Ballhawk

Knowing the rules, Team Ballhawk would be just fine. I'll stand by my BS comment. First series of the 3rd quarter for starters, then they sit. I used that practice for many years when I had the roster numbers to allow. If I didn't, I'd scramble the positions around or just run dive plays.

You'll hear a lot of the "they have a JV game and they have to save quarters" BS. Although I don't want to see a kid get hurt, it would serve a coach right if one of his starters ends up with a hamstring pull or a sprained ankle while padding their stats.

Thanks. He's a good coach. I happen to think it's the wrong sport, but he's actually turning their program around. (I'd still like to see him on the sideline at Sheridan someday)🤔

The guy in the jorts gets -1,227 points. Village People cover band member?

1 POINT GAMES Northwestern @ Western Twin Lakes @ Central Catholic Tipton @ Hamilton Heights 3 POINT GAMES Benton Central @ Rensselaer Cass @ West Lafayette Ben Davis @ Carmel Fort Wayne Dwenger @ Fort Wayne Luers Mooresville @ Whiteland Triton @ North Judson Scottsburg @ Mitchell South Newton @ North White Valparaiso @ Merrillville

I'd just like to see the Millers go I-formation, spread out a little bit and let those lineman move some people around. I think FC played a 6-3 defense on them. That's a goal line defense they used a lot of the time all over the field. To say the talent isn't there just can't be true.

Well played. Was CaptainHook and Monkey Butt the fish that were truly hooked? I appreciate you putting the poll out there for debate. If Monkey were willing he could just copy and move teams around to fit his opinion. New Pal is good, I have seen them and they are solid. They will have to get through Roncalli and who knows to get that blue ring. If they dominate 4A, they can then lay their claim to being the king of all classes. Personally, Westfield is down from the past two years, so comparing to them is not a good comparison. I would say they are better now than they were in Game 1 with all of their new starters at the skill positions.

I might give you the argument that North Vermillion benefited from some schools moving to 2A due to the success factor, but they were pretty darn good. I would say the Josh Smith/Attica and Eli Cook/Seeger teams and some of the Fountain Central teams were very good football teams. 2007 Rockville wasn't bad, but they ran into a really good Sheridan team. SV, big fish, small pond in the WRC. They aren't anywhere near the caliber of some of these past teams. That's a hill I'll die on.

Middle school results don't always transfer to high school results. Kids may mature early and dominate in junior high only to be the same height and weight 4-5 years later. It seems the WRC has been down lately. You usually had a rotation of Attica, Fountain Central, North Vermillion, Parke Heritage (Rockville) or Seeger in the 1A rankings and making strong tournament runs. Has the talent dried up? Have the youth programs faltered? What has caused the quality to seem to drop off across the board?

Why not put out your own Top 25? Let's see what you think.

North Vermilion @ Parke Heritage Riverton Parke @ Attica Seeger @ Covington South Vermilion @ Fountain Central I'll take all the road teams by large margins.

Totally agree Bob. It's like selling a call as an umpire. Being sure of yourself and using the proper mechanics lessens your chances of being challenged.

Option teams love it when they blow the whistle when the dive is tackled without the ball! If I saw crews with lazy or poor mechanics it seemed to make me more critical of them. They lose a little credibility.

You have to consider that long ago the two largest towns in Hamilton County were Noblesville and Sheridan. Noblesville was larger and the county seat. Fishers, Westfield and Carmel were pretty small. Sheridan would have been a 4A school in basketball in the 1950s. I also learned that the Blackhawks won some mythical state titles in the 1910s and 1920s.

I do not know this answer, but I do know most larger school districts in Hamilton County will not take out of district transfers. The only exceptions are for children of school employees. Not sure if this is the case in Zionsville. I know there was a time when a lot of Zionsville families sent their kids to private schools in Indy, Brebeuf being a primary beneficiary.

Tippy - here are some stats on Sheridan football. The Hawks won their 700th game last Friday and Coach Wright won his 440th. 1st game - 1899 vs. Boxley. The team was 2-0 that year with both wins over Boxley, which is now part of Sheridan. 1900 - team was 1-0 with win over Lapel. 1901 - 1st games with Noblesville and Westfield. Sheridan defeated both of them. They are 0-1 vs. Franklin College, 0-1 vs. IU Freshmen team, 0-2 vs. Wabash and 1-0 vs. Wabash B team. The Hawks were 13-11-1 vs. Carmel, 62-25-3 vs. Westfield (most wins vs. any other school), 16-15 vs. Hamilton SE, 25-15 vs. Hamilton Heights and 23-25-2 vs. Noblesville. Their longest rivalry has been Kirklin/Clinton Central. The Hawks were 28-21-3 vs. Kirklin with the first game being played in 1907. They are 48-12-1 vs. Clinton Central. I have more but that gets you started.

