crimsonace1

The USA Today Network media poll for Week 2 Class 6A W-L Pts. Prev. Westfield (13) 2-0 166 1 Crown Point (1) 2-0 139 2 Brownsburg (3) 2-0 132 6 Warren Central 2-0 128 4 Hamilton Southeastern 2-0 101 5 Center Grove 1-1 76 7 Cathedral 1-1 69 3 Carmel 1-1 47 9 Lawrence North 2-0 34 NR Columbus North 2-0 22 NR Dropped out: Ben Davis (8), Penn (10) Others receiving votes: Noblesville 10. Fort Wayne Snider 4. Avon 3. Franklin Central 2. Elkhart 1. Ben Davis 1. Class 5A W-L Pts. Prev. Merrillville (16) 2-0 169 1 Whiteland (1) 1-0 149 2 Valparaiso 1-1 112 5 East Central 1-1 98 3 Plainfield 2-0 85 10 Decatur Central 0-1 74 6 Warsaw 1-1 62 4 Concord 2-0 55 NR Bloomington North 1-1 49 9 Lafayette Jeff 2-0 47 NR Dropped out: Castle (7), Bloomington South (8) Others receiving votes: Bloomington South 17. Castle 9. Kokomo 4. Franklin 3. Chesterton 2. Class 4A W-L Pts. Prev. New Palestine (10) 1-0 162 1 Bishop Chatard (5) 2-0 156 2 Mishawaka (1) 2-0 125 4 New Prairie 2-0 111 3 Evansville Reitz (1) 2-0 94 6 Greenfield-Central 2-0 93 5 Martinsville 2-0 66 9 Brebeuf Jesuit 1-1 51 8 Leo 2-0 44 10 NorthWood 1-1 17 7 Dropped out: None. Others receiving votes: Roncalli 10. Columbia City 5. Northview 1. Class 3A W-L Pts. Prev. Ev. Memorial (10) 2-0 162 2 Gibson Southern (3) 2-0 136 3 Heritage Hills (4) 1-1 122 1 Guerin Catholic 2-0 113 4 Batesville 2-0 91 5 Evansville Mater Dei 2-0 66 10 Knox 1-1 61 7 Tippecanoe Valley 2-0 56 8 West Lafayette 1-1 30 9 Tri-West 1-1 24 6 Dropped out: None. Others receiving votes: Mississinewa 14. Delta 13. Heritage 9. Lawrenceburg 9. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers 6. West Noble 5. Garrett 4. Fort Wayne Concordia 2. Maconaquah 1. Class 2A W-L Pts. Prev. Lutheran (16) 2-0 169 1 Laf. Central Catholic 1-0 145 2 North Posey (1) 2-0 130 3 Eastern Hancock 2-0 116 4 Brownstown Central 2-0 109 5 Triton Central 1-1 55 7 Linton-Stockton 1-1 48 8 Heritage Christian 2-0 47 9 Western Boone 2-0 40 10 Lapel 2-0 16 NR Dropped out: Southmont (6) Others receiving votes: Alexandria 13. Bluffton 10. North Putnam 9. Southmont 9. Adams Central 6. Andrean 6. Tell City 4. Paoli 2. Rochester 2. Monrovia 1. Class A W-L Pts. Prev. North Judson (15) 2-0 167 2 Providence (1) 2-0 139 4 Carroll (Flora) 2-0 127 5 South Putnam (1) 1-1 124 1 Springs Valley 2-0 84 8 North Decatur 1-1 77 3 Madison-Grant 2-0 73 9 Monroe Central 2-0 62 10 Triton 1-1 30 6 Milan 1-1 22 NR Dropped out: Sheridan (7) Others receiving votes: Forest Park 17. Sheridan 5. North Vermillion 4. North Miami 2. South Adams 2. Northeastern 1. Pioneer 1.

It's the first week of conference play after all of the tune-ups are out of the way. Greenfield-Central at Mt. Vernon: This week's marquee game sees a ranked G-C team travel to Fortville to face the Marauders. The Cougars are 2-0, but haven't played much competition in outscoring Beech Grove and Greensburg 85-8 in five quarters of football. The Marauders are 0-2, but have dropped games to a good 6A team in Noblesville and a solid 5A in Franklin - the latter a 21-20 contest. Questions about what MV's offense would look like post-Michael Ertel have been answered as they've scored 20-plus points in their two games. New Palestine at Yorktown: The Dragons are 74-2 in the HHC in the Kyle Ralph era, but Yorktown gave NP one of its toughest tests last year, taking a 9-0 lead in the first quarter and a 15-14 lead in the third before the Dragons went on to win 30-22. A young Yorktown team is led by Ephraim Daugherty and Wilson Webster, but the Tigers' defense has been stellar, forcing 10 turnovers and scoring four defensive TDs through two games, albeit against Anderson and Muncie Central. NP has been prone to the explosive play - of the Dragons' eight TDs, five have come from 20 yards or more. Pendleton Heights at New Castle: The Arabians' offense has looked really good through two games, scoring 74 points. Last week, PH shut out an Anderson team that hasn't scored a touchdown yet this season. New Castle also posted a shutout of Jay County - the Trojans' first since 2020. Shelbyville at Delta: Delta is ranked in Class 3A and has shown why through two lopsided non-conference wins. Shelbyville is coming off a loss to Rushville last week. Expect the Eagles to be a heavy favorite again. Last week Delta 35, Norwell 0 Greenfield-Central 35, Greensburg 0 (game called due to lightning in the first quarter) New Castle 20, Jay County 0 Rushville 28, Shelbyville 7 Franklin 21, Mt. Vernon 20 (Sat.) Pendleton Heights 44, Anderson 0 (Sat.) Yorktown 30, Muncie Central 14 (Sat.) New Palestine/Decatur Central no contest (lightning, was tied 21-21 at half)

