Sportsguy

Not unless he can bring some athletes with him from NC. Scott Mannering is a darn-good coach and couldn't make winners out of them. IDK who Kevin Sayler was, but he fared even worse.

Southwood is open. Also advertising a PE teaching opening for 2023-24 as well.

Simply being at semistate (regional championship) isn't enough to trigger the Success Factor. Now, winning back-to-back semistates as they have would, but AC will benefit from doing that while being split between realignments. Because this is the first year of a two-year cycle, whatever happened in 2021 is meaningless. Should AC win another semistate (or state) title next season, then they will get factored up.

Here's the dirty little secret: the mercy rule or some form of it had already been informally used in Indiana high-school football before it was codified. Anyone who regularly attended Wabash football games at the turn of the century can confirm that.

Nope. Couldn't beat Crown Point!

I'd take the over on Southwood-AC! 😉

Interesting how the scheduling worked out prior to the showdowns the following week.

Actually, Southwood was carved out of the woods adjacent to White's, thus the "Southwood" reference. The geographical center of MSDWC is, in fact, south of the river -- albeit in a rather remote location near the river southeast of Paradise Springs. Maybe they could call it Riverside High! Erecting a brand-new building to house the contraction of NF and SW just a stone's throw from Wabash High School looks a little silly on paper. I predict an enrollment increase for both Manchester and Oak Hill schools if this passes.

They certainly seem hellbent on doing it. Some years ago (less than 10, more than 5?), the board of trustees had all but decided to move all high-schoolers to the Northfield building and all junior-high/middle-schoolers to the Southwood building. Only problem was, they basically made the deal in secret (I'm sure they avoided any problems with the Sunlight laws somehow), and when folks found out they were left with angry constituents and parents pulling their kids out of MSDWC. That plan was scrapped and finances seemed to magically improve over the course of the next few years, until things got to this point again. The building of a new high school, instead of putting everyone at NF, is seen as a way to somehow pacify the southern end of the district, IMHO. Sort of like the deal southern Huntington County was sold when they consolidated the entire county. Ever wonder why it's called Huntington North when there's no Huntington South?! The big difference is, as I see it, that Huntington has a very accessible bypass around town which everyone south of the school can easily use. There is no such easy way around Wabash, plus there's three major rivers in the district to get over. There's only so many crossing points for student drivers and school buses. I'm not physically close enough now to the district to know what the odds are of it passing. Referendums don't tend to make it in rural settings, and most of the people I know still there would tend to vote no, but they probably don't represent an accurate cross section of potential voters and parents. There's a fairly busy and heated Facebook group out there associated with the question, which was started a while back when the topic of consolidating all three high schools (NF, SW & WA) reared its ugly head once again. That came shortly after Wabash City Schools failed to get they referendum to pass by voters. Seemingly, Wabash is also on better financial footing, probably due to the general prosperity everybody felt pre-COVID, but the double whammy of COVID fatigue and generational inflation has got these smaller districts looking for answers. The problem is pretty simple: There's just fewer students overall in the county than there were in the '50s and '60s, when consolidation was all the rage. Back then, Wabash City Schools probably had no intention of ever teaming up with the various township schools. Taxes and funding were much different. Wabash still had a fairly vibrant manufacturing base, and Metro was formed pretty much of all rural schools. Now, lots of factors have changed, and the new funding formula has staved off complete disaster for the dwindling tax base in town, but a majority of people, like me, still cling to their respective identities at the three high schools (four, if you include Manchester) -- no matter how much all sides probably, desperately need to come together.

If the two became one immediately, with the snap of the fingers (which can't possibly happen), I can say with almost certainty that Dave would graciously wish Baker all the luck in the world and step aside -- something he'd already been considering, according to my sources. No way would he even attempt to make the daily journey from LaFontaine to the north side of Wabash. Not at 65+ years of age. We have all been blessed to no end by what Dave Snyder has given to Southwood football -- more, maybe, than anyone outside the program can understand -- but there are no illusions about him doing this any more than just year to year, according to how he feels about the job. As for the referendum and possible contraction (consolidation already took place decades ago) of the two high schools, I will always look at it with partisan eyes and oppose it. We are Southwood. We are not Northfield or whatever they try to call it in a cornfield north of town. I'd rather see all three schools (Southwood, Northfield and Wabash) become one rather than let the high and mighty north of town who run Metro steamroll us. I get it. It's supposed to be about learning, and my family has at various times gone to all lengths to get the best education for our three kids. But this is a football forum, and this is personal.