BLACKGOLD2007

Penn Scores fast. 18-14...went for two did not convert

D just crapped the bed.

Valpo scores on last play of half 14-12

Penn brakes huge TD run. Penn kick team cannot handle a snap. 12-7 Go Snider

Valpo misses a fg chance. Still 7-6

7-6 Valpo.

Drive stalled in valpo territory

Penn 6-0 start of 2. Penn driving

One could argue, that the team that decides to grow the grass out has the entire week to prepare and practice in the longer grass.... Not arguing with anyone on this point, the original comment was a throw away joke that spun into a huge debate about nothing... It is all hypothetical, who really cares. The gist is Penn got waxed three times at state, and has now been getting waxed in earlier rounds of the playoffs. Penn is falling way behind while other sections of the state are growing and building their programs. It is a shame, but oh well.

Penn is returning most of their defense from last year, and key parts of their offense this year... 34-0 is a bold prediction....But, I guess we will find out Friday.

The idea was teams that play on turf more than in grass, schools would grow out their grass in hopes to slow them down some. It was a joke, because I have been very open that we were outclassed that night.

Sorry, I don't have the document on hand. I believe I read it on this message board. Also, the pre-game video they showed had him saying they were there to make history.... That game, he (play calling) was deliberately throwing the ball in the second half. The Carmel game just like the Warren and the future Ben Davis games were all won by half. I was at all three games, that one, was the worst of the three. No grass still. We would have had to grow the grass long, to try and slow down the beast that was Warren Central. The crazy thing is the weekend before we played the game of our lives against Snider, a very talented team....They just didn't have Tardy and Co.

155 lb center....must have had the heart of a lion....thank you thank you...I will be here all day folks.

That is a lot of two way players.

That was the first time any of my generation had witnessed Penn get the brakes beaten off of them. We thought we would be in a dog fight, but....the freaking speed was insane. The Ben Davis game, was probably the best all around team I had ever seen on a high school football field. Crazy thing is we just watch Penn dominate a strong Carmel team....and well you know the rest.

The Ben Davis thrashing doesn't bother me as much. Penn made a bunch of weird mistakes in the first half that, we had not seen them do in a very long time. Not fielding kick offs, muffing kick offs. It was a tragedy. I don't fault Ben Davis for beat the living hell out of Penn. My biggest issue was the Carmel game at state...they were deliberately throwing the ball on Penn in the second half. The coach was the same guy from Warren, and wanted to make it a point that Carmel should have been in the North and it should have been an all Indy final...He ran the score up to embarrass us. And he did exactly what he set out to do. Penn has not been competitive in any state finals....maybe consider the Center Grove game, close....Since Gees left. I personally have no angst towards Ben Davis, I do hate Carmel though.

I have seen my share of lopsided defeats, mainly to MIC/central Indiana schools. Ben Davis being one of them. Warren and Carmel coached by the same guy, decided to make a Joke of Penn in two state finals. It was ugly, it was also unnecessary. We don't get style points or a chance a national title amongst the other state title winners. Then Penn gets thumped by Ben Davis in state, the two head coaches are supposedly friends. We sit here and throw out words like professionalism, from my understanding, is the kids play the game, if our own coaches wont call of the dogs on our own state rivals, why should we expect and outsider to do so? I don't think Ben Davis, Warren or Carmel have ever suffered embarrassment like that, but maybe they should. It is one thing to score until half pull the starters and the back ups score....it is unprofessional to throw the ball up 35+ points in the second half with starters on the field. Sorry, I am coming off as a cry baby, but perspective helps....especially if you have never been handed your butt on a platter and then read on these very threads you don't deserve to play in games like that. If Ben Davis holds IMG to less than 50 points, and scores more than once....great freaking game. But, if they get 50, 60 or 70 hung on them... I empathize with them....it sucks.

The Penn teams of the 90's were strong up front on both sides of the ball. Most of their games were won in the trenches.

To be honest, I was shocked to see Penn on this list. They are in the same sectional as a surging Carroll, and 3 out of the last 4 seasons have ended at or around .500 last year was an improvement. The only thing I can understand is they had success with underclassmen last season. They return a large group of young men who contributed this year. But, I would agree 9 might be high.

Coaching helps, players in South Bend may have all the talent in the world, but cannot win a game because the coaching is either inconsistent or just not good. Also, every year is different: lack of Senior leaders, sometimes the size of a senior class helps or hurts, a crop of undersized players come through, the best players in the school are specializing in their preferred sport. But, the best coaches can overcome these issues. May not always win state or make it deep, but they will get the best from their players.

Fort Wayne representing in this list

This is the first time I am seeing the IFD Dandy Dozen, are these the 12 teams they are saying to watch in during this season??? Because...Penn at 9??? I mean they return some key players on O and D, but this team will need to make leaps forward to compete with Carroll for sectionals.

That 96 Portage was 9-2 going into the Penn game. That is a good win, especially away from home for the Kingsmen, was the score close, yes.

But, escapes are apart of the game. My Junior year we gifted Mishawaka 14 points and had to play a perfect game the rest of the way to push the game into overtime, which is where escaped with the W. In sectionals we beat them 28-7 and then blanked them 39-0 in my senior year. Sometimes, teams you just play a bad game, good teams find ways to win. You are correct, about the one man's escape is another's good win.

I wish I could have been at those games. The man has a point. It is hard to compete when the most densely populated area in the state is churning out studs year in and year out.