Marshall Mathers

Mid year update... PH - 10-3 (1-0) - Only losses are to bigger teams, and a really good Park Tudor. These guys are the real deal from what I have seen. They easily beat SV @ SV in round 2. I think they will sweep conference without a problem. They legitimately have 3 future 1000pt scorers on their roster. Id venture to say that hasn't happened more than a handful of times on any team ever. Their only downfall will be a potential lack of size, but it seems Crum is holding his own. SV - 7-6 (1-1) - Started off the year really hot, and looked to be a top 25 team in 3A. They had a pretty bad showing at the classic, and have still not really recovered. They picked up a road win at Seeger, (even though Seeger was missing their best player). Not sure what has happened to them, but on paper they have a ton of skill, and at least 3 all conference players. I have them finishing 2nd still, but it won't be as easy as I thought originally. Covington - 7-7 (2-0) - Lost to Seeger by 5pts. No real notable wins, I think they are winning the games they should win. They have at least 2 all-conference players, and a big kid that can scare away some drives. I have them finishing 6th now, originally 5th. NV - 8-5 (1-0) - Looks like this is NV's best start in a few years. They haven't beaten anyone great yet, so I am still unsure about them. They do look to be scoring a lot more points this year as well. I think my prediction with them at 4th is still correct. They have the guard play to compete well enough offensively and defensively with other teams, and a couple good bigs, so they could easily be top 3. FC - 6-4 (2-0) - These guys are VERY 2 dimensional right now. If you can stop Harmon from catching and shooting freely, and limit Gayler, they struggle. I was able to catch their game with North Putnam, and they looked like they had no fight. If that team shows up against other conference teams I see them finishing 6th. Seeger - 6-4 (0-1) - Beat Covington by 5 and lost to FC by 6. I think they can compete with every team in the conference. RP - 2-0 (0-2) - They play very hard, but still lack skill in a lot of areas. Robins looks to be their best player. I have them at 7th still, finishing above Attica. I think they will beat them by 15-20. Attica - 1-10 (0-3) - Attica is very young, but have a couple pieces. They just don't score well enough to compete right now.

Fun early start to the year. PH - 4-2, with losses to a large and good Evansville Harrison squad, and a really good Park Tudor squad. Still look to be the front runners. Lots of people that can score. Watched a thriller of a livestream against SV. That will be a very fun game to watch in conference play in Clinton. Maybe the deciding factor for conference? FC - 2-1 Carried by Harmon and Gayler like I predicted. If you can limit these two, you can beat FC. They are scoring over 40 points themselves. Ill be interested to see how the far in conference. SV - 3-1 Lost a tough one against PH at Rockville. Had the game in the bag, and unfortunately got a technical that lost them the game. They could easily win conference. They have some weapons, and are top 30 in 3A. Bush and Schultz have been very good for them. NV - 3-3 Lost badly to an OK West Vigo team. I still see them at middle of the pack. Not sure who is performing well for them. They do look to be the tallest team in the conference. Seeger - 3-1. Lost by 19 to an undefeated CP team. They did beat Northmont, whom FC lost to by 2. I am not sure who is leading this team anymore. I think they have some good role players than all contribute. Attica - Another rough year for them. They do play very hard though. RP - Picked up a couple early season wins, and played NV pretty close early. They play very hard, just lack a lot of skill. I do think they will beat Attica any 10-15pts.

