XStar

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I wouldn't go handing out the CIC trophy just yet. Much being read into 2 games against Marion and Pendleton Heights here. Here's my two cents. I was at the Marion-Eastbrook game. To me, Marion looked like they are every bit of a top-five 4A squad. I knew this would be a tough game for Eastbrook given the turnover they experienced from last season's state finalist squad but I was fairly impressed with how they held up given the circumstances. They could go back to the 2A state championship game this year and not see any team with the amount of speed they saw at Marion. Yet they hung in throughout the first half, and rallied a bit late in the game after a couple of big defensive breakdowns had given Marion control of the game. One thing that impressed me was that they played the whole game without having a penalty enforced against them (only one called that ended up being declined if memory serves). Coming into the game with so many players participating in their first varsity start against a top team in a larger class, I figured I would see laundry early and often all over the field. That was not the case. Eastbrook did struggle with Marion's speed on both sides of the ball. On offense, the Panthers were able to move the ball on the ground but could not break away for a big play all night. Their running game seemed to get a few yards a carry but there weren't any big runs of the 20+ yard variety, or perhaps even of the 10+ yard variety. There were a couple of pass plays that were open and they just missed which could've changed the game if they had been able to hit them. On defense, Eastbrook competed well most of the game but you have to give Marion credit. They are very tough to defend. Eastbrook started some young linebackers who found themselves out of position on a couple of plays that ended up as long Marion touchdowns. Those plays are learning experiences for young players. In another game, they probably cost them first downs instead of touchdowns. Marion had the speed to exploit those to their fullest. Either way, if the linebackers learn from those plays, and I'm betting it's been pointed out to them in the film room, that makes them a better team the rest of the season. As for the Pendleton Heights game, I did not get the benefit of seeing it. However, I do have family in that school and they told me that Pendleton lost most of their top players from last season and did not figure they would be very good this season. They were fairly surprised the first game was as close as it was. I'm familiar with Coach Richman and I'm sure he'll get the most out of what he has but it doesn't look like a squad that is going to finish anywhere near the top 10 in their class. That said, a win is a win and the Indians beat the first team on their schedule. It's the first data-point of the season and we'll see more about what it means as the season progresses. They are certainly big up front and should be very difficult for anyone to slow down on the ground but if they run into a team that can physically match them at the line of scrimmage or enough speed to get to the ball and gang tackle at the line of scrimmage, it could make things pretty interesting. Still a few weeks away from these two meeting on the field. I think Eastbrook learns alot about itself this week against Delta. Mississinewa looks to have an easy task on hand with a down New Haven program.

I'm pretty surprised that nobody has ever returned 3 kickoffs for a touchdown in one game.

So is Western Boone moving their game to Sheridan? Seems as if it is, at a minimum, possible. https://twitter.com/WeBoAthletics/status/1163787985546022913

Win or lose, Eastbrook will be better off for challenging themselves against a good 4A program early in the season. It might be baptism by fire for some of the younger talent stepping up to varsity level for their first game but they'll know immediately where they stack up against a top team and what areas they need to improve in. Looking forward to seeing them compete in this game.

Who scores the 14 and how do they do it? Maybe WeBo just takes a Victory safety near the end of all 7 games?

How's the field looking?

I have nothing to do with Snider. Never been to a Snider football game in my life. To my recollection, I've never set foot in their school for any reason. Try again. So again, I suggest your take your own advice. Go find a team playing up and talk to them.

I'm fine with the way things are. If you think it should change, you're the one that should probably be trying to validate your reasons for wanting to change. Go find a qualifying team to survey and let me know how it goes.

I think highly successful people think differently than you.

Just because you can't fathom a world where winning a state championship, no matter what level of competition, isn't the end game for every player doesn't mean there aren't players who would rather take on a greater challenge than keep on going after the same one already conquered. I can't pretend to know what every kid would want to do. I just know what I would want if I were in their shoes. In your hypothetical you said if you were a kid choosing between playing Carmel or New Pal in semistate, you would undoubtedly choose New Pal. Let's not forget that this isn't just any random team that would be in this scenario. To be in that scenario, that team likely would have had just beaten New Pal a couple times on the way to state titles. Given that, I would almost assuredly want a bigger/better challenge if it were me. Are there kids that think like you and just want the easiest path possible to a trophy? I'm sure there are. I don't think it's as one-sided as you seem to think though, especially on the teams that are good enough to actually be in that position.

If Andrean did not lose much from last season, they are probably the favorites. The only losses they had last year were to a 6A team and the 3A state champs.

If winning is all it's about to you, then you will never be convinced it's a good thing.

It has been applied exactly that way until recently and teams have always had to beat perennial powers to win their class. Nothing wrong with that either. Control what you can control and set out to conquer the challenge before you, whatever that may be. The only difference now is that when a program conquers that challenge repeatedly, be it a perennial power or not, they get a bigger challenge. As a competitor that just strikes me as the way it should be. Clearly not everyone agrees.

1. Voluntarily playing up a class isn't unprecedented. 2. Cathedral having a mediocre regular season record certainly doesn't make them incapable of postseason success. 3. If a team moves up and can't handle it and it results in early exits, they move back down. Problem solved.

Maybe he's mixed up on the message. Maybe it's not meant as a punishment for winning. Maybe it's meant as a challenge to enable programs that master one level to continue to grow and get better? That's how I've always viewed it. I've always wondered how much satisfaction a perennial power feels for continuing to roll to titles at the same level year after year rather than challenge themselves to achieve something greater but not as assured. If you're Chatard and you've won approximately half the 3A titles over the past 20 years, do you not look forward to try doing something bigger and better that hasn't been accomplished with your program before? Or is it more fulfilling to continue beating programs that you've already demonstrated yourself to be superior to?

Saw this with some good info on Western Boone moving into 2019 and how things will change from last season. https://twitter.com/Will_Willems/status/1141899559628496896

How's the turf coming along at Western Boone?

Did Eastbrook pass the ball much when he played?

Not sure if it's still around, but Sigler's in Mechanicsburg is just south of Frankfort and is/was pretty much an institution in that area.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the way this runs right now is that they look at distinct 2-year periods for reclassification. For example, Southridge won state in 2A in 2017 and won their 2A regional in 2018 and consequently moved up to 3A. Western Boone lost in the regional in 2017 but won state in 2018. But if they go on to win their regional in 2019 they do not move up unless they do well in 2020 even though they attained the same results as Southridge over a 2-year period. The only difference being that Southridge's success fell within that specific 2-year window while Western Boone's would straddle 2 different windows. Am I interpreting this correctly?

Have no idea what Luers have coming back from last year, but whenever they are in 2A they seem to be almost always in contention to win it. How good is Andrean going to be?

You can say that again.

2018 Top 100 Sagarin Teams by 2019 Sectional 33 - Andrean (57), Whiting (90) 34 - Pioneer (22), Bremen (68) 35 - Luers (47) 36 - Eastbrook (51), Tipton (81) 37 - Western Boone (34) 38 - Shenandoah (69), Scecina (71) 39 - Triton Central (70) 40 - NONE TEAMS just outside the top 100 - Woodlan (102) in sectional 35. Evansville Mater Dei (104) in sectional 40. Lewis Cass (106) in sectional 34.