khayward

2 of the final 8 from HHC, let's see if we can get 1 of them through to Semi-State! All four regional games are rematches from last year. Hoping for some different results across the board. I think both HHC teams have better results than last year, neither may win but I think they make the games closer this year. AC over Carroll 28-14 (2022 AC won 35-0) Carroll should be able to make this a game, at home, looking for revenge from last year. I think they have the talent to hang with AC. ND over Sheridan 28-24 (2022 ND won 29-14) I really want Sheridan to pull off the win but I think ND out coaches us again at the end of the day. 1 big turnover could be the difference.

The real question is how many games have 2 head coaches with as many wins between them as Bud Wright has all on his own, you likely couldn't find any game that has as many state titles between them as Bud Wright either if I had to guess.

NV lost to Fountain Central who Park Tudor just smashed in the 1st round... All I need to see for that one.... Sectional Championships should have 6 near locks... The 2 most interesting games are NJ v Triton - even though the 1st meeting tells me otherwise, everyone here thinks it will be closer, I'm intrigued... and ND @ Milan, not a game people will be interested in statewide but should be the tightest game of the 8 in my opinion, toss up but advantage Milan. The 3rd most interesting game for 1A is actually a 2A game oddly enough! Eastern @ Bluffton features 2 teams that were beaten by Carroll and AC and with the highly anticipated Regional rematch between Carroll and AC next week and with them having no common opponents I think this game could be the only tell leading up to that all important Regional Final next week in Flora(Carroll)! Winner has the fast track to Lucas Oil.

ND had very similar outcomes this year, as Milan did, against SD and Switz Co, what made the difference in the EH and Rushville games where Milan won and ND did not against those teams? Curious what edge Milan has over ND this year? Both look to run the ball well and play pretty good defense. Wondering if the main difference is in the strength of schedule and Milan just having that extra experience against bigger better faster competition?

Sheridan is well known for their run offense and Eastern did a pretty good job containing it. One of Sheridan's worst performances all year by far but credit to Eastern on bending but not breaking at the end of the day. I don't have a ton of knowledge on Bluffton here but if they are physical in your face run game much like Sheridan, Eastern may be ready for it. Not going to give the nod to Eastern but would love to see them give Bluffton a good game.

NJ has a better result against virtually every single common opponent, so I believe it. Could be a very interesting game, winner has a great shot against Park Tudor with their terrible strength of schedule. Both teams will be well tested and well prepared for PT.

Correct, but didn't realize you couldn't come out of the running clock if you start to score and make an attempted comeback. I guess it's just so rare that it's not an issue. Has anyone ever seen anyone come back and win a game on a running clock after being down 35 in the 2nd half? With limited time that would be one of the rarest of rare feats I would think.

Great idea! NJ @ Triton - Any injured players coming back for NJ that can make a difference? Hard to understand how you can make up for a 33-point deficit from the first game. Park Tudor @ NV - PT should handle business, unless they shoot themselves in the foot. Carroll @ Tri-Central - running clock AC @ MG - MG fights hard, AC just too much for them to handle. Sheridan @ Monroe Central - running clock ND @ Milan - Better strength of schedule and more wins over common opponents, Milan gets the win. Lutheran @ Cov Chr - running clock SV @ Providence -Prov has a statement win and shows they are ready to take on Lutheran

Not a fan of Sheridan becoming Westfield but over time you are not wrong about the uncontrollable growth. In football terms I think it can only make Sheridan better. Better players who don't quite have the size to play at Westfield but are great adds in the 1A world (2 Westfield transfers on the Sheridan football team this year). Better coaching which Sheridan desperately needs. They are going to be lost and not know what to do after 60+ years with Bud Wright, if they can bring in a good coach with experience and some more new age thinking Sheridan will be able to grow, in football, with the other growth around them coming.

Relevance here?

kdets89 Any word on the Lutheran game you would like to share? I know SP was ranked highly in 1A but still a pretty shocking result. From the ScoreTracker in MaxPreps, if correct: Lutheran scored their 2nd TD on a very short field off a SP fumble and then had an interception right before half with SP in the red zone about to score, 14-7 at half. 3rd Q they had 3 punts each still 14-7... 4th Q another interception for Lutheran turned into a score then up 21-7. SP drives down on next possession and scores to make it 21-14. Lutheran punts and SP drives down again with a few minutes left to tie the game, but their 4th turnover of the game is a fumble as they are nearing the red zone and that seals it for Lutheran. Lutheran wins 21-14 with the help of 4 turnovers(14pts off turnovers and 2 turnovers with SP about to score at crucial moments) What a game this must have been. Heartbreaker for SP to be that close even after 4 turnovers! Is Lutheran beatable? Providence must be licking their lips...

