BLACKGOLD2007

That was my Freshman year. If you had asked me, I never thought we would score that much on Snider. Heck an onside kick returned for a TD. Everything went our way that night. 1994 is a great example of Penn going 10-0 and runs right into Snider in the sectional final. Gives up 24 points, in their first challenge of the season. Sorry Decatur Central...We will stop fawning over the good old days. lol

@whiteshoes in the EC thread, there is a huge debate about Ben Davis or EC being the top team in the state. I think this is a great idea. You want to know who the overall champion of the state is, you get invited and win the elite tournament. Then yes there will be default winners of the other 6 classes, but you will get some interesting matchups. 6A might actually be won by a team from the North part of the state....well.... that is open for discussion. Who would be the 8 teams in? my thoughts: 1. Ben Davis 2. East Central 3. Center Grove 4. Cathedral 5. Chatard 6. Brownsburg 7. Westfield 8. Snider or Crown Point you could make cases for HSE and or Fishers

Back when they would play in the sectionals. Snider had our number for soooo many seasons...

I know there are sectionals where teams are at least 2.5 hrs away from one another....such as Tippy Valley and Chatard (that is the one that comes to mind). The IHSAA could break the 1-4A divisions up, like they did with 5 and 6A, this gives everyone a week off before the playoffs start, and reduces the number of games to just earn 1 success factor point. Your could group your sectionals better based on geography, and this cuts down on the insane traveling some smaller schools are having, just to play each Friday night. Personally, I say either cut down the number of teams that make the tournament each year or seed the tournament. Or the IHSAA could have Regions like the NCAA basketball tourney. Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest.

Well, I am always pulling for Snider. Unless, you are across the field from us that given Friday night. Win, so we can be in 6A together.

I think that the first three need to be moved up, no matter the outcomes. Cathedral should stay in 6A permanently. I personally cannot stand SF, I think they did a poor-man's relegation system. I would rather see a yearly movement of teams based on overall performance. Jeffersonville while is enrollment wise a 6A school...it is not competitive against 4, 5 or 6A schools. Terre Haute North has not had a winning season since 2013, they went .500 in 2017. Drop them and give way to East Central (which is finally happening due to SF) or even New Pal. I think we will find that there are schools that can compete two maybe even three classes higher than what they are right now. Plus, once they get to the 5A and 6A format, they get out of these enormous sectionals that take almost a month to get through.

I feel like everyone in the 4A state champ game thread just needs to look this over. In this ranking and in your overall ranking EC has been sitting in the #2 spot for weeks.

Heck yeah

That is a reasonable line of thinking. When you have Georgia on the other sideline my money is going on them....it just so happens they ran into Bama.

I did curb it by saying pretty accurate....However you look at his picks throughout the season, his record was good.

And, this is a good point, unless he thinks that all three teams play out to similar outcomes.

Temp is on that EC Kool-aid. I don't know enough about them to criticize. I just know that he is pretty accurate with his picks from week to week. Maybe they are the real deal, unfortunately we will never know.

@Bobref in your opinion is this likely to be a defensive game or wide open offensive shootout like the Snider v New Pal game?

Central Indiana is the equivalent of the SEC, the top schools in this area of the state stand above the rest of the state, because they are the Buzzsaw. The Giants wont walk into LOS starry eyed and just happy to be there. They are going to be like Georgia standing in the tunnel of Neyland this past weekend, ready to exert their will. Even though BD hasn't won a state title since 2017, they have seen the deepest water this season multiple times. CP has finally peered into deep water after Penn and Westfield took them to their uncharted waters....BD was in those waters in weeks 4&5, they went further in week 8, and this playoffs there were times it looked like the Giants were going to be pulled under. CP, is good and will fight hard. But, like every team from up here, when we travel south, the Buzzsaw always wins.

They have a couple schools, for the most part they are bad.

No surprised Is Westfield flat?

Hmm.

Yes locally it took top tier teams to come out with the win. However, the program as a traditional 6A power has been in a downward trend. Getting throttled by the best teams and then coming home and struggling to beat schools thousands of kids smaller than you, is a very very very bad look. I get it took the mentioned schools best teams to beat some of Penn's worst teams. Don't take this wrong, it shouldn't happen. It did and that is what it is, but as a program that is deep with tradition, the fans do not stomach those defeats well.

Now to be fair... Penn is not the classic reload team anymore. Either these past two seasons are the ship correcting course or a hiccup in the downward spiral of the program. 2023: 10-2 2022: 7-3 2021: 6-6 2020: 5-5 lost in sectionals 2019: 6-5 lost in sectionals 2018: 8-3 lost in sectionals 2017: 12-2 The last time Penn made state. If Penn gets back to competing for semi-state every year, then yes it will be cut and paste each year. I agree with @npcougar15 Penn needs to have a big picture conversation, administration, coaches and boosters. Penn should petition the NIC to leave in Football and remain in other sports. If that is not agreed upon, they should look for full membership in the DAC. If Penn leaves I would not be surprised if the NLC makes a move for at least Elkhart and potentially NP, Marian and St. Joe.

That gap between Chatard and Knox.... about what I expected.

I am going to go out on a limb.... Riley, will not be as "good" as they were this year. Based on the post season result for Riley this year, either the NIC as a whole was bad or Riley just did not perform against Wawasee. Penn is a one loss team going into the playoffs. (If Penn keeps Carmel and drops Mishawaka). NP finishes 2nd in the conference. Washington becomes the new Clay.

Thank you! I enjoy the input everyone from Fort Wayne, the Region and down around Indy have...It helps me have a better insight into what people are seeing and experiencing on the field. Thank you all!

I think that whoever wins is a strong favorite over CP, I think that if Westfield comes out of the north, they will present a bigger threat to both Center Grove and Ben Davis. But, I think that 6A south is going to have three state-championship style games in one playoff. Ben Davis - Brownsburg Ben Davis - Cathedral Ben Davis - Center Grove

Just looking at the level of teams and quality of teams Chatard played this year...I would be surprised if Knox won.

I will give Knox credit they have had an amazing season, but have they played anyone to the caliber of Chatard? This feels like TV game all over again...