ITS TIME! I am going to try and predict the WRC again this year. Last Years Picks 1. Seeger // 2. FC // 3. SV // 4. PH // 5. Covington // 6. NV // 7. RP // 8. Attica It went.. 1. FC // 2. PH // 3. Seeger // 4. Covington // 5. NV // 6. SV // 7. RP // 8. Attica 1. Parke Heritage -> They return just about their entire team that went 19-10. They had some youth last year, and those guys will only improve with experience. I can see this group making a tourney run in March. They have the best player in the conference returning in Treigh Schelsky. They also have Renn Harper, who would be most other teams #1 option. They have some great shooters surrounding those two guys. The only weakness I see in this group is their lack of size, which the WRC doesn't have a ton of overall, so they will probably dominate. 2. SV --> I put this group at 3 last year, and they underperformed. They still have a TON of athletes, and a returning all-conference player in Bush. They lost some really close conference games last year. They graduated a couple of role players, but return their core players. This group now has a full year with their coach, so I think they will be more likely to finish those close games. 3. FC --> I was torn on where to put them for this year. They graduated a great leader & possibly the best defender in the conference in Foxworthy. They also graduated Larkin, whom I bet most teams had to put a significant amount of preparation for, as well as a rim protector in the WRC. They won some VERY close games last year in the conference. Harmon came up big for them in a lot of these games. Harmon is probably going to get face guarded completely every game, so the other players like Gayler and Acton are really going to have to step it up this year for them to win. 4. NV --> NV has been down for a few years, but I think they have a chance to be near the top of the conference this year. They managed to get two unexpected conference wins last year. They only graduated 2 players from last year and they return an all conference player in White. NV has a TON of size. I was very surprised by their size in both levels last year. I expect this to give them an advantage against a few teams in the conference. I am interested to see what their pace of play will be this year. 5. Covington --> They graduated 3 seniors from last years 12-13 team, and around 20PPG. They still return one of the best shooters in the conference, and a very good guard in Ferguson. They have a very tall sophomore that ended up getting some minutes for them last year. I will be interested to see how he develops. This team is going to rely HEAVILY on Stein and Ferguson's scoring output if they want to be successful. 6. Seeger --> They return a few of their group from last year, but graduated a 4x all conference player in Snedeker. I have heard rumors that Winchester was not on their roster for the year, but I am not 100% sure. If Winchester is playing for them I will put them above FC, if not they are below in my opinion. This team plays well together as they have been playing about the same group for the last 2 years, but I think it will be a different look without Snedeker and possibly Winchester this year. 7. RP --> They graduated their three best players, one of which was a top 5 player in the conference, and won some games himself last year in Hazzard. I think they only return 1 starter, and the rest will be very new varsity players. They also have a new coach this year, so I expect this to be a complete rebuilding year. 8. Attica --> I think they return most of their team from last year, but lack a star player, and role players.They have struggled the last few years, and I don't think this is the year they flip the switch.

SV - by 300 RP - by 15 NV - by 6 FC - by 28 We definitely have ourselves a 3 way... tie this week folks. DOES anyone in the conference make it out of their sectional this year? I think probably not unfortunately.

I have been quiet this year thus far. Not really a lot of fun up until now. Seems the conference is pretty down besides two teams. Attica @ (PH) - Yikes (FC) @ Covington - I had higher hops for the Trojans this season, but after last week's beatdown I am worried. FC is coming off a solid win, I take them in this game. Their QB is pretty impressive. (Seeger) @ RP - Word on the street at the Mecca Tavern is the RP boys are hurtin. Seeger will out physical them, and it won't be close. NV vs (SV) - This will be the conference decider. For the simple fact that it's at home, I'm giving the edge to SV. I think NV will be more prepared and better coached, but fall a little short due to athleticism/talent.

My favorite time of the year is back! It is time for some WRC basketball Pre-Season Rankings. I was not very accurate last year, but let's see try it out anyway. 1 or 2 could go either way.. This might be the most fun year of WRC basketball in awhile, because there is no CLEAR favorite to win. I think it could swing a bunch of different ways. 1. Seeger --> They return a 4x All-Conference player in Snedeker. (Who is probably a top 3 player in the conference) I look for him to have another great year, and provide leadership. If I am not mistaken, they also didn't graduate any starters, or even guys that got a lot of minutes. They went 8-13 last year, but lost to some good teams in close battles. I think they will get over the hump this year and be the team to beat. 2. FC --> They are also returning all of their key pieces. I think they lost a little more than Seeger, but may have more individual talent. They have the tallest Center in the conference, and a top 5 player in Harmon. Gayler could also have a good year as well. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is where it gets really interesting.. SV, NV, PH, RP, could fall in any place.. but my predictions 3. SV --> They have a top 10 player in Wallace, and a respectable, probably top 10 player in Bush returning this year. I see them pressuring, and spreading the floor out for drive and kicks. They have some guys surrounding those 2 that can really shoot. I don't know how their post play is, but I don't believe they have any standouts. Let's see if their new coach plays all 14 kids each game, or if he sticks with a core group. 4. PH --> They graduated 2 very good athletes, and lost maybe the best player in the conference in Johnson to a transfer. I believe they will be really young, but not lacking in the skill department. I look for the Sophomore Harper to lead the team this year, but can't count out their Freshman in Schelsky. I haven't got the chance to see him play, but I have heard he is the real deal. I'll be interested to see how he fares at the varsity level. Could be an interesting year for PH. They will lack a lot of size, but make up for it with athleticism. 5. NV --> They graduated I believe 3 starters. One was all conference, and the other 2 were role players. They return a few guys that are multiple year starters, and some that got a lot of minutes last year. They return an all-conference honorable mention in White, and I think he could fare to be a top 5 player in the conference with the reigns this year. Outside of that I think they will be the biggest team overall in the conference. 6. RP --> They return arguably the best player in the conference in Hazzard. They have a respectable big man in Hines, and a good defender in Mullins. Outside of that I think they will be pretty weak. They are going to need Hazzard to score 20+ every night for them to win games. If he can do it they have the capability of competing for a higher spot. 7. Attica --> Their new coach got them playing hard last year, nearly upsetting a good Faith Christian team at the end of the year. I just think their lack of overall talent will hurt them. They lose their big that got them a decent amount of points, but I am not sure who they are returning. I do believe that they can compete early, just don't think they have the firepower to last.