Back in the pre-running clock days, I was at a game where one team absolutely gashed another by running the ball (the JV running back came in and gained something like 120 yards in the second half). They were getting 10-15 yards per carry, even on dives, because their OL was just dominating. So they decided to start working on stuff. Reporter for the losing team's local paper - who has a reputation for being a bit of a homer - immediately tweets "team is up 50 and going 5-wide and throwing," which, of course, got some traction. Dude - they were throwing 5-yard out routes to try to keep the score down because they were gaining 15 every time they ran between the tackles.

The USA Today Network media poll - led by Kyle Neddenriep of the IndyStar and featuring 15 media members from across the state. Class 6A W-L Pts Prv Westfield (8) 1-0 142 4 (tie) Crown Point (6) 1-0 123 2 Cathedral (1) 1-0 114 10 Warren Central 1-0 89 4 (tie) Hamilton SE 1-0 83 6 Brownsburg 1-0 76 7 Center Grove 0-1 56 3 Ben Davis 0-1 51 1 Carmel 1-0 48 8 Penn 1-0 21 NR Dropped out: Carroll (Fort Wayne) (9) Others receiving votes: Fishers 7. Lawrence North 6. Columbus North 3. Carroll (Fort Wayne) 1. Class 5A W-L Pts Prv Merrillville (14) 1-0 149 2 Whiteland (1) 1-0 122 4 East Central 1-0 97 7 Warsaw 1-0 89 6 Valparaiso 0-1 72 3 Decatur Central 0-1 55 1 Castle 1-0 47 10 Bloomington South 1-0 46 NR Bloomington North 0-1 45 5 Plainfield 1-0 44 9 Dropped out: Michigan City (8) Others receiving votes: Concord 40. Lafayette Jeff 12. Michigan City 3. Kokomo 1. Class 4A W-L Pts Prv New Palestine (12) 1-0 147 1 Bishop Chatard (2) 1-0 135 2 New Prairie 1-0 99 3 Mishawaka 1-0 86 5 Greenfield-Central 1-0 78 6 Evansville Reitz (1) 1-0 77 7 NorthWood 1-0 54 8 Brebeuf Jesuit 0-1 43 4 Martinsville 1-0 34 9 Leo 1-0 30 10 Dropped out: None. Others receiving votes: Mooresville 13. Roncalli 13. Hanover Central 6. East Noble 4. Class 3A W-L Pts Prv Heritage Hills (14) 1-0 149 1 Ev. Memorial 1-0 123 3 Gibson Southern 1-0 104 4 Guerin Catholic (1) 1-0 94 6 Batesville 1-0 85 5 Tri-West 1-0 82 8 Knox 0-1 51 2 Tippecanoe Valley 1-0 35 NR West Lafayette 0-1 16 7 Ev. Mater Dei 1-0 15 NR Dropped out: Lawrenceburg (9), Mishawaka Marian (10) Others receiving votes: Fort Wayne Bishop Luers 14. Lawrenceburg 13. Delta 11. Garrett 8. Fairfield 8. Mississinewa 4. Fort Wayne Concordia 2. Maconaquah 2. West Noble 1. Class 2A W-L Pts Prv Lutheran (14) 1-0 149 1 Laf. Central Cath. 1-0 127 2 North Posey (1) 1-0 114 3 Eastern Hancock 1-0 90 4 Brownstown Central 1-0 85 7 Southmont 1-0 72 8 (tie) Triton Central 0-1 30 6 (tie) Linton-Stockton 0-1 30 5 Heritage Christian 1-0 25 NR Western Boone 1-0 21 NR Dropped out: Adams Central (9), Andrean (10) Others receiving votes: Lapel 20. Bluffton 17. Rochester 15. Andrean 9. Alexandria 9. Centerville 3. Paoli 3. Monrovia 2. Tell City 1. Adams Central 1. Class A W-L Pts Prv South Putnam (8) 1-0 140 1 North Judson (6) 1-0 138 2 North Decatur 1-0 112 4 Providence (1) 1-0 107 5 Carroll (Flora) 1-0 85 6 Triton 1-0 72 7 Sheridan 0-1 41 3 Springs Valley 1-0 38 9 Madison-Grant 1-0 36 10 Monroe Central 1-0 17 NR Dropped out: LaVille (8) Others receiving votes: Milan 8. LaVille 5. Pioneer 3. Tri 2. Forest Park 2.