Sagarin had me doubting Tri-Central. Those were some good picks that I was questioning last week! Sectional Championships: Carroll @ Tri-Central - Tri-Central delays the running clock until the end of 3rd Q instead of halftime this time around. Sheridan @ Monroe Central - Sheridan handles business, running clock? maybe, wouldn't be surprised at a closer game either. Eastern @ Bluffton - I think Bluffton wins at home, I will take Eastern +10(Sagarin) with their high-stat offense. I think they find a way through the air or with the run, they should find something one way or the other. This is an interesting game for Carroll as well. No common opponents with Adams Central but they did both beat up on these 2 teams so the result here could be interesting if someone gets beat pretty badly, might be the best insight into the Carroll/AC Regional Rematch next week.

My nephew plays there now and his dad and another uncle and myself(none of us played at Sheridan) we all played college football and we always joke that the 3 of us could have coached last year's team to win that regional game against ND and we would have loved to see what the team could have done against Lutheran.

Now there is something we can agree on... I've only been following Sheridan closely a few years now, so it is mostly the same old Sheridan to me(Post State Championship years) I've been hated on pretty hard on here in the past with my complaints about the coaching at Sheridan... Lots of respect for Bud Wright but the old school ways(no play book on offense, no defensive calls, same coverage EVERY play) just don't really work anymore like they used to. I have not seen Sheridan beat a team with the same size/speed/talent or better since I have been watching in person the last few years. I have seen, however, a few games Sheridan should have won when they had better size/speed/talent. Eastern game this year is a great example. The results just speak to the coaching quality dropping off. Sheridan still has a great football community and Coach Wright has raised a town of people dedicated to training the next generation for Sheridan football so more good teams to come but not great ever again in the Bud Wright era. They will still be able to win most of their games each year on the backs of the talented children of former state champions who raise them well enough to compete for HHC and sectional titles each year. All that said, should get another Sectional Win next week and then see if they can hang again with a similarly talented team in Regionals like last year. Preparing for disappointment and hoping for the best for the kids.

I think Carroll is better than last year, lost to Sheridan in a close one and won 24-0 this year (Sheridan slightly down from last year but still the same old Sheridan for the most part) Carroll's strength of schedule is worse but they also have a better margin of victory compared to AC so I think they could hang in better this year than last. Carroll beats Eastern by 40 and AC beats Bluffton by 24, so if Bluffton beats Eastern by less than a 16-point margin are we to think that Carroll has a real chance this year than last? Margin of victories and common opponents results usually translate more on the high school level in my opinion than at the college or NFL level. Some teams match up better than others but for the most part the common opponents and margins are great tells. Last year Carroll and AC's only common opponent was Southern Wells... Carroll won my 37 and AC won by 63, margin of victory difference was 26 and AC ended up beating Carroll by 35... Translated pretty well there. I agree that it should be interesting to see the Bluffton v Eastern Result the week before that big Regional Final game. The winner should be able to get past Park Tudor/Triton no problem to get there shot at the Reigning Defending Undefeated Champs who shall not be named and who will be a 2A school next year! Sagarin Predictor currently: Bluffton -15 over Eastern AC -15 over Carroll

Mostly wishful thinking coming out of Sheridan... Do not know much about AC or what they do other than the few highlights on MaxPreps and their reputation the last few years. I've seen Carroll in action, pretty impressive size and speed. Do not see many weak points... They seem to be pretty similar too AC in a lot of ways. I imagine a defensive grind and offenses fighting for 1st downs all the way down the field (1 big play could be the difference), advantage to whoever is ahead in the 4th Q... I think Carroll keeps it a lot closer than the Sagarin spread prediction of AC -14

Agreed Tri-C has had a tougher schedule but surprised you and Ballhawk both think Tri-C in an upset. Is that just wishful thinking or am I missing something I am seeing on paper... Sagarin has WC as 21-point favorite and their 2 common opponents WC wiped the floor with and Tri-C won in 1 score games. Still hopeful they keep it close just not seeing that on paper, wondering if there are any injuries or players returning from injury that will make a big difference.