NV --> NV's pass defense has been better I believe, but will it be enough? They're going to need all the help they can get defensively, but I don't believe TP can stop them either. FC --> FC got a blessing last week playing Attica.. I think they will be ultra prepared to face PT. CC --> I think I have to take CC here. I am very impressed with their QBs arm.. and I don't think the Panther defense will be able to hold them. On the 5 too.. WOW

Is there a reason they don't seem to excel with schools their size? SOS is obviously a factor, but I don't think it makes or breaks a teams tourney run by itself. They don't have a high turnover rate with head coaches in any of their varsity sports. What are the factors at play?

Let's get the mounties in the conference too. The more the merrier

Covington over Attica - 36-12. Not a lot to say here FC over NV - 39-36. I think this will be a high scoring game. If the HOF Coach dials up the right pass plays FC could be in for some big plays. NVs offense is better, but their defense has yet to prove much. SV over Seeger - Close early, SV goes undefeated in conference play. 35-22. RP over PH - Not alot to be said here. RP wins the Parke county trophy. 46-12.

Imagine Earl’s stats if he played more than 2 quarters a game. I’d agree with you on best player. Could he have made Turkey Run conference contenders? NV was certainly not NV without him

I remember watching that Lutheran team beat a pretty good Eastern Hancock team, and seeing how massive their line was. It truly was a size vs speed game between Lutheran and NV in 2014. Did Crabtree make most WRC teams move to a spread offense?

I'm not sure if I should laugh at this or not to be honest. Ill take the 2007 Rox over any of those teams.

I do remember watching a time when NV, FC, Rockville, and Attica were all ranked top 10 in 1A. I believe it was 2014, the year NV won state. I'm not sure if we will ever see football like that again in the WRC. I don't think it's youth programs faltering, I think it's just athletes coming and going. Those teams had some of the best athletes to ever come through the WRC.

Is RP really on the rise or is the WRC just not good right now? RP has only played 2 opponents that are over 500, and got beat decisively by one, and by a few scores with the other. Not trying to be a hater, just stating the facts. Kudos to them for having some success though.. and I saw that they are destroying teams in junior high. 70PTS is crazy.

Pretty uneventful week I would say. Best game is SV vs FC. NV @ PH - NV has JV out starting of the 4th quarter. 48-6. RP @ Attica - Hazzard has 4200 rushing yards, and 31 touchdowns after it's all said and done. 41124-6. Seeger @ CT - Seeger and FC just had a BATTLE last week. I wish I could have attended. Seeger is still top 3 in the conference and win this game 40-14. SV @ FC - Could be a battle early, but with the beatdown SV just put down on RP, I'd say things may be clicking. 35-13.

I'm very curious on the IHSAA's plans on the reffing shortage? Is there really even a fix? I feel like at this point they may have to make it more lucrative for the officials. I think the pay is pretty reasonable, but not enough to deal with the amount of heckling they receive on a nightly basis. What are your thoughts on this? I'd hate to lose Friday night football because of a reffing shortage.

Attica @ NV - I stand corrected on my Falcon over RP prediction last week. It seems the Falcons aren't as dominate as I thought initially. Still better than Attica by whatever the running clock allows them. Covington @ PH - Ill take the Trojans. It will be close early, but I think Covington can score the ball better. 34-13. FC @ Seeger - Seeger seems to be playing good football right now. They have some athletes. I think FC is too inconsistent, but if they come to play, it could be a battle. 34-22. RP @ SV - With how even the SV/NV game was after the 1st, I will say this could be a battle. Although match-ups are way different, I still think you can compare teams a little. Since this is being played at the visor field, Ill take SV 34-28.

SV - CT --> 48-20. CT will score a few times. They have some athletes, but SV proved last week they are the top dogs. FC - Attica --> 41-0. NV - RP --> 42-20. Seems everyone is picking RP over NV this week. After watching RP a couple times this year, it looks to be a 1 man show. NV/SV are very even. Hard to come back from letting up 28 in a quarter, but it seemed even after. PH - Seeger --> 41-6. Seeger is a top 3 team in the conference. PH is a bottom 2 team. Depends on the size of the tenderloins