Bob and I have crossed paths a few times. I wish I had the opportunity to know him better, as he was a major inspiration to me. It is an honor to follow in his footsteps and broadcast pro hockey in Indy, which I've done for the last six seasons. He was an amazing hockey announcer, and the one thing he brought to the booth that carried over to football was passion. He did have a tendency to be pretty hard on the officials ... but I remember that one game rather well because I knew the NFL rule (and it was a reminder to *know* some of the obscure rules when you're on the air so you can explain to the listeners when they happen). That's also why I tend to poke around the officiating forum, and if we have something weird happen in a game, I'll often PM @JustRules or @Bobref and get a clarification so I know for the future. We had a play last year where a player tried to step OOB on a kickoff and then down the ball inbounds ... because he'd seen it done in the NFL (which, at least in the past, was ruled a kickoff OOB because it was first touched by a player who was OOB and the ball was seen as an extension of the player), but in NFHS, the player but not the ball was ruled OOB, and thus the receiving team got it at the spot of the touching - which was, IIRC, inside its 5. We were on top of that on the broadcast and had the chance to explain the difference between the NFL and NFHS rules.

Has anyone seen the IFCA poll for this week? The link on the IFCA site is broken and it has usually landed by now.

You are correct. It's technically an illegal touch - there is a scenario where a player from the kicking team can touch the ball but not "down" it. In that case, the receiving team can pick it up and have the option of taking the ball where the play ended *or* taking the ball where it was touched by the kicking team. In the NFL (not sure about NFHS), the "illegal touch" is considered a "penalty" for no yardage, which led to a somewhat hilarious Bob Lamey moment a few years back. Colts downed a punt with no time left, but by NFL rules, the opposing team got one untimed down due to the defensive infraction, leading to Lamey (who apparently didn't know the rule, and also had a tendency to offer his opinions on the officiating) going nuts about the untimed down ... which ended in, I think, an incomplete pass and the game ending.

Last week of nonconference play before the seven-week round-robin begins next Friday. Anderson at Pendleton Heights: PH's offense looked really good in a 35-30 loss at Lebanon last week. Colton Frank looked solid in splitting QB duties last season and threw for 257 yards and three TDs last week. Anderson took it on the chin against Yorktown, so expect the Arabians to once again be a heavy favorite in the matchup of Madison County's two biggest schools. Decatur Central at New Palestine: This was shaping up to be a #1 vs. #1 game before DC's shocking loss to Columbus North last week. DC has all kinds of speed and will provide the Dragons a lot of problems on the perimeter, while the Dragons' passing attack was very impressive last week in limited snaps against Kokomo. Two of the last three meetings came down to the final minute. Again, this is the marquee game in the league, and may be one of the marquee games in the state. Greensburg at Greenfield-Central: Greensburg hasn't won a game since 2022. Greenfield-Central hasn't lost to a team not named New Palestine since 2022. Don't expect anything different as the Cougars waltz through their pre-conference schedule. Mt. Vernon at Franklin: The Marauders' offense was solid last week against Noblesville, led by Joliba Brogan, but the defense has long struggled to figure out the Millers. Franklin rolled to a win at New Albany last week. This will be a tough test for the Marauders, who have a loaded first half of the schedule. Muncie Central at Yorktown: The big question for the Tigers was what would life look like after Mason Moulton. Last week, it was answered quickly as they scored 35 points in the first half against Anderson before triggering the running clock in a 41-2 win. Sophomore Sam Tokar threw for 135 yards last week in the win, but the Tigers had limited snaps because the defense scored three of the team's six touchdowns. New Castle at Jay County: The Trojans took one on the chin last week, falling to Franklin County 41-14. Getting the air raid loaded against a Grant Zgunda-coached team is never an easy task. Shelbyville at Rushville: The Golden Bears had a really solid performance in a win over Greensburg last week. Another game in which they should be favored shows up on the schedule as the "War on 44" resumes. Rushville is coming off a loss to 1A Milan last week. Delta at Norwell: Fresh off a sectional championship, Delta started 1-0 with QB Bronson Edwards throwing for 225 yards and four TDs last week in a 28-7 win over Muncie Central. Norwell will be loaded for bear after a 35-0 loss to Mississinewa last week. These teams played twice last season, and Delta won both, including a 47-7 win in the sectional last year.

Spoke with Mike Marot of the AP last week. They will have a poll this year, but they did not do a preseason poll (again) due to various issues. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Star has instituted its own statewide media poll - the USA Today Network poll. IMO, that will probably overtake the AP poll as the primary "media" poll in the near future.

