to be legit as well. I thought North would win, but also not surprised that Castle wins in a close one. Two fairly even teams. I keep seeing Mitchell won the QB job but it’s still McKinney’s job when he returns right? North’s Rb St. Louis will be relied on heavily this season. Castle will be tough to beat though. I thought Memorial would win. But I’m not surprised Jasper won, however the score did surprise me a bit. I thought Memorial would keep it closer than that. I expect Memorial to be rolling at the right time after they get all their dudes back. Does Memorial consider a QB change to Fisher at some point? looking forward to week 2!

Castle @ North Harrison @ Reitz Mater Dei @ Central Memorial @ Jasper Vincennes @ Bosse

Does Hunt throw well or more of a ground threat? Is that RB (I think Johnson) that got hurt last year back to playing now? How’s he looking? I know there was high hopes for him in Alice land.

Harrison preview from HTF: https://www.tristatehomepage.com/sports/local-sports/home-team-friday-preview-harrison-warriors/ Head coach is predicting 3 wins. Can they do it? They'll probably have to beat all 3 of Bosse, Vincennes, and Central to do it.

Reitz previews from 14 News and HTF: https://www.14news.com/2022/08/09/reitz-panthers-football-program-mission-finish-goals/ https://www.tristatehomepage.com/sports/local-sports/home-team-friday-preview-reitz-panthers-2/

- I do think Reitz will be a dark horse contender. But it seems they have three big issues to address - QB situation, OL situation, and run defense situation. Can a young Davies win the job and be THE man already? Can the inexperienced OL step up and give the QB time to throw to their playmakers? Can their defense stop the run better? Their opponents will definitely look to establish the run against them. I expect Xavier Thomas to be in the running for SIAC POTY. - I think McKinney will be the QB for the Huskies. That gives them returning experience there and a dual threat. For them to have McKinney and St. Louis in the backfield, and a big offensive line, they could have a strong rushing attack. - I do think the Alices will be improved but I see them only getting 2-3 wins in conference play still. I am interested to see how their RB does who is returning from injury. - I think Mater Dei has a great chance to return to state. They lost a few key contributors but I think they return enough pieces to potentially get another crack at Andrean. It helps having the best QB in the conference and a three year starter at RB. I expected Wunderlich and Pierre to be in the running for SIAC POTY. - Castle will probably have the best defense in the conference. If they play solid defense and lean on the rushing attack, they could be a contender. They do have a major question at QB but with a three year starter at RB and a couple nice WR options, the QB should have help around him. On the defensive side, Purdy may be the best defender in the conference. I expect Guerzini to be in the running for SIAC POTY if he stays healthy. - It appears that the Bears have found their QB for the next three years in Zaylen Price. Do not know much about him other than maybe he transferred in and is very raw right now, but has good QB size. I would guess they allow him to run the ball a lot. They return a few playmakers at RB and WR but will probably continue to struggle a bit as a team. Diaz has SIAC POTY potential if they can find ways to get him the ball and win games. - Memorial is still in good shape even if Rodes does not get cleared. They have at least one or two worthy options at RB and should have no trouble finding success behind the best offensive line in the south part of Indiana. They return enough experienced pieces to make another run in the playoffs. I expect Leo Collins (and Rodes if he plays) to be in the running for SIAC POTY.

Curious how North looked? Considering all the hype they have been getting, they should have stacked up pretty well to a 3A school, even if it is GS. For any GS fans that were able to see GS scrimmage Reitz and North, how did they compare?

Based on how they did against GS and their 7on7s...I would say the HH pass defense will definitely be tested. Lot of speed and talent to deal with. However, the strength of their defense is their pass defense and they have been known to struggle against the run in recent years, which obviously both work in the favor of HH. I think it will be a competitive battle of run vs. pass. It also makes sense as it could benefit both teams as it helps HH prepare for defending the spread offense and helps Reitz prepare for defending Jasper and whoever else runs a similar offense.

Yes, Heritage Hills will travel to The Bowl for a scrimmage next Thursday is what I heard. Interesting scrimmage there. I expect HH to compete very well.

I see what you're saying. But unfortunately, as it pertains to the SIAC and Evansville area, there has been a lot of D1-level talent over the years that does not end up going D1. I can't speak for Snadenjr but I know when I talk about high school players/prospects I sometimes refer to them as having D1 talent even though I know there's a very real possibility they don't end up going D1. But if you want to be more realistic about it, how many/which players currently in the SIAC have a legit chance to go D1?

Yep, I heard similar reports. Here's all the bits and pieces I've heard about it: GS runs the ball well, Reitz pass defense is fast and physical, both teams have a tight QB battle going on, Reitz has dynamic playmakers all over the offense, GS defensive line is very solid, Reitz offensive line may struggle to give their QB time. Overall, it sounds like the scrimmage was very even and beneficial to both programs.

Exciting times with scrimmages and 7-on-7s kicking into gear. I think I saw that Reitz is hosting Gibson Southern tonight at The Bowl for a scrimmage at 6. Interested to see how well Reitz competes with the defending 3A champs.

To answer the first question as it pertains to Reitz, I believe so. Cory Brunson is known for turning around two programs at Evansville Harrison and Mt. Vernon (Posey). Both schools were lucky to win a few games before he arrived and turned them both into winning teams. To answer your next two questions, I think Reitz has struggled to trend back up due to lack of/losing talent to other schools and also a handful of other schools in the conference being good the last 5-6 years. I would imagine the talent pool will shift back eventually and kids will start staying/going to Reitz, which is how it used to be. And there’s a lot of talk on the west side that this Reitz team could be the group that gets them back to winning records, with a mix of returning talent and gained talent. Have to appreciate some parity and how competitive the SIAC has been in recent years though.

I’m sure your discontentment has echoed through much of the fan base. Based on their storied history, the lack of success can’t be acceptable. But I think this Reitz team will bring a lot of west side faithful back to the stands. I could definitely see a winning record in the works. I think for them it will come down to the OL since there will be new guys stepping in. However, they return/gain experienced talent everywhere else and a QB with some hype and potential. I think we are all intrigued to see what they can do. Unfortunately for them, I don’t think anybody is beating Memorial or MD except when those two play each other.

As far as I know Davies has been a Panther since summer hit. I think someone mentioned that he was added to last year’s roster and that the current year rosters have not been updated for most schools in the SIAC. As far as Herdes goes, I’ve heard all sides of the rumors. My best guess currently would be that he is at Central but not planning to play football. However, once August hits, some kids can’t resist not playing football. I think Central will struggle either way but he would obviously be a huge help at QB, especially since we don’t know who else they have there.

Unfortunately the heat will affect practices this week. I would guess no pads for sure and they will be lucky to be allowed outside. Hopefully we can get back to favorable conditions next week!

As far as I know there was a legitimate reason for an adjustment transfer and no reason for it to be blocked. Otherwise, I have a hard time believing Central wouldn't be fighting for their life to keep him considering their unknown QB situation. Speaking of that, any updates on Herdes' plans this season?