olinecoach

Release on athletics website. https://deltaeaglesports.com/news/2025/10/29/athletic-department-delta-schools-to-join-eastern-crossroads-conference-in-2027-2028.aspx

Travel would certainly be less for Delta. The 3a-4a sized enrollments + competitiveness + travel time combination balance is hard to find in east central Indiana. That becomes evident when the sectional comes out for football. Some years we've gone as far north as Garrett in the sectional, some years as far west as West Lafayette or Lebanon.

For them, they have been good enough that it is not really for 4 quarters. It has been for 2.5 to 3 quarters most of the regular season. Their dudes are still fresh (or as fresh as you can be after 9 games) when they roll into the playoffs. New Pal, GFC, and MV all were programs that 15 years ago people around the HHC knew could explode in numbers and success with the right people driving the ship. As far as kids from other districts around them coming in, it has seemed less at New Pal in numbers, but what they have had move in has been high quality. Families want to go where there is success. Can't blame them!

My Junior year 2009 at Dwenger in the Regional. First play from scrimmage BD has a bad gun snap that rolls to QB, RB picks it up and goes 70+ for a TD. I believe you were working that game @Bobref

Quite a difference in the tone, and frankly the quality, of the two articles. One seems to be based in fact and what was directly said in testimony and interviews, the other plays fast and loose with editing of interviews and journalistic integrity as a whole. Doyle is not the "hero" he thinks he is.

Having watched both of these teams (New Pal significantly more I will admit) I do not think this game will be very close. IF EN can slow down the ground game for NP, that could change things, but I don't see that happening. EN is good, but NP has the talent and oline/dline of many high level 5a or 6a programs.

One aspect that often gets missed in this overall discussion is the impact that the state legislature has on decisions like these. Constant pressure on the IHSAA to make changes to its policies (or not realizing the IHSAA already has a policy) play a large roll. There are very few "education based" legislators, so many are blind to any other problems that may spring up from what they might see as a good idea or policy to implement. As for the "study" part, that will be interesting to see how it is done and what data is actually being studied.

The line on both sides of the ball and athleticism of the New Pal LB's will make this a lot better game than some people think... I'm not predicting an upset, but I also wouldn't be shocked to see this be within 10 either way.

Got it, thanks!!

With the new enforcement rules of spot of foul vs LOS, is it still possible to have a safety occur when a holding penalty on the offense occurs in the endzone? Example: Team A has the ball on their own 2 yard line. As they drop back to pass, the left tackle ends up in the endzone and holds team B. Because this foul would be enforced from the line of scrimmage and not spot of foul now, would it still result in a safety or would it be half the distance and replay the down?

This rule blows our players minds every year when I explain it to them! Not had a chance to use it yet, but would be a fun situation!

There is not money involved so this is no different than pulling up the JH site and seeing what the prediction is on there.

I played against Pendleton and Coach Broughton 6 times and coached against him another 3. Definitely some of the toughest games I was a part of. Even when they did not have spectacular athletes, PHHS was always solid, never bad. Heck of a Coach and person.

As a coach who is an assistant for football and HC for track, this is a very underrated advantage for a program. M'ville is a northern school that I know has a strong connection with their two programs and that is beginning to show on the field.

I believe that Yorktown will actually pass up Delta in this next class alignment making Delta the smallest in the HHC currently.

They actually throw the ball very little, they just hit some big plays here and there. They are around 75% run with a really good RB in stamps and solid guys that rotate in as well. QB is dynamic as a runner and effective enough to hit open guys in the passing game.

I believe so... If, IF they can recruit the middle schools and their own building. On a smaller scale that is what happened at Marion. Basketball guys out playing football, for example, was almost unheard of at Marion for a while. That changed when Coach Chambers was there. By no means is it a guarantee, but there is a heck of a lot of potential to create something successful at Tech I believe.

Coach Chambers did some big things with struggling programs at Howe and then at Marion the last few years so I would anticipate them getting better fairly quickly if history is an indicator. They have the ability to be the best team in that conference if they can get kids out to play.

That game was 10 years ago... Not sure many playing even have any idea of it. That and it was more Wayne vs the officials that evening more that Wayne vs Delta as far as bad blood. I was actually playing in that game and it was a surreal experience seeing a ball moved 50+ yards just on penalties from one play/reaction.

Preparing for/coaching against both of them, Engle is definitely the better player. Bragg may have had a slightly better command of the O being in the system longer, but even for it only being week 2 (our week 1 due to COVID) Engle marched them down the field a few times and made plays with his arm and legs. They'll be a tough out as always with a touch more speed and throwing ability at QB to contend with.

I would add the qualifiers of best game so far, and best game on paper. I would think that next week CG vs Cathedral will be an awesome game with an even larger assortment of talent than this one. No doubt LN is good and has some dudes, especially on offense, but that CG defense is an absolute monster to deal with. I would doubt this game is very close.

Another problem with the seeding/qualification rabbit hole is that it will force teams to change their regular season schedules to ensure they can get a higher seed or qualify. I think of some of the Luers teams or even some of the MIC/HCC/Hoosier Conference schools who had so-so regular season records because of playing bigger and better competition but then go on to have deep tournament runs or even win a state title.

Once again though, there is nothing to "step in" on. 1. There was a move 2. The IHSAA isn't in charge of competitive balance, if they were we would seed and limit who got into the playoffs and 3. Who is to say a team like New Pal in a growing area wouldn't want to switch to a more metro conference anyways therefore taking away the whole "they blew up the HHC" argument. Trust me, I wasn't thrilled to see him leave, he made us better and is a great kid off the field as well. All this other nonsense is just how the chips fell in this situation.

We all know there is plenty of "BS" in these forums, just can't say the actual word 😆

When an athlete and their family buy a house in a new district, there is nothing that the IHSAA can do to block a transfer in that case. Whether or not that is the only home they own or whether or not they choose to stay in the area post high school is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that Charlie was a great player at Delta and a great player at New Pal. Couple that with the fact that New Pal had already built something special with the other players they had on the roster and it made for an incredible two year run. Whatever the motivation for the move (family in Hancock county, closer/more business opportunities, etc..) is a non-factor in a transfer.