Cathedral owns the old Little League regional HQ off Mitthoeffer and plays its baseball and softball games there. I understand they're adding a turf field for soccer/lacrosse at the facility. The cost for adding stands/press box/infrastructure for varsity football would be somewhat steep but they already own the land and there's plenty of parking (though I'm not sure there's enough for a varsity football game) at the facility. Curious if that would be a more permanent option in the future.

First of two weeks of non-conference play Kokomo at New Palestine: Probably the marquee game of the night, as the 4A #1 Dragons take on a Kokomo team that is receiving votes in 5A. Both are recent semistate teams - NP in 2023, Kokomo in 2022. NP returns 9 of 11 starters on defense, but is inexperienced at RB and WR. This should be an intriguing matchup - NP's spread vs. Kokomo's "phone booth" offense. Mt. Vernon at Noblesville: Likely the other marquee game in the league this week. The Marauders have had a lot of on-field success, but they've struggled against the Millers. losing three straight despite scoring 30+ points in each game. MV has a lot of weapons on offense and . Expect a lot of track meets with the Marauders this season, especially with Joliba Brogan in the backfield and Gavin Joy on the flank Delta at Muncie Central: Intra-county matchup. The Eagles had a lot of young talent last year and should take a leap this season, especially after a late-season surge that saw the Eagles win a sectional championship. Delta is now the league's lone 3A team, and is poised to make a run. One of three HHC-NCC matchups this week (and five in the 2024 calendar). The HHC has dominated the inter-conference slate the last decade-plus. Greenfield-Central at Beech Grove: G-C opens the year in the Top 10 after going 9-2 last season - with both losses to New Palestine. Dallas Freeman is an excellent QB and several of their backs return. They should be a very heavy favorite. Greensburg at Shelbyville: The Golden Bears showed big improvements in Scott Fitzgerald's first year. This should be a good opportunity to take another step against a team that went 0-10 and scored only eight touchdowns last season. New Castle at Franklin County: The Trojans struggled last season, with a bevvy of injuries. If NC can find some weapons to complement all-everything player Tylin Thrine, the air raid can take off again. FC is a good Week 1 matchup. Pendleton Heights at Lebanon: Another intriguing Week 1 matchup. PH went 7-3 last year - the losses were to New Palestine and Greenfield-Central (twice) and beat the Tigers 15-0 last year, but the Arabians had a lot of graduation losses. Yorktown at Anderson: The Tigers have dominated their non-conference matchups the last few years and got off to a great start in 2023, putting a scare into both New Palestine and Greenfield-Central. The Tigers move up to 4A this season, The Tigers graduated a lot of key players, including four-year starting QB Mason Moulton, but return three of their top four receivers from last season to build around. Again, this is a game in which Yorktown should be a heavy favorite.

Illinois has a 1.65 multiplier for all non-boundaried schools (e.g., private, parochial and charter), but waives it if a program hasn't won their equivalent of a sectional in, I think, the last four years.

North Central's lack of success in football has been a long, long-noted issue, but take note that Cathedral, Chatard, Heritage Christian, Park Tudor and Brebeuf are all in or just barely outside of Washington Township. LC has Heritage, Cathedral & Chatard in its backyard.

I can do 4A.

Cathedral will be in 5A, not 4A. You can only drop one class if you don't get enough SF points to stay up.

