Football Fanatic

Lack of exciting matchups this week. Hopefully a few end up competitive but I could see all blowouts. North at Harrison - The Warriors are coming off a confidence builder and are at home, which has the recipe for an upset. I do think they can keep this one close for a while but I think they will struggle to score on North. I think the Huskies are able to do more of what they want this week considering that Harrison has struggled against the run. I will take the Huskies by two scores. Jasper at Reitz - The Panthers are looking very good despite missing several key players through two weeks including their returning QB. I believe they will have everyone back this week. Bad news for Jasper. The Panthers have had their number the past few seasons and I think this year is no different. Give me the Panthers by four scores. Bosse at Castle - The Knights were humbled by MD last week and they will be hungry to get back on track. Not many other ways to put it, but Bosse is not good and will probably go winless. I will take the Knights in a running clock. Central at Memorial - The Bears and their coach got the evasive win finally. But sadly no amount of confidence or momentum could help them keep this a game. I will take the Tigers in a running clock. GAME OF THE WEEK: Mater Dei at Lincoln - only because this has more potential to be close than the other games. However, MD is playing well and VL just took a beating from a tough Reitz team. And I think the Alices are missing a few players due to injury or disciplinary reasons. Again, it is tough to go play well at VL but give me the Wildcats by three scores.

Yeah their QB will be back next week. And I think they will be missing their MLB/FB and a few OL. However, they do get their good nose guard and slot receiver back as far as I know. It does bode well for them to establish a good rushing attack though.

I wonder if the junior high games will be played on Thursday, since their start times are earlier and it's supposed to be the hottest day of the week. I do think Friday games, although still hot, will be good to go at scheduled times.

Are you going to post updated conference stat leaders throughout the season again? Enjoyed that.

Should be another good week for the away teams. Hopefully the heat does not affect the games too much. Central at Bosse - Big game for these two teams. I think Bosse will go winless this year and this might be Central's only win of the season. The Bears win by one score in an absolute nailbiter. Harrison at Jasper - I think Jasper will bounce back in this one. Harrison has some athletes and has shown they can score a bit, but don't think they will be able to stop the Jasper rushing attack after seeing how Reitz ran the ball on them. Jasper by two scores. Castle at Mater Dei - MD looked good in week 1 but maybe it's just that Central is bad? We will find out. Huge test for MD. I think the Knights win by two scores. Reitz at Vincennes - Tough call here on the spread. I think Reitz is the much better team but it's never easy playing at VL. And I think Reitz is still missing a few key players. I could see the Alices hanging around for a half but Reitz wins by three scores. Memorial at North - The Husky defense has a chance to prove they are legit in this one against a very stout Tigers team. I think they keep it a one score game for a while but Memorial pulls away late to win by three scores.

It's an ideal goal to have in classes 4-6. However, sometimes there's a player or two that simply should not leave the field unless they need a break.

IndyStar playoff predictions on classes involving SIAC: Class 5A Sectional champions ∎ NORTH: Merrillville, Valparaiso, Warsaw, Lafayette Jeff ∎ SOUTH: Decatur Central, East Central, Bloomington North, Castle Give me Merrillville over Valpo and Warsaw over Lafayette Jeff in the north regional and Decatur Central over East Central and Bloomington North over Castle in the south. In the semistate games, Warsaw clips Merrillville and Decatur Central knocks off Bloomington North. ▶ Championship game: Decatur Central over Warsaw. Class 4A Sectional champions ∎ NORTH: New Prairie, Mishawaka, Leo, Lebanon ∎ SOUTH: New Palestine, Bishop Chatard, Martinsville, Evansville Reitz In the regional round, I will take Mishawaka over New Prairie and Leo over Lebanon. In a loaded south, give me New Palestine over Chatard in a regional showdown and Evansville Reitz over Martinsville in the other regional. In the north semistate, Mishawaka over Leo. In the south, New Palestine over Evansville Reitz. ▶ Championship game: New Palestine over Mishawaka. Class 3A Sectional champions ∎ NORTH: Knox, Tippecanoe Valley, West Lafayette, FW Bishop Luers ∎ SOUTH: Tri-West, Batesville, Indian Creek, Heritage Hills Give me Knox over Tippecanoe Valley and West Lafayette over Luers for north regional titles. In the south, I will go with Batesville over Tri-West and Heritage Hills over Indian Creek in the regional championship games. In the north semistate, I have Knox over West Lafayette and Heritage Hills over Batesville. ▶ Championship game: Heritage Hills over Knox.

