WestfieldRocks

This is how it was explained on the Westfield Twitter (X) site after this play happened. A Westfield player slapped the ball back at the goal line to keep it from going into the end zone for a touchback. A CG player went to pick up the ball and fumbled it. The play by rule is a fumble, and the kicking team, in this case Westfield, recovered the fumble.

They went to the shortened version years ago. Technically, it's still Shamrocks.

After a slow start, falling behind 14-0 after the 1st quarter, Westfield gets it going and wins at Center Grove, 34-28.

Uh, Chatham and Brookside are in the Westfield City Limits, so naturally those kids would go to Westfield, unless the parents send them to Guerin. You are talking to a Cathedral grad, but back in the last days of the 14th and Meridan school. No recruiting going on then, just a bunch of Catholic kids who wanted to go to what then was a college prep school. As to growing up, I grew up in the area just north of the State Fairgrounds. Low middle class at best. More like ghetto today. Don't worry about us up here. We are doing just fine with multiple state finals appearances in the past 10 years.

He obviously never was in the position that a lot of these IPS kids are in. Neither they nor the schools have the money needed to do the summer circuit stuff. For some of them, just trying to stay alive in the neighborhoods that they live in is enough. The schools barely have the money to keep the lights on their football fields. Go look at what Washington and Shortridge play on. Tech doesn't count, since their field got a total remake from the NFL $$$ from when Indy hosted the 2012 Superbowl.

Social issues? Most of the kids at Tech and Washington are probably on school lunch programs, working after school to help support a single parent family. No time for school things away from class. And per some stats I saw, many don't even bother to go most of the time. Meanwhile the majority of the private kids are likely just the opposite. Just drive through any of the rich neighborhoods like up N. Meridian St and see all of the real estate type of signs giving free advertising to Cathedral, Brebeuf, Chatard, and the like. Sure those schools have a handful of inner city kids, mostly athletes that were given free rides to attend. I don't buy that Cathedral only has kids who applied. Not when I know of an athlete up here that was recruited to go there.

Obviously there is no real "transfer portal" like in college sports. Yet transfers look to be exploding in certain schools. So does the IHSAA now look the other way, or don't they have enough manpower to track all of these kids to see which are legit transfers? You know, like parents moving into a school district because of a job, as an example? Or like it was decades ago in Marion County, when township kids would sometimes play for 2-3 different schools by moving into a different relatives home within another district than their own home district?

I think Temp has more than a hunch, but has already posted that he doesn't want to post it publicly.

Yea, he could have gone for the win late in regulation, like he did at Brownsburg the season before. The Garnett deal, I don't know. I had heard the rumors. I checked his status on MaxPreps. As of June, it had him at WC, but then about a month later back at Westfield. His Twitter (X) account, as of the other day, showed him as a Westfield senior, class of 2025. With WC snatching several kids for this season, I guess it's not a surprise. What ever happened to the IHSAA rule that prohibited a transfer for athletic reasons?

I'd say a big loss. He almost won that Crown Point game by himself. Once Westfield got going in the second half, he was unstoppable. In fact, I wished that they had run him on a two point conversion in the first OT to end it there instead of kicking the PAT. I have not heard who the #1 RB will be. It might be the QB, who has already received a D1 scholarship with not much playing time last season behind Jackson Gilbert.

Same here. I composed something, but won't allow me to send, saying you can't received private messages.

Up here, we already knew. So did the kid go to live with another relative, which is often how this happens? It has been pretty hush hush up here about this news though.

Agree, except I expect the CG/Westfield game to have a bit more scoring.

NC used to be very good in tennis. Several kids out of that program turned pro. I'm not sure about now. They really blew that game at BD in the last quarter. Had it all but won.

I'd agree. In my day, the main things BD was known for was their excellent band program and their radio station that gave us the Calabro Brothers and Kristi Lee :)

Same can be said of Kokomo and Lafayette Jeff. Jeff had the advantage of playing not only much smaller schools, but also playing both the sectional and regional on their home court.

The NCAA got caught with their pants down on the NIL issue. I remember the first year with some local IU and Purdue players getting some spending money from t-shirt sales with their name and likeness. The NCAA had no idea that these collectives would quickly form and bring in huge $$$ to essentially buy players.

Agreed. The old Butler sectional in the 60's was a monster with 14 teams. Southport I believe had 11 teams during that time. All Marion County schools north of Washington St. played at Butler, and south of Washington St. played at Southport. Today teams can win a sectional by just winning two games. In fact, with a bye, a team can win a class tournament by winning only 6 games. That old Butler sectional took 4 wins just to get out of there. Most all other sectionals were 8 teams, thus three wins were required, so 9 wins to win state.

Exactly! Westfield played down there for a 2A semistate title in the 90's. The parking lot had a lot of vehicles with Kentucky license plates.

Won't they just recruit a few more of those kids from across the border :)

Actually it probably makes that sectional a bit stronger. Noblesville moving in with HSE, Fishers, and Homestead takes out possibly the weakest of the prior six teams in that sectional. Noblesville would often get off to a good start to the season in non conference, but fizzle out in the HCC, then sectionals.

I still remember during the debate over whether or not basketball should go to class, and if so, how many classes, etc. Former Indy Star sports writer Bill Benner, ending a column after it was decided to go to a four class tournament, said "the sound you are hearing are the private schools adding on to their trophy cases" :)

In Westfield's case, more likely a Freshman Center, such as Carmel and Zionsville have. I've heard that the HSE split in 2006 caused division in the community and that Westfield wants to avoid that. Then again, I've heard from someone that should know that the current super wants a second high school. I suppose time will tell.

I don't know about the enrollment. The high school just went through another renovation and addition which was completed prior to last school year. It's built out as much as it can be. There is talk of a freshman center being built to relieve the student population at the high school. For sure there is another middle school already approved, as well as an 7th elementary school. As for future Westfield population, it was around 50K after the last census in 2020. It's already nearing 60K now, and with new housing permits already issued, is expected to be close to 80K by the end of this decade. That is really the number that officials want as a max. There is already a push back on issuing any major new housing projects.

From the Indy Star article link at the top of this thread. This pretty much answers the question about the former assistant now head coach: The plan is already in place for Gilbert’s replacement. Josh Miracle, an assistant for Gilbert the past 13 years, will take over for Gilbert. Miracle has been the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the past decade and was named the Frank Broyles Award winner for the top assistant in Indiana last season.