Here's the corrected list. Faith Christian is not included but would be the 64th school in 1A Class 6A Carmel 5200 Ben Davis 4567 Warren Centra l 3748 Fishers 3664 North Central 3616 Penn 3480 Avon 3476 Hamilton SE 3442 Franklin Central 3362 Brownsburg 3297 Noblesville 3208 Pike 3192 Elkhart 3166 Crown Point 2978 Lake Central 2961 Center Grove 2863 Lawrence North 2817 Westfield 2789 Carroll (Allen) 2569 Tech 2500 Homestead 2408 Lawrence Central 2404 Southport 2368 Perry Meridian 2359 Zionsville 2309 Columbus North 2267 Portage 2170 Harrison 2169 FW Northrop 2158 Jeffersonville 2141 Valparaiso 2140 FW Snider 1915 SUCCESS Class 5A Warsaw 2108 Whiteland 2074 SB Adams 2062 Decatur Central 2050 Merrillville 2050 Lafayette Jeff 2034 Goshen 2006 Chesterton 1980 Castle 1965 Hammond Central 1923 Floyd Central 1823 New Albany 1814 LaPorte 1812 McCutcheon 1786 Plainfield 1773 Evansville North 1751 Concord 1730 Anderson 1722 Seymour 1719 Bloomington South 1681 TH South 1609 Franklin 1590 Bloomington North 1589 Hammond Morton 1534 Michigan City 1520 Columbus East 1518 Munster 1514 TH North 1467 Kokomo 1465 FW North 1460 East Central 1241 SUCCESS Cathedral 1172 SUCCESS Class 4A FW South 1459 Mt. Vernon (F) 1455 Greenfield-Central 1430 Mishawaka 1422 FW Wayne 1416 Mooresville 1398 Northridge 1393 Huntington North 1382 Evansville Reitz 1378 Pendleton Heights 1353 Muncie Central 1332 Richmond 1320 Martinsville 1315 SB Riley 1298 Hobart 1298 Ev. Harrison 1293 Bedford NL 1242 Logansport 1226 Greenwood 1211 New Palestine 1209 Attucks 1170 Jennings County 1169 Columbia City 1162 Shortridge 1159 Evansville Central 1131 Shelbyville 1093 Jasper 1092 Roncalli 1082 New Haven 1068 Plymouth 1054 Marion 1045 DeKalb 1044 Lebanon 1033 East Chicago 1009 Gary West 995 East Noble 989 Kankakee Valley 989 Lowell 985 Highland 977 New Prairie 970 Silver Creek 943 Connersville 930 FW Dwenger 917 Frankfort 901 Leo 900 Wawasee 895 Northview 894 Beech Grove 892 SB Washington 886 Boonville 884 NorthWood 869 Ev. Bosse 863 Charlestown 854 SB St. Joseph 849 Culver Military 832 Brebeuf 829 New Castle 824 Danville 820 Hanover Central 817 Yorktown 812 Washington 810 Guerin Catholic 800 Chatard 730 SUCCESS Class 3A Jay County 800 Delta 798 Western 791 Mississinewa 783 Gibson Southern 771 Edgewood 761 Madison 760 Corydon 754 West Lafayette 750 Norwell 745 Angola 741 Mish. Marian 735 Scottsburg 726 Lawrenceburg 726 West Noble 718 Vincennes 711 Crawfordsville 710 Hamilton Heights 687 Batesville 670 Twin Lakes 663 Greensburg 662 Owen Valley 650 Franklin County 650 South Dearborn 645 Rushville 645 Griffith 637 Indian Creek 636 Heritage Hills 635 Glenn 633 North Harrison 629 FW Concordia 623 Hammond Noll 617 Ind. Washington 617 Ev. Memorial 617 Heritage 616 Calumet 611 Bellmont 610 Tri-West 606 Maconaquah 604 Princeton 600 Peru 588 Purdue Poly 578 Southridge 576 Mt. Vernon (P) 574 Speedway 571 Fairfield 570 River Forest 567 Garrett 556 Northwestern 554 Cascade 546 Tippecanoe Valley 543 Lakeland 540 Jimtown 538 Oak Hill 538 FW Luers 532 Frankton 531 Ev. Mater Dei 520 Knox 520 Woodlan 518 West Vigo 518 Benton Central 513 N. Montgomery 513 Western Boone 513 Class 2A Centerville 512 Bluffton 507 Heritage Christian 507 Monrovia 503 Sullivan 503 Eastbrook 501 Eastern (Howard) 499 Ritter 498 Greencastle 495 Salem 494 Wabash 492 Blackford 490 Brown County 488 Manchester 475 Rochester 473 Pike Central 474 Bremen 471 Brownstown 469 Alexandria 468 Triton Central 468 South Vermillion 468 Lapel 466 Boone Grove 466 Switzerland Co. 464 Andrean 455 Tipton 454 Southmont 453 Scecina 448 Rensselaer 447 North Posey 442 North Putnam 432 Mitchell 430 Northeastern 423 Whiting 422 Prairie Heights 421 Park Tudor 421 Christel House 420 Delphi 417 Wheeler 417 Elwood 410 Gary 21st Century 408 Adams Central 408 Winchester 408 Tell City 403 Shenandoah 400 Paoli 396 Lake Station 391 Union County 391 Cass 389 Eastern (Pekin) 389 Whitko 389 Linton 387 Seeger 386 Clarksville 385 Central Noble 385 Eastside 384 Covenant Chr. 383 Crawford County 379 Churubusco 378 Eastern Hancock 377 Perry Central 377 Lafayette CC 302 SUCCESS Lutheran 267 SUCCESS Class A LaVille 373 Providence 371 Taylor 366 South Putnam 363 Winamac 360 South Adams 357 Parke Heritage 354 Forest Park 353 South Spencer 352 Hagerstown 352 Eastern Greene 351 North Knox 349 Sheridan 336 Madison-Grant 336 Clinton Prairie 327 Carroll (Flora) 321 Riverton Parke 320 North Newton 319 S. Central (UM) 318 Knightstown 316 Milan 315 North Decatur 314 North Judson 308 Monroe Central 301 Northfield 296 Fountain Central 289 Anderson Prep 288 Tecumseh 286 Pioneer 286 Fremont 283 Cloverdale 283 Covington 281 Gary Bowman 277 West Washington 277 Triton 274 North Daviess 273 Clinton Central 268 Springs Valley 266 South Decatur 265 North White 264 Rossville 264 Southwood 263 North Miami 263 Purdue Poly-BR 262 Orleans 262 N. Central (F) 257 Tri 256 Southern Wells 252 Wes-Del 248 Culver 246 Union City 244 South Newton 241 Caston 241 Cambridge City 234 Tri-Central 232 Edinburgh 227 Tri-County 220 N. Vermillion 218 West Central 209 Tindley 202 Frontier 180 Attica 160 Oldenburg Acad. 151

I was unaware that had changed. In that case, Cathedral will drop to 5A, not 4A and Memorial will go to 3A.

