Trojan Man

I figured I would come take a look at what kind of smack is being talked this week.

I have been pulling for the pups since I found out the old gray Z man was gonna be in blue and white, but I'm not so sure about this one. Stinktown has consistently gotten better every week, and now they are healthy. The pups have been consistently inconsistent in what they are doing offensively, especially in the last 4-5 weeks. Is Z still there, or did he ride off into the sunset? The pups have some really good players, but so do the tiggers. The tiggers are very well coached and have a proven track record in the playoffs, something the pups haven't had since Coach H took to the rocking chair. This one has the makings of a showdown and will most likely serve as the sectional 31 championship. Good luck to both teams. 

5 hours ago, Cousin Sal said:

Woof. . . how long has it been since the EIAC has been this bad?  Are there archived sagarin ratings? 

The EIAC probably looks like most other conferences across the state. Aside from two schools, the conference has been very divided for the past 8-10 years. It is noticeably bad right now because aside from the pups, and maybe the rats, the low to mid tier teams are lower than usual. It typically goes

Top Tier (consistenly competive year in and year out with an occasional down year): East Central and Lawrenceburg. 

Mid Tier (average and usually pretty even with one another, occasional good/bad teams): Batesville, Franklin County, South Dearborn, Greensburg.

Lower Tier (historically bad with an occasional average to somewhat good team): Rushville and Connersville.

This year Greesburg and Franklin County have dropped into that lower group, which makes the conference really bad. East Central is also on another level and in their own category.

15 hours ago, 94 said:

Just curious, how would EC leaving the EIAC cripple the conference? Would still have a competitive 7 team conference with potential to add other members. EC is almost 300 students larger than any other school in the conference. 

It's not as simple as just picking up a few football games. It would impact all sports, and would cost other schools in the conference a lot of revenue. That's just the administrative side. In regards to football, it hasn't seemed to hurt us since we have went to state three times in the past eight years, and have won it twice. It isn't worth disrupting the conference when we are still having success on a larger scale. 

Stinktown vs Connertucky. I got to witness how bad Connertucky was last week, and it didn't disappoint. Stinktown wins big and keeps rolling. Maybe Connertucky learned a lesson and will consider punting the ball this week. 

JoJo's vs Pups. Based on the past few weeks it appears that the graydog has been muzzled, maybe even neutered, but the pups still have the talent to beat a bad jojo's team. Defense gets another shut out and Z wonders what in the world he is doing in Casketville watching the ball fly through the air. 

Boom Rats vs Horse and Buggies. Coach Boom may watch this game from the ribeye stand and let Homie and KitKat just do their thing. Rats improve to 5-3 winning 2 in a row. 

EC vs Hondaburg. First off, EC isn't going anywhere. The conversation has been had a few times, and it is somewhat appealing regarding football, but it is much deeper than most people realize. It would also be crippling to the EIAC, and East Central isn't going to do that. As for the game, what is there to say? The Trojans are not going to run up any scores. This week will be no different than the past several have been. 

On 9/30/2023 at 8:39 AM, Coffin K9 said:

Worst HS football team I have ever seen. Probably one of the worst football games I have ever seen. No one is better off having coached in it, played in it, or watched it. Except maybe our kicker...I think he got better. Other than than that, this week was a total loss. Three more guaranteed games! 

Pretty much what I expected. From both teams!

16 hours ago, troyfan said:

I remember 2013 when Trojan nation had a full change-over...dark dark days back then, however in 5 short years JR brought home the crown.  Not saying LR will do the same in Hondaburg....but its always darkest before the dawn.

That was not a very fun year in St Leon. What's ironic is that a few years prior to JR, we were supposed to get Big Ralphie. Yes, THE Red Dragon. But politics came into play and it didn't happen. It all worked out with JR, and now I believe we are in great hands with JM, it's just interesting how it all played out. 

The big difference in this case is that we had a long history of football culture and success at EC. This made the first year tough on JR as expectations were high (let's also not forget that JR went through some assistant coaching problems as well), but he ended up taking the Trojans to the promiseland and the rest is history. 

Boring week in the EIAC. 🥱 

Stinktown rolls the FBTL's in the battle of Tigers vs Lions. I'm sure the Tiggers have a statement to make this week, and they outmatch steweytown in every facet of the game. No chart topping hits this week, FBTL will be begging for the fat lady to take the microphone and end it. 

The Bad Boyz do what they do against Sparty and continue to get lots of reps for those youngsters. No scores will be ran up, but it will be all business from start to finish. Two more weeks to prepare for games that matter. 

Pups do whatever they want against Little Ralphie and his diminished band of Pirates. There's very little hope for Hondatown to get better in terms of their record, at this point it's more about holding it all together. Great week for Casketnation get better and hopefully put the "Z" back into what started as the pupZ. But my gut tells me it will be all about the Hunchback connecting deep downfield with big 20 to throw up lots of points. 