Park Tudor Carroll Sheridan Lutheran Carroll Lutheran Lutheran

2nd Round of Sectionals Clinton Prairie @ North Vermillion - Picking and cheering for the fellow HHC team... Sagarin has them at a near deadlock, NV with a rating of 35.21 vs 35.18 for CP, should be a good game, one play could make a difference in this one. Tipton @ Eastern - Tipton with the #8 most difficult schedule in 2A(Sagarin) and Eastern with the #12 easiest schedule in 2A... could be closer than records indicate! West Central @ Tri-Central - would love to see Tri-Central keep it close. Caston @ Caroll - 😬 running clock by halftime. Tindley @ Sheridan - 😬 running clock by halftime. Clinton Central @ Park Tudor - 😬 running clock by halftime.

Curious what the basis is for the Sheridan picks, or are they just guesses for the most part or wishful thinking lol? Sheridan lost the entire d-line and dominant RB duo Seniors from last year. I hear WeBo lost a lot of talent as well but not sure if it will be enough to make up for last year's gap... Sheridan is still struggling to find a QB and with no dominant RBs to lean on... maybe Sheridan lost more than WeBo? Anyway, just curious on the thoughts there, would love to hear more insight from others before I see the game in person Friday!

Don't know much about Monrovia this year and have not found any stories on what has inspired or specifically contributed to the turnaround... Did Monrovia have some star players injured that came back? or are there some other explanations to help understand, from a newcomer, their Cinderella story.

I like this! Could be a very even match up if the passing game is hindered by weather... Can't help but think of those beautiful Quenton Nelson hats "Run The Damn Ball" Go Blackhawks

Well its 1A football so they don't have a d-coordinator apparently and the 1 coach in question is a DBs coach, he plays all of the secondary, even the Safety 5 yards off the ball and has not once lined them up in prevent or cover 3 in obvious deep ball situations like 3rd and 20+(against Hagerstown last week with less than 1 min left in the 1st half and Hagerstown only success being the deep ball all half, we still played our tight man coverage, everyone 5 yards off the ball, no deep safety let alone a cover 2 or cover 3 to keep everything in front) you wouldn't believe what happened... 70 yard pass over the top. I understand 1A is run dominate and their scheme does stop the run successfully but when you are consistently getting beat over the top and make no adjustments I think it's pretty reasonable to question the coaching competency of a DBs coach making these calls. I guess my "little knowledge of the game" can't grasp 8 in the box on 3rd and 20+ Go Blackhawks

Good point, I am a fan of bud and grateful for his years of service and success, very nice guy, agreed. Mostly frustrated with the defensive coach specifically. Been a great year, happy the kids have been able to bring a sectional championship back to Sheridan. Hopeful they have a good game plan for tomorrow night. Go Blackhawks

Sheridan has been stuffing the run all year. Passing defense is the major kryptonite! Everyone talks about Bud Wright and all of his wins and history etc. well I've seen every Sheridan game this year and the coaching especially on defense is absolutely terrible. They make absolutely no adjustments and just let the corners get beat all game long, even if the Blackhawks stop the run ND should have a field day in the pass game. 100% coaching is a disaster, not to mention they only run 3-5 plays on offense and sometimes run the same play 4-5 times in a row. Bud just lines up and says my guys are better than yours and we will find a way to win just because we have better athletes! Now that they are playing similar competition he will get absolutely out coached and sadly for the Sheridan kids they could lose at home in blow out fashion. Too bad too because Sheridan has a lot of Senior talent. Would love to see them pull out the upset... Sheridan will need long successful drives and will need to stop the ND run game for starters. From there will need to stay in the game by winning the turnover battle and special teams play if they want to pull off the victory. Hopefully for once this season the corners can keep the WRs in front of them and not give up the deep ball. If they can limit the ND possessions and win time of possession with the run all day attitude and get a turnover or 2... they might have a chance. All this will require the coaches to get their act together... Skeptically optimistic... but this goes 1 of 2 ways: 38-14 ND... If the stars align 22-21 Sheridan in the upset Go Blackhawks