Clinton Prairie @ Delphi - probably the best matchup of the week. I'll take the Delfee Oracles over the Gophers. Carroll @ Tri Central - the Cougars by as many as they want over the Trojans. Clinton Central @ Eastern - Comets bounce back from big loss to Carroll to beat the Bulldogs. Taylor @ Sheridan - Mighty Mighty Blackhawks have a big night against the Titans.

I believe Faith Christian and Covenant Christian-Demotte have both joined the Midwest Conference. The schools in the Midwest don't have very large rosters, so that would be a chance to start football and play mostly schools with 20-35 players on the roster. On another point, I see Whitestown brought into the discussion. Someone pointed out that Whitestown is thought to be part of Zionsville, but it is not. The large subdivisions go to Lebanon Schools. I also don't foresee new buildings being constructed as you're looking at a $40 million investment. You could see charters try to take advantage of the law in Indiana that allows an entity to purchase an unused school for $1 to start a new school. That would certainly be a much more affordable way to open a new school.

It's the nostalgia of the Short Stop for me. Too many memories of grandpa taking me there as a youngster.

Pick 'Em Games for Week 6; Adams Central @ South Adams Franklin Central @ Noblesville Greenfield-Central @ New Palestine Harrison (WL) @ Lafayette Jeff Indianapolis Roncalli @ Brebeuf Jesuit Owen Valley @ Sullivan Terre Haute South @ Northview Westfield @ Brownsburg Zionsville @ Hamilton Southeastern MIshawaka Marian @ Penn

2 Point Games Benton Central @ West Lafayette - The Bison are much improved but still not a match for the Red Devils Hamilton Heights @ Twin Lakes - Huskies travel to the land of the Indians (isn't this all the land of the Indians?) and get the W Tipton @ Northwestern - Purple Tigers are no match for Indiana's only Blue Devils 3 Point Games Cass @ Western - I am least sure of this pick after the Western win over HH last week, but I'll still take the Kings Rensselaer @ Lafayette Central Catholic - Knights rule on the Bermuda grass. The Bombers get shot down West Central @ South Newton - Tough pick, but I'll take the Trojans in a high-scoring game North White @ Caston - I'll have to go with the Vikings as the Comets seem to have nose dived Covington @ Park Heritage - The Trojans put it on the Wolves. PH has struggled and it won't end here Fountain Central @ Seeger - I'll take the Indians Patriots over the Herbies Harrison @ Lafayette Jeff - Since Foxbat is affiliated with Harrison I'll take them over the Bronchos Kankakee Valley @ Lowell - Lowell has a much better SOS than KV, so I'll go with the home team

It's great having the IHSAA.TV app so you can watch multiple teams each week. I've been able to catch a lot of the WRC games to get a feel for the teams and how they are performing. I've already made my picks but here's a little more supporting evidence. Attica at North Vermilion - I find it sad to see the state of the Rambler program. Low numbers and an overall dearth of talent. I know results and roster sizes can be cyclical, but Attica has really fallen since Coach Good left. Did he see this coming and leave? Oh well, I guess I won't be making a trip to Bruce Field this year. The team is struggling and the Short Stop is now a Mexican joint. The Falcons seem to ride the talent cycle pretty well, so maybe a lot can be said for coaching. Covington at The Woofs - did PH really bring in a lot of hired guns under Coach Moore? Did they all move back after he departed to North Put to assist his son? Would Turkey Run be better to open back up? I watched the Trojan-Mustang game and Covington did a few nice things and it will be enough to handle the Wolves. The game I watched PH showed me all I need to see. Fountain Central at Seeger - Seeger has always been a special place for me (except in 2004 when we were robbed!!). My profile pic is an early 1960s Seeger helmet that my dad wore. It sits in my office now. Hard to pick against them being from Warren County. They beat the HOF coach at his former stomping grounds. I don't see the coach retiring. Coaches don't like to leave unfinished business. Don't see it happening here. Riverton Parke at South Vermilion on Saturday - as much as I want to see the little guy step up and whip the big guy, I don't see it happening here, although I do hope I'm wrong. Enjoy the games and keep the kids healthy. Cheer for your side and respect your opponent.

Then you are in big trouble Donnie!! North Vermillion Covington Seeger South Vermillion I'll dig a little deeper with these picks later in the week. Donnie's comment kinda threw me off a bit.

Gonzo, I played for Coach Wright at Sheridan from 1978-1980, coached there and then had 3 sons who were the starting QBs from 2001-2012. It seems like yesterday but my youngest just had his 10-year recognition. Enjoy the ride while you can. Time marches on.

Pick 'Em Games for Week 5; Ben Davis @ Warren Central Brownsburg @ Fishers East Noble @ Leo FW Dwenger @ Carroll (FW) Evansville Mater Dei @ Jasper Gibson Southern @ Southridge Homestead @ FW Snider Tri-West @ Danville Northview @ Owen Valley Martinsville @ Franklin