Classes aren't split correctly - they will split 4A-1A evenly (so 62-63 in each), not 64-64-64-58. If it doesn't evenly divide, the remainder goes in the *smallest* class. Per IHSAA, they gained two points last cycle while playing in a higher class, so they should stay up. https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/Football TSF 2022-23 2023-24.pdf

Here's what I have, with the caveat that Rochester & Mitchell appear way off. 6A Carmel 5200 Ben Davis 4567 Warren Centra l 3748 Fishers 3664 North Central 3616 Penn 3480 Avon 3476 Hamilton SE 3442 Franklin Central 3362 Brownsburg 3297 Noblesville 3208 Pike 3192 Elkhart 3166 Crown Point 2978 Lake Central 2961 Center Grove 2863 Lawrence North 2817 Westfield 2789 Carroll (Allen) 2569 Tech 2500 Homestead 2408 Lawrence Central 2404 Southport 2368 Perry Meridian 2359 Zionsville 2309 Columbus North 2267 Portage 2170 Harrison 2169 FW Northrop 2158 Jeffersonville 2141 FW Snider 1915 SUCCESS Cathedral 1172 SUCCESS 5A Valparaiso 2140 Warsaw 2108 Whiteland 2074 SB Adams 2062 Decatur Central 2050 Merrillville 2050 Lafayette Jeff 2034 Goshen 2006 Chesterton 1980 Castle 1965 Hammond Central 1923 Floyd Central 1823 New Albany 1814 LaPorte 1812 McCutcheon 1786 Plainfield 1773 Evansville North 1751 Concord 1730 Anderson 1722 Seymour 1719 Bloomington South 1681 TH South 1609 Franklin 1590 Bloomington North 1589 Hammond Morton 1534 Michigan City 1520 Columbus East 1518 Munster 1514 TH North 1467 Kokomo 1465 FW North 1460 East Central 1241 SUCCESS 4A FW South 1459 Mt. Vernon (F) 1455 Greenfield-Central 1430 Mishawaka 1422 FW Wayne 1416 Mooresville 1398 Northridge 1393 Huntington North 1382 Evansville Reitz 1378 Pendleton Heights 1353 Muncie Central 1332 Richmond 1320 Martinsville 1315 SB Riley 1298 Hobart 1298 Ev. Harrison 1293 Bedford NL 1242 Logansport 1226 Greenwood 1211 New Palestine 1209 Attucks 1170 Jennings County 1169 Columbia City 1162 Shortridge 1159 Evansville Central 1131 Shelbyville 1093 Jasper 1092 Roncalli 1082 New Haven 1068 Plymouth 1054 Marion 1045 DeKalb 1044 Lebanon 1033 East Chicago 1009 Gary West 995 East Noble 989 Kankakee Valley 989 Lowell 985 Highland 977 New Prairie 970 Silver Creek 943 Connersville 930 FW Dwenger 917 Frankfort 901 Leo 900 Wawasee 895 Northview 894 Beech Grove 892 SB Washington 886 Boonville 884 NorthWood 869 Ev. Bosse 863 Charlestown 854 SB St. Joseph 849 Culver Military 832 Brebeuf 829 New Castle 824 Danville 820 Hanover Central 817 Yorktown 812 Washington 810 Chatard 730 SUCCESS Ev. Memorial 617 SUCCESS 3A Guerin Catholic 800 Jay County 800 Delta 798 Western 791 Mississinewa 783 Gibson Southern 771 Edgewood 761 Madison 760 Corydon 754 West Lafayette 750 Norwell 745 Angola 741 Mish. Marian 735 