CLKeller16

On 8/25/2023 at 1:31 PM, CLKeller16 said:

Homestead at Noblesville - Homestead by 14

Man I really whiffed on this one. I must be out of touch.

Well, here we go again with week 2. Really showed my lack of knowledge with this conference by going 4-4 on my picks, plus my scores were all over the place. Still no Pick 'Em so here are my thoughts, hopefully I can do a little better this week:

Taft at Crown Point - Crown point by... honestly I don't know, this one is a shot in the dark.

Hobart at Merrillville - Merrillville by 20

LaPorte at Lowell - LaPorte by 7

Michigan City at Lafayette Jeff - Jeff by 7

Northwood at Portage - Northwood by 21

Providence Catholic at Lake Central - Providence by another shot in the dark

Valparaiso at Andrean - Valpo by 3

Warsw at Chesterton - Warsaw by 2

Eastbrook at Concordia - The Cadets were pounded on last week by a very good Scecina team. This week, they face another daunting team. The Panthers' last losing season was 2014, where they only managed 4 wins. Since then, they have only had 2 seasons with less than 10 wins and 3 trips to LOS. Week 1, however, didn't look great for them. The Panthers eked out a win over a struggling Huntington North team, a team that they have typically handled easily in the past. Eastbrook had a "down" year last season, which could be a result of several factors. They don't seem to be a team that is talked about much on here, so going purely off Sag ratings and predictors (and my desire to see SAC school perform better this week), I am going to have to take the Cadets to pull off an upset here. Concordia by 2

Dwenger at Moeller - The Saint looked even worse than expected last week, but so did the Crusaders. Both team were seeing purple in their nightmares last Friday night. This week, both teams try to bounce back. Coach Garrett's squad has been trying to recreate the magic of his first season and its 4OT "thriller" (How do you only score 26 points through 4 quarters AND 4 OTs?), but has yet to do so. As a matter of fact, he has slowly regressed each season. Do the Saint have something to worry about? Could the HC position become a hot seat on Washington Center? Time will tell. Archbishop Moeller by 28

North Side at Lawrence North - The Legends were in desperate need of their stars last week as they failed to score on offense. I have yet to see a definitive answer as to whether Brauntae and King are going to play this week against the Wildcats. If they do, I could see the Legends pulling this one off. If they don't, expect to see another disappointing performance. Lawrence North by 14

Snider at East Noble - The Panthers had a win that was more dominant that the score indicated last week. The Knights had a win that was exactly as dominant as the score indicated. This game features two teams that have never faced one another. Coach Amstutz has made it known that he has wanted to put Coach Tippmann on the schedule for a long time. I think playing opponents like the Panthers on a regular basis will really raise the Knights' level of play in the future. For the first matchup, though, they will have to be technically sound to not let it get ugly. Snider by 17

Wayne at Northrop - A non-conference game against a conference opponent... this one is weird. The Generals looked great in their victory over Crispus Attucks. The Bruins, however, looked abysmal. Coach Bowen's squad will have to step up to even stand a chance in this one. The Generals start 2-0 for the first time since 2014. Wayne by 21

Homestead at Noblesville - Everyone seems to be on the Miller train with this one. Did no one see what I saw? Sparty went blow-for-blow with a 6A blue-chip program, and only just missed sending the game to OT. Meanwhile, the Millers - who haven't had a winning season since 2001 (also the last time they played Carmel to within 1 TD) - beat up on an average 4A program who is cooling off from a couple very special seasons a couple years ago. I've got the Spartans for an "upset" special all day here. Homestead by 14

New Haven at Luers - In the words of hardcore band Knocked Loose... arf arf. Bulldogs by 35

CLK's Game of the Week: St. Joseph at South Side - This one was really hard for me to pick. Both teams looked very good in their first outings. The Archers let a big first half lead slip, and the Indians came up just short in a fourth quarter comeback. Both teams have felt with years of mediocrity. The Indians have had some post-season successes, but I firmly believe that the Archers are the type of team that can beat almost anyone they believe they can beat. I believe some new turf on their home field will be exactly what they need to believe. This would be a good game for both schools to continue scheduling in the future. South Side by 3

Warren Central at Carroll - The Chargers went into week 1 knowing HSE was pissed about last fall. Knowing this, they're probably pretty upset they weren't able to repeat the results from semi-state. The Warriors went into week 1 knowing they were going to put a pounding on Snider. Knowing this, they're probably REALLY PISSED they were embarrassed in front of the whole state. So, we have a pretty upset team, and a REALLY PISSED team. The Chargers still have the focus to get the job done. The Warriors, though, could come out and punch them just hard enough in the mouth to throw them off balance. Carroll by 6

All in all, I think this week favors the SAC much better. I think if they can come out with at least five wins, they should be alright. But if the board gets swept just as bad as last week, it may be time to reassess just how strong the conference really is. Hopefully these out of conference games will beef up the FWA schools and bring home some more hardware in the coming years. Time will tell.