Most teams do tend to keep it very basic and only play their key players a few series. Reitz looks very solid though, especially on defense.

WINNERS: Paoli Pike Central Forest Park Gibson Southern Heritage Hills North Posey North Daviess South Spencer Tell City

I think only one home team wins in week 1 which is crazy to think about. Here we go! Memorial at Jasper - Great week one matchup and debuting Jasper's new look stadium. I think Jasper can hang tough in this game if they take care of the ball, but Memorial squeezes it out by 1-2 scores. Vincennes at Bosse - The Bulldogs are no longer the threat they were last year. They still have some athletes but I don't know if they can score consistently enough to stay in games. I think the Alices win by at least a few scores even though their offense is a question mark. Mater Dei at Central - I am tempted to pick the Bears in a home upset as they will be fired up and eager to win a game. It would be great for early conference parity for it to happen. I do think Mater Dei will struggle again this year but they find a way to win this one. Harrison at Reitz - This should be the most lopsided score of the week. I think the Panthers will be a top contender again and the Warriors will have a tough year. If I heard correctly, Reitz will be missing a few key players for this one, but they still win big. GAME OF THE WEEK: Castle at North - This is a tough one to pick. I think Castle is a tier above North this year but the Huskies will be fired up at home to continue their win streak in the series. I think the Knights get enough stops to win by a few scores.

I completely get it. I think more teams should trend that way. Sure, football is football and injuries can happen at any time, but way too often do we hear about impact starters getting hurt in scrimmages. Most teams keep their scheme and playcalls fairly basic in scrimmages anyway. It's also a chance to get the backups and younger guys some experience before the games kick into gear. Let us know how Central looks after if you get a chance!

No clue, just spouting. He very well could be I just they think would be better off to have somebody else who throws just as well or better, as Mallory could be more of a threat at WR.

My responses... Can Reitz go back to back to back undefeated regular season champs or at least 3 peat in the SIAC Title? Yes, they can. However, it will be much more of a challenge for them this year. I think they will have to win games with their defense again. But they could be their own worst enemy again if they don't reduce turnovers and penalties. Can Castle finally end their SIAC Title drought this season? On paper, the Knights return a plethora of starters and talent to make the case. They have a solid chance. But. They always have tight battles with North. I'm not sure they can beat Memorial this year. They've been neck and neck with Reitz at halftime the past two years but got left in the dust in the 2nd half both times. Castle-North rematch next week, who will win that game? Should be an interesting matchup, as North swept Castle last season at their place. Always a competitive game. I think Castle gets the best of the Huskies this year. North takes a step back this year. Will the Tigers claim a share of the SIAC crown this season? Seems like they are due for another one since 2019. They are due and have a great chance. But I am a believer in the champ being the champ until they are dethroned. They do get Reitz at Enlow this year which is always tough for opponents. Who else in the conference do you see in capturing the SIAC Crown or at least sharing it? Reitz, Memorial, Castle and that's it. I think Jasper and North are both competitive but a tier below. Who will have the best offense or defense in the conference? I think Memorial will have the top offense, or at least the most efficient. I think for defense it will be close between Castle and Reitz. They both return a handful of very good defensive players. VL will have a stout defense as well. Can Mater Dei have a rebound year after going 3-7 last season? They will bounce back a little bit but still struggle to beat the good teams. I could see them winning 4-5 conference games. Who will be at QB for them? If they can find a serviceable QB, it will serve them well to have Mallory at WR. With Memorial out of Sectional 24, can either Jasper or Reitz takes the reins of the sectional? A Reitz-Jasper Championship game would be exciting. The winner of this sectional (most likely between Reitz and Jasper) will have a good shot in the Regional as well. Jasper will be improved but I still don't think they will be good enough to beat Reitz. Sectional Champs winners? Castle and Reitz. I think Memorial has a shot but GS or HH will be a difficult roadblock. But they always have a good shot getting playoff games at Enlow. Who will have the deepest playoff run this season? I don't think Castle would beat East Central. If Reitz can beat Jasper in that sectional, I think they get a shot at semistate. If Memorial can somehow get past HH and GS, they will have a good shot at semistate or state. What regular season game will be the best one this season? Reitz vs. Castle at the Bowl could be a great game. Always a big crowd and both teams could be 4-0 and highly ranked at that point. SIAC POTY or COTY predictions? Memorial could sweep the awards. I think Fisher or Ellspermann take POTY if they both stay healthy. I think Broshears is the DPOTY, and COTY will probably go to the conference winner (Brunson, Hurley, or Hurt most likely). Do we see Bosse continuing to see improvement this season? They definitely have momentum but replacing a once in a decade type QB talent is crucial. I think they struggle more this year. Can V. Lincoln sustain their trajectory after a nice campaign last year? They have definitely built a solid foundation and culture of competitiveness. They will have a strong defense but can they score enough to beat the good teams? I don't think so. Will we see any improvements with Central or Harrison this season? I think Central improves quite a bit and Harrison improves a little bit. However, what does that mean...1 or 2 wins?