I think the Mardi Gras Invaders will get right this week and put up a big win against Jojo's. Look for Homie to have his boy slingin dimes on Friday against a subpar secondary. This is the last home game of the year for KFI, so look for a HUGE pregame show. Bourbon, Tacos, and Mardi Gras beads for everyone! I hear Coach Boom may even arrive in a new golf cart with 20" wheels and chrome balls hanging from the rear bumper. 

16 minutes ago, Coffin K9 said:

No idea. STC had me so tore up on BulldogBL's and YeagerBombs that I barely made it across the street. Last I remember it was 14-0, and the next thing I knew some janitor woke me up from under the bleachers and said I had to get out. He said that the Bulldogs had won, but then grumbled something about goose poop and how they were going to get us next time. I stumbled back over to Connie's and started drinking with Stink again. What a night! I'm still not back to 100%. 

Why would a Trojan be so concerned with what the Bulldogs do? Aren't we SO beneath the mighty ReD aNd bLaCK?

STC will do that to ya. 

You're right, I don't have a dog in the fight. Coach B was mentor to me, and I think very highly of him. If you didn't notice after our game, many of us still think a lot of him. We had great success under RB, with TB as our o line coach. I love the extra blocker, block down, kick out, 4 yards and a cloud of dust style. With an occasional Waggle or P to boot. It is high school football in it's purest form. I was excited when I heard Z was coming out of retirement to help get the pups on track, and wanted to see how far he could take them. I have friends in CasketNation, and since they don't impact the Trojans in any way, I hoped for them do well. To see my old coach and mentor lead a team back to Indianapolis ("The Dome" when I played) would make me happy for him. Nothing more than that K9. Plus, there really isn't much to get excited about in St Leon for a few more weeks!

18 hours ago, Coffin K9 said:

It was a great game, and definitely lived up to what I believe has consistently been the best game in the conference. Those Tigers kept fighting and would not quit. The Dogs played pretty well, but still lots of work to do. I'm sure it won't be the last time we see Stinktown again, and both teams will likely look much different in a few weeks. Hopefully everyone stays/gets healthy and we have another great game down the line. 

STC sure was hospitable and lived up to his end of the bargain. We didn't crawl out of Connie's until sometime yesterday and this dog was whooped!

Is it true K9? Have the pups abandoned Z and the Z-book? 

Good to see you made it C3. 

The rumor coming out of stinktown is that someone took the "Z" out of the pups. Hail Mary's, Jet Sweeps, and 4th and long bombs isn't what put the Trojans in the winner's circle over the Baron's in 1994. I want to root for the pupz out of admiration for the gray dog, but the pups with no Z makes me think they won't get far. 26-23 without the big cat at QB? The pups better focus on being the pupZ, or stinktown may continue their Sectional streak come October. Maybe the theme in CasketNation this week should be "free Z" instead of "free C3"? 

Z will bring the thunder, but if there's any lightning, don't look to him for help. He'll be running for the hills! 😂

12 hours ago, Coffin K9 said:

The only thing the Bulldogs are searching for is a Sectional Title, and then, who knows...

When I said the Bulldogz are searching, I was trying to be polite. Let's just say that I know the Z man, and his (R.B.'s) playbook pretty well and some of what I see ain't Z. I think the pupz stand a chance if they get a few things straightened out. This week should be a good test for the pupz. 

Let's just get right to it. 

Speedway vs Connertucky. I'll go with Connertucky. 

Hondaburg vs FC. FC wins big, Hondaburg continues to sink. 

ND vs Rushtucky. ND will play them well, but Rushtucky wins again. 

Bad Boyz vs Rats. Trojans are not concerned with the Rats, or making any statements. It will be business as usual. JV in third quarter.

Bulldogz vs Stinktown. Game of the week in the EIAC. After finally getting to see the Bulldogz live, they are bigger than I expected, and have some good players. But it was never close, and was never going to be. Batezville looked off to me, like they are still searching in some aspects. Maybe Graydog just hasn't truly made believers out of those pupz yet. We saw the Tiggers early, and they had injures. Last week is an indicator that maybe they're getting it together. Hmmm, which Trojan offspring will find themselves buying at Connie's on Friday night? I'm gonna have to keep it real and say STC will be drinking on K9 and the Graydog all night! Tigger over Pupz in a close one!

Sparty at Stewytown

This won't be much of a game for anyone other than the parents and grandparents of the players, because no one else really cares. Flatbill gets his boys right this week in the "Battle Of 44" and pulls out the win 35-28. Horses and buggies run amuck through Rushtucky as they get their first win of the season. 

Trojans at Batezville

Speaking of 44, I'll give them credit, their 44 is a dawg. Along with a few others, but they won't be enough. K9, I don't know what the old man is feeding you over there but you need to step away from the table. You can put the Z in Batezville, but you can't take the EC out of the Z! This whole situation is still puzzling to me. After seeing a few games, it's hard to tell who's running the show. It really doesn't matter this week, as the Trojans will dominate in typical fashion. All the hype over this 4-0 face off will turn out to be a huge disappointment. Trojans roll the pups 52-13 (with all of the Bulldogz points coming off of our JV). 