1. Cathedral @ Brownsburg

2. Homestead @ Noblesville

3. Roncalli @ Franklin Central

4. Harrison @ Plainfield 

5. LaPorte @ Lowell

6. Evansville Mater Dei @ Castle

7. Culver Academy @ Mishawaka Marian

8. Franklin County @ Connersville

9. Brownstown Central @ Charlestown

10. Owen Valley @ South Putnam

11. North Decatur @ Eastern Hancock 

I haven't seen a DAC pick 'em so I figured I'd post my picks here! Last year was my first year giving attention to the conference, so I don't know enough about these teams to give the same write ups that I do for the SAC teams, but I still want to give a crack at it.

Andrean at Merrillville - Merrillville by 7

Chesterton at Hobart - Chesterton by 10

Crown Point at Lowell - Crown Point by 28

Lake Central at Munster - Lake Central by 28

New Prairie at LaPorte - New Prairie by 35

Penn at Valparaiso - Valpo by 3

Portage at Morton - Portage by 17

Warsaw at Michigan City - Warsaw by 10

1. FW Carroll @ Hamilton Southeastern

2. Lawrence North @ Avon

4. Warsaw @ Michigan City

5. New Palestine @ Westfield

5. Chesterton @ Hobart 

6. Leo @ Kokomo

7. Jasper @ Evansville Memorial 

8. Western @ Tri-West

9. FW Concordia @ Indianapolis Scecina

10. Perry Central @ Tell City 

11. Tecumseh @ South Spencer

1 hour ago, psaboy said:

"Whether star running back DeAlcapon Veazy is going to play is yet to be seen"

Has he changed his mind? I thought Football was not in his plans this year. Has he been practicing?

 

I don’t know for certain, I just know it hasn’t been 100% confirmed if he is sitting out this season or not. Just the unconfirmed (but usually reliable) rumors from Blitz.

Brownsburg at Bishop Dwenger - The Saints may have one of the toughest first five weeks in the state, excluding Center Grove's nightmare schedule. Coach Garrett's squad has lots of questions to answer, and it seem this year is trail by fire. Dawgs start the season by testing the tranches with their two-headed backfield. Brownsburg by 31

Carmel at Homestead - A lot of people are overlooking this game but I think it could (key word here) be interesting. Both teams are coming off of disappointing seasons that showed potential. Both teams graduated a ton of talent that leaves a lot of questions on the field. History says that the Greyhounds should have this one, but I think Sparty could make this one closer than some think. Carmel by 14

Carroll at Hamilton Southeastern - In a class that has been dominated by the South, teams in the North usually know they have to go through one of three teams: Penn, Carmel, or Westfield. With all of those teams having "down years" last season (Penn has been down for a while now), it opened the gates for some new players to establish themselves. The Royals and the Chargers both return key talents to their teams and look to solidify their status as true contenders. Jimmy Sullivan enters his junior season looking to do what a Fort Wayne team has never done: win a 6A title. That journey starts in in Fishers this Friday. Expect fireworks. HSE by 3

Concordia at Scecina - The Cadets saw the return of head coach Tim Manningel last season as he tries to recreate the magic of his 2016 state run. The Crusaders, however, are a consistent 2A program, if nothing else. Their last two years saw back-to-back 10+ win seasons. I agree with @IPFWFootball and think this is a great challenge for the Cadets to schedule on repeat. Scecina by 17

Luers at East Noble - The Knights of the Fort Wayne variety were hit by the graduation/transfer hammer harder than any other team in the area. The Knights of the Kendallville variety, however, are building off a young team from last year. Both of these teams will be exciting to watch over the coming years, but Coach Lindsay's team is in for the long haul this year. East Noble by 21

Northrop at New Haven - The Bulldogs have arguably the best player in the state on their team, alongside a skills room full of electric players on the offensive side of the ball. Their trenches, however, seem to leave much to be desired. Coach Bowen could start the Bruins' season off with a solid win with his "Leadership Council" if he is able to put pressure on the Bulldogs' QB. New Haven by 14

Snider at Warren Central - The Panthers are on the path of reestablishing themselves as the team to beat in the SAC. This year's team should be reminiscent of years past with a run-heavy offense. Whether star running back DeAlcapon Veazy is going to play is yet to be seen, but he could possibly be the key this team needs. The Warriors are also looking to recall dominance of years past with a stacked, but relatively young, team. This will be a game that sets the tone for both teams going forward this season. Warren Central by 10