Scottsburg 726 Lawrenceburg 726 West Noble 718 Vincennes 711 Crawfordsville 710 Hamilton Heights 687 Batesville 670 Twin Lakes 663 Greensburg 662 Owen Valley 650 Franklin County 650 South Dearborn 645 Rushville 645 Griffith 637 Indian Creek 636 Heritage Hills 635 Glenn 633 North Harrison 629 FW Concordia 623 Hammond Noll 617 Ind. Washington 617 Heritage 616 Calumet 611 Bellmont 610 Tri-West 606 Maconaquah 604 Princeton 600 Peru 588 Purdue Poly 578 Southridge 576 Mt. Vernon (P) 574 Speedway 571 Fairfield 570 River Forest 567 Garrett 556 Northwestern 554 Cascade 546 Tippecanoe Valley 543 Lakeland 540 Jimtown 538 Oak Hill 538 FW Luers 532 Frankton 531 Ev. Mater Dei 520 Knox 520 Woodlan 518 West Vigo 518 Benton Central 513 N. Montgomery 513 Western Boone 513 2A Centerville 512 Bluffton 507 Heritage Christian 507 Monrovia 503 Sullivan 503 Eastbrook 501 Eastern (Howard) 499 Ritter 498 Greencastle 495 Salem 494 Wabash 492 Blackford 490 Brown County 488 Manchester 475 Pike Central 474 Bremen 471 Brownstown 469 Alexandria 468 Triton Central 468 South Vermillion 468 Lapel 466 Boone Grove 466 Switzerland Co. 464 Andrean 455 Tipton 454 Southmont 453 Scecina 448 Rensselaer 447 North Posey 442 North Putnam 432 Northeastern 423 Whiting 422 Prairie Heights 421 Park Tudor 421 Christel House 420 Delphi 417 Wheeler 417 Elwood 410 Gary 21st Century 408 Adams Central 408 Winchester 408 Tell City 403 Shenandoah 400 Paoli 396 Lake Station 391 Union County 391 Cass 389 Eastern (Pekin) 389 Whitko 389 Linton 387 Seeger 386 Clarksville 385 Central Noble 385 Eastside 384 Covenant Chr. 383 Crawford County 379 Churubusco 378 Eastern Hancock 377 Perry Central 377 LaVille 373 Providence 371 Lafayette CC 302 SUCCESS Lutheran 267 SUCCESS 1A Taylor 366 South Putnam 363 Winamac 360 South Adams 357 Parke Heritage 354 Forest Park 353 South Spencer 352 Hagerstown 352 Eastern Greene 351 North Knox 349 Sheridan 336 Madison-Grant 336 Clinton Prairie 327 Carroll (Flora) 321 Riverton Parke 320 North Newton 319 S. Central (UM) 318 Knightstown 316 Milan 315 North Decatur 314 North Judson 308 Monroe Central 301 Northfield 296 Fountain Central 289 Anderson Prep 288 Tecumseh 286 Pioneer 286 Fremont 283 Cloverdale 283 Covington 281 Gary Bowman 277 West Washington 277 Triton 274 North Daviess 273 Clinton Central 268 Springs Valley 266 South Decatur 265 North White 264 Rossville 264 Southwood 263 North Miami 263 Purdue Poly-BR 262 Orleans 262 N. Central (F) 257 Tri 256 Southern Wells 252 Wes-Del 248 Culver 246 Union City 244 South Newton 241 Caston 241 Cambridge City 234 Tri-Central 232 Edinburgh 227 Tri-County 220 N. Vermillion 218 Mitchell 212 West Central 209 Tindley 202 Frontier 180 Rochester 164 Attica 160 Oldenburg Acad. 151