Considering how good they could potentially be again, they have a winnable path to Semi-State (assuming they can beat Jasper in the sectional and maybe Martinsville? in the regional). But they definitely need to figure out how to win the big game when it matters! Less penalties and turnovers would be a big help for them.

Super secret source from the campus tells me they looked really good and have quite the athletes. Depending on how their OL is I would bet they will be competing for the crown again. I think we're in for quite the conference race between them, Memorial, and Castle.

What station is it? I would tune in for a known voice of the Titans!

I would guess top 3 for the AP but definitely top 5. That sectional is loaded with HH and GS also being ranked. You could make an argument that they are all top 5 teams.

Three top 7 teams in the same sectional. Expected but still wild.

The South got another big win over the North in the All Star game! The SIAC was represented by Levi Oxley (Reitz), Timmy Dixon (North), and Delshan Davis (North). I only saw parts of it but I did see Oxley had a sack. The South owns the North!

I assume there will be some scrimmages and 7on7 action these next few weeks. Interested to hear some updates. Official season less than a month away!

Castle and North will both have solid talent but will lean heavy on the run game. I think they will struggle against good defenses. However, both have a good shot to win the sectional and maybe even regional. Advantage leans towards Castle.

I was told that both teams "scored" a few times but that it was mostly a battle of two stout defenses. It does make sense that defense will be the strength of both teams. It also sounds like both teams are fairly junior heavy and will be even better next year.

Yes, it was yesterday as far as I know. And I believe Reitz is hosting Gibson Southern tonight. There may be a few more on Thursday. Interested to hear some early reports from scrimmages.

Tough competition. Hesitant to put much stock into early summer competitions but always nice to hear reports. I know Memorial has some baseball guys but did they have all their guys available to your knowledge?

I know I left some kids out but just off the top of my head, here are some standout players in the PAC: Jett Goldsberry - Heritage Hills Tyler Ruxer - Heritage Hills Hunter Meredith - Heritage Hills Jed Galvin - North Posey Zach Russell - Southridge Brody Klem - Gibson Southern Beau Rose - Gibson Southern Zach Foster - Gibson Southern Brady Schickel - Mt. Vernon Colton Stowers - Washington Brody Isza - Washington Baylen Hardiman - Princeton Karwin Pope - Princeton Matthew Meadows - Pike Central Jaxon Lueken - Forest Park Ty Brown - South Spencer Terry Bros - Tell City