South Side at Marion - New culture for the Archers comes in the form of new HC Andre Goodwell. Can he bring a very young Archers' team out of the depths of the SAC? The challenge starts with the Giants. South Side by 7

Crispus Attucks at Wayne - I honestly might know the least about this Generals' team out of all the SAC teams this year. However, I do know that Coach Haydock has likely been scheming in his mad science lab all summer, and should have some fun in store for us. Wayne by 21

CLK's Game of the Week: Northridge at North Side - My personal game of the week. With all eyes in Fishers on the HSE/Carroll game, I think this one is going to be electric. If above stated rumors are to be believed, the Legends will be without two of their star players. This levels the playing field for the Raiders. Both team were able to score on nearly everyone they played last year, so we should see the scoreboard light up on Friday. However, I think the Legends will show that they have just as much of a shot at the Victory Bell as Carroll or Snider this year. North Side by 24

I think the real story this week is that the new open schedule in the SAC has shown just how desperate the we were to play some Indy schools. With over half the conference scheduling teams from the loop area, we will set a baseline for the years-old FWA/IND debate. While I have the Fort losing most of these matchups, I believe this week is going to be the most exciting and electric week this city has seen in a while. I would love to see a Fort Wayne/Region/Indy rotation in the coming years, specifically the DAC/MIC/HCC/SAC all scheduling matchups against one another. Football is here!

On 8/12/2023 at 8:43 AM, BTF said:

Hamilton Southeastern in the south, Carmel in the north?

So I was correct on Carmel being in the North, the mistake I had on that half was Franklin Central. I swapped those, reseeded the brackets, and came up with this:

On 8/12/2023 at 8:43 AM, BTF said:

Hamilton Southeastern in the south, Carmel in the north?

Whoops, my mistake. Guess that changes things around a bit

With all the seeding talk over the years, I took it upon myself to mock up a bracket based off of last year's Sagarin ratings for class 6A, split by North/South. What does everyone think of this?

Edit: the seed numbers aren't exactly right. I took all 32 teams, seeded them 1-16 based off of their respective half of the state, and plugged them into a generic bracket generator.

What are the scrimmages tonight? I saw on Facebook that Concordia is playing East Noble, Northrop is playing Huntington North, and Wayne is playing Leo. Does anyone have a full schedule for the SAC scrimmages? Times and locations? Thinking about going to the Snider one.

2 minutes ago, BTF said:

Not playing well because they haven't seen a team this good in the tournament yet?

A muffed punt isn’t because of who you’re playing 

A five yard face mask penalty??

10 minutes ago, Major said:

No flag on long completion from south to north on Westfield sideline for facemask. Several Centergrove players without mouthpiece in during play. Westfield not being on the field as time expired of the halftime clock. Let’s go on and on. 

I agree this team is missing lots of calls, but it’s better than throwing too many flags I guess

36 minutes ago, MuleDriver said:

Wtg rocks up 7-6 gonna be hard to hang on to that lead but it's a start

Might not have the lead but they are 100% in it. I can’t tell if Westfield is playing better than I expected, or CG is playing sloppier than I expected.

MV is playing with 99 speed players and the sprint button mashed down lol. Unfortunately there isn’t much that can bring these Raiders back into it

Just now, Screagle said:

Wait!! Up 20-0 in a game you are clearly going to win by whatever you want and Lidy calls onside kick.  Wow 

Yeah, interesting call. To say the least.

Tagg can run the ball, but he’s the only one running it. He also can’t seem to remember which colors Northridge is wearing today because he’s thrown a few passes to a defender with absolutely NO receivers near him. Need to figure out some plays that aren’t just “give Tagg the ball.”

16 minutes ago, Bobref said:

The clock stops for a first down. If the ball was down inbounds, the R starts the game clock as soon as the box is set, he doesn't wait for the chains. I agree that this particular Referee gets the clock restarted very quickly following a first down. I gave him an upgrade in the postgame debrief for that. Always want to keep the game moving.

Thanks for the clarification!

Raiders v Marauders. Picked Mt. Vernon to win by 20 earlier this week, I’ll stick by that pick. Catch me on the Northridge side, though, cheering for the north all the way!

Hey @Bobref, I thought high school football stopped the clock while chains were moving? Noticed a couple times in the second and third quarters where the ref called for a running clock well before the chains were set. I might be mistaken

Offenses finally started to wake up. Should make for an exciting 4th!

Showed up with about 6:00 left in the second quarter, listened to the beginning of the game on my drive down from Fort Wayne. Fantastic defensive showing from both teams so far! Lets see if this continues to be a field position game in the second half.

Okay I know they aren't in any championship and the video isn't even for this year's team but I have to show off a video I made a few years back for Snider. I used to love doing this, but it just became a second full time job and I had to quit.