Mid-season review. Was I accurate? 1. I had PH. (6-7) (0-2) Well their season has been so riddles with misfortunes. At one point I think they were missing 3 starters. They are starting a freshmen, although a good freshmen, he is still a freshmen. Johnson hasn't played more than 5 games, and he hasn't seemed to have gotten his rhythm back. They have struggled to score, but I believe the rest of the season they should be at or close to full strength. I think they will beat NV tonight, but move to third in the conference. 2. I had Covington. (9-4) (3-0) Obviously with the double digit win over PH it propels them to 1st. I watched the Covington/PH game in person and it was cool to watch. I was very impressed with the way they ran their defense. Having Karrfalt, whom may be the best on ball defender in the conference, and a 6-6 Waddell at the rim, they are tough to score on. They have a few guys that can put the ball in the bucket too. They are clearly the favorites now. 3. I had SV. (7-8) (2-0) SV did beat PH, so they have to move up one spot. They are pretty deep as I previously said, and are led by a good senior class. They have a great spread of being able to shoot the 3, but also spread the floor out and drive. I think Covington beats them by 10+ though. 4. I had FC. (8-6)(1-2) I was wrong here. Im putting them to 6th in the conference. They have struggled to score the ball consistently, and just lost to Seeger last week. Despite their 8-6 record, I just think they play too inconsistently. They do have some size, which propels them above a couple other teams in the conference. 5. I had Seeger here.(5-7) (1-0) I am going to keep Seeger here. They have a great Sophomore class led by a 2 time all conference junior. I have not seen them play much, but these guys are going to continue to get better. 6. I had NV here, and I am moving them to 4th. (5-8) (1-0). They look to have improved tremendously from the previous 2 years. They are averaging 48PPG, and have lost 4 games either in OT or by 3. They seem to be very close in turning the corner. I noticed a lack of games from Tryon and Naylor. 7. I had RP here, and I am keeping them here. (5-8) (1-2) They are 1 player away from being very good. Hazzard has carried them to some pretty close games, but they just lack that extra scorer. Hines isn't bad up top in their option plays, but when they get rid of it no one else can score it well. 8. I had Attica here, and I am keeping them here. (0-9) (0-4) These guys play hard early, but seem to lose it when pressure picks up later on. They just don't have any real scoring, but their defense seems to be pretty good when they are set. New rankings: 1. Covington (7-0) 2. SV (6-1) 3. PH (5-2) 4. NV (4-3) 5. Seeger (3-4) 6. FC (2-5) 7. RP (1-6) 8. Attica (0-7)

I agree some of the surrounding schools could definitely be much different. It seems many are flocking to PH.

I watched/listened to the BOW tourney last weekend. Here are my thoughts.. and does it change my pre-season rankings? Parke Heritage - Won banks without Christian, who is the best player in the conference. I stand with my prediction that they are the team to beat in the WRC. The freshmen Harper is going to be a force to be reckoned with. I was super impressed by how he played against South Vermillion. He single handedly kept them in that game, and stopped all of SV's momentum. Noble was a very good leader, and took over a lot when it counted. South Vermillion - They gave PH a pretty good run for their money early. They seem to be very deep with subs, I feel like 10+ kids touched the floor for them in some capacity in both games. They look to have a pretty solid underclass, and Uselman/Garzolini are as advertised, and do the majority of their scoring. I'm interested to see how the Bush kid develops, and how the team progresses this year. Riverton Parke - I didn't have them beating NV, but it was a thrill to watch. Hazzard finally started to score the basketball some, and ended up with 20+ against NV. They struggle to score the ball outside of Hines/Hazzard, and most of their offense just runs through those 2. Mullins looks to get most of his scoring off his defense. I don't see them winning more than 5-6 games this year, but 3-1 is a great start. North Vermillion - I feel like NV is still better than RP. They have been without a healthy Naylor, whom I expect will help offensively/defensively for the Falcons. I'm still not sold on them being able to consitsently score the ball, but they have put up 40+ in each game, which is an obvious improvement. They had a costly TF and missed free throws with 2s left to send it into OT. They did not look very competitive against South Vermillion. I think when Naylor gets back they are still in the middle of the pack in conference.

Parke Heritage won't run into someone close to Linton in the WRC. Especially not someone with D1 talent. Their length alone will make it difficult for any team to score. Johnson isn't very big, so I imagine he was uncomfortable most of the night getting shots off. He won't have that issue again unless teams specifically try to take him away. It looked like PH just settled for way too many 3s. As athletic as they are I feel they should settle for an inside out game, and then look to spot up. I felt when the Freshmen came in they were getting singled out defensively, which is to be expected. Noble has definitely improved his outside game from a couple years ago, but I expect most teams to make him prove it.

Are you thinking of John Harrell?

Pre-Season Top 10 players in the conference this year in my opinion. (In no order) Christian Johnson PH Nas McNeal PH Noble Johnson PH Derron Hazzard RP Owen Snedeker SP Landon Naylor NV Mason Larkin FC Anthony Garzolini SV Savion Waddell CT Alan Karffalt CT