Jo Jo's at Stinktown

I think this could be a much tighter game than some think. Aside from Jo Jo's QB1, I'm not sure who either team has on the injured list so that could be a factor, but I think FC matches up relatively well with Stinktown and could give them a game. In the end, I think the Tigers pull off the win in the pit. I agree, STC will likely be so consumed by lap dances and jello shots that he doesn't even make it to the game. 

KFI at Blue Dragons

Wow...what a dumpster fire (pun intended 🔥) they have going in Hondaburg. I have the feeling that this could be a very bad week for them. Coach Boom has no mercy, and I'm sure little boom needs some big stats, so this game could get out of hand quickly. KFI may beat Hondaburg 120-0 in true river rat fashion! I hear there's already big time turmoil over there so how will the players, parents, and fans react to this potential blowout? It will be interesting to see. Personally, I would love to see Little Ralphie prove them all wrong and turn it around. But I'm not sure he can hang on long enough to make that happen. Realistically KFI wins 64-7 (figuring in 2 point conversions for the rats). 

There's only three games worth talking about this week, and only one of them really has any bearing. 

East Cantral vs Moeller

The Trojans prove that they are who we know they are this week and win a huge game against #35 in the Nation Moeller. This may be the best football team the EIAC has ever seen. I think they roll Big Mo and take away all doubt. Doing so without their D1 WR will make it even more obvious just who we are. Trojans win one for #20 and have nothing but victory parties from now until Thanksgiving weekend!! Trojans over Moeller 35-21. God loves the Trojans for free!!!

South Dearborn vs Batezville

This one has me scratching my head a little. I'm still not convinced that putting the "Z" in Batezville is going to put them on the map. As an old Trojan, the whole situation just seems odd to me. The Bulldog defense pitched a shutout last week, but gave up 28 the week prior to IC, which will be more comparable to what they will see in SD this Friday. It was 0-0 at half against the Indians, indicating that the Trojan's offense of the 90's may not have the horsepower that it did in St Leon. South Dearborn is coming off of a dominating win, against a bad team, but they are certainly capable of putting up points. You know KFI will have the boys full of tacos and bourbon for this one as it will likely determine the small conference title. I think the Bulldog defense steps up in a big way and Batezville walks away with the win. My prediction is 21-14. 

Lawrenceburg vs Milan

This is could be the "upset" of the week. The Indians aren't bad, and they are well coached. The Tigers aren't what they were, and are riding the shirt tails of last year's success. I'm not sure how many TigerBL's Stink has been buying his fellow coaches to keep them top 3 in the Coach's poll, but it's about to get real expensive if they want to stay there. They will drop out of the rankings over the next few weeks, and that may all start this Friday. Great program who has had a lot of success in recent years, but this year just isn't the year. Milan upsets the Tigers in this one 14-7. 

The rest of the games are just a matter of who isn't worse. 

31 minutes ago, Frozen Tundra said:

As someone who doesn’t know much about East Central aside from their football program, do all sports generally dominate the EIAC or is it a little more even across the board?

We dominate in football, but other sports are more even. 

It isn't an incredibly exciting week in the EIAC this week, but let's take a look at the match-ups: 

Franklin Co at Connersville

Connersville goes to 2-0, and sends FC home 0-2. Long road ahead for FC if they can't get QB1 back. 

Geenfield Central at Greensburg

Same story here but it will be GC going home 2-0 and Greensburg dropping to 0-2 on their new turf. 

Rushville at Shelbyville 

Fortunately it's a short ride home for Rushville. I think they find their 2nd loss of the season and move to 0-2. 

Milan at Batesville

Milan picks up their first loss of the year against the Bulldogs. I think the Indians have the better program, and will get better throughout the season, but they can't hang with the big dogs this year. 

Lawrenceburg at Taylor

Lawreburg are not the Tigers of last year, but I'm not sure what Taylor has. I'm going with Taylor simply because I know the Tigers have had some injury issues.

Harrison at East Central

Can we stop calling this a rivalry now? JV Trojans join the party just after the half while Mr Football finishes the game signing autographs in the stands. Won't be close. 

Madison at South Dearborn

Ahh...inflatable helmets, smoke machines, and taco trucks will be a plenty at the Knkghts Templar, but will it bring KFI a much needed win? But Madison hasn't shown much hope either, so this could be the toilet bowl of the week. But I'm gonna put my faith in KFI and say Knights by one. Could be 7-6, could be 100-99. Anything is possible in this one! 

So the rumors are true. The Bulldogs are running the Trjoan offense of the 90's? 😂

What is going on over there? Seems the program has been on a decline since Coach H retired.