All New Palestine games are live at NewPalRadio.com NP's home games are also video streamed ($) at IHSAAtv.org

Other states use districts for playoff qualification. We don't do that here.

Indianapolis Tech & Warsaw are likely the first two to drop Columbus North & Lafayette Jeff might be eventuals. Northrop & Jeffersonville are also somewhat on the line.

Whiteland is exploding as its district snakes south and east of Greenwood and the parts of that area in Clark Township (east of I-65) are growing *fast*. If Whiteland isn't 6A next cycle, it will be in the following one.

Golden anniversary State Finals set to kick off Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com Lucas Oil Stadium will host the golden anniversary IHSAA football State Finals this weekend, It features an intriguing mix of blue bloods and newcomers to downtown Indy. This year’s field features two rematches from last year’s State Finals, a Center Grove team going for a three-peat in 6A, and an Indianapolis Chatard team seeking its 16th state title in 3A, and two newcomers to the State Finals in Whiteland and Carroll (Fort Wayne). It also features three unbeaten teams in Carroll and 1A finalists Indianapolis Lutheran and Adams Central. Class 6A: (5) Carroll (13-0) vs. (3) Center Grove (11-2), 7 p.m. Friday This matchup features one of the state’s premier programs in Center Grove against a Carroll squad that is making its first State Finals appearance. CG is in the State Finals for the fourth consecutive year, seeking its third straight title, which would be a 6A record. The Trojans are familiar visitors to Lucas Oil Stadium, as this is their sixth State Finals appearance in the last eight years and ninth since 2000. The Trojans feature the state’s seventh-leading rusher in Micah Coyle, who has tallied 1,941 yards and 21 TDs. Jalen Thomeson moved from defense to offense this season and is nearing the 1,000 yard mark himself. Noah Coy has 1,081 receiving yards, as Tyler Cherry has thrown for 2,124 yards. It all adds up to a squad that is scoring nearly 36 points per game and tallying 412 yards per game. Last week, CG avenged a regular-season loss to Cathedral with a 33-10 victory. The Trojans surrendered the first 10 points and then took over, with Coyle running for 218 yards and four TDs. Carroll also rallied last week to earn its first State Finals berth, trailing 12-7 after a quarter but scoring TDs in the second and third quarters to go up by two scores in an eventual 21-15 victory over Hamilton Southeastern. The Chargers were outgained 295-186 in the game, but got big plays on defense and in the kicking game with an INT and a blocked punt setting up short fields. Jayden Hill had a 69-yard catch to set up a TD, while Braden Steely ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers won a 21-20 game with Lafayette Jeff in the regional - the program’s first regional title - after trailing 20-7 at halftime. That came after sweeping Penn and Warsaw in the sectional and going unbeaten through the tough Summit Athletic Conference. Sophomore Nate Starks leads the Chargers’ rushing game with 1,127 yards, while sophomore QB Jimmy Sullivan has thrown for 2,203 yards - 737 to Camden Herschberger. Carroll’s defense has held teams to 9.8 ppg and 223.7 yards per contest this season for 13th-year coach Doug Dinan. Class 5A: (9) Valparaiso (10-3) vs. (2) Whiteland (12-1), 7 p.m. Saturday One of the many intriguing matchups this weekend features Valparaiso and Whiteland. The Vikings advanced with two close wins in the regional and semistate to make their second State Finals appearance in four years, while Whiteland is making its State Finals debut. Valparaiso went 6-3 in the regular season, but got on a roll in tournament play, winning multiple close games. The Vikings defeated arch-rival Chesterton 14-7 in the sectional final, then avenged a regular-season loss to Merrillville with a 15-14 victory in the regional. Last week, Vikings quarterback Justin Clark eluded pressure and scrambled for a touchdown on fourth down in overtime, then the Vikings went for the win and converted to defeat No. 1 Fort Wayne Snider 22-21. Travis Davis scored the second of his two TDs in the fourth quarter to tie the game and send it to OT. He ran for 277 yards in the contest. Valpo’s defense has carried the Vikings throughout the year, pitching two shutouts and holding 10 opponents to 14 points or less in regulation. It’s led by Alex Rodriquez (82 tackles), Ty Veen (10 TFL) and Tyler VerSchure (7 INT). Clark leads the Vikings in rushing with 950 yards. He’s thrown for 885 as a dual-threat QB. The Vikings’ run-heavy attack averages 243 yards per game on the growund. Davis has run for 863 yards, Thomas Burda 769. Whiteland also has a powerful running game, led by Peyton Emberton, who has run for 1,297 yards and 11 TDs. Jonathan Crowley has rushed for 862 yards and the Warriors average 304 yards per game on the ground. They don’t throw often - averaging eight pass attempts per game - but QB Kevin Denham has thrown for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns. The Warriors’ lone loss came to Martinsville in Week 6, but they’ve responded with multiple lopsided wins. In the tournament, they won the sectional over Terre Haute North and Franklin by a combined score of 87-3, then routed Plainfield 49-14 in the regional before a 21-7 victory at Castle in the semistate. It’s the first State Finals appearance for 32-year coaching veteran Darrin Fisher, who has been at Whiteland for 18 seasons. A victory would give Whiteland its first-ever state championship in any sport. Class 4A: (7) New Prairie (13-1) vs. (4) East Central (12-2), 3 p.m. Friday East Central has long been one of the powers in southern Indiana and it makes its third State Finals appearance in eight years, seeking its first title since 2017. New Prairie returns to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2014, when the Cougars were the 4A runner-up. East Central made a statement at the start of the season, defeating 3A finalist Lawrenceburg 38-3. And the Trojans made one at the end, blocking a potential game-winning field goal in the closing seconds of Friday’s semistate game against Roncalli. The Trojans then won in overtime 24-21, avenging a Week 9 loss to the Royals. Both teams have strong running games and strong defenses - each allows 10.6 ppg. New Prairie staged a rally of its own in the semistate. The Cougars trailed Kokomo 9-0 in the late stages of the fourth quarter, but Owek Chalik kicked a 23-yard field goal, the Cougars recovered an on-side kick and quickly marched down the field for the winning TD by quarterback Marshall Kmiecik. Kmiecik ran for 69 yards and RB Noah Mungia 71 in the Kokomo contest. On the season, Mungia has 1,868 rushing yards and 21 TDs, while Kmiecik has run for 1,31 yards and 14 scores and thrown for 1,198 and 16 TDs, leading an offense tallying 353 yards and 35 points per game. New Prairie’s lone blemish was a Week 8 loss to Penn, but the Cougars rolled through the tournament, with only Hobart scoring in double-digits in a 49-28 sectional championship game victory. East Central features one of the state’s top rushers in Josh Ringer, who has 2,197 yards and 35 touchdowns. That complements a passing game led by Cole Burton (1,744 yards, 22 TDs passing) and the receiving combo of Ryan Brotherton (841 yards, 11 TDs) and Eli Ashton (612 yards, 7 TDs). Class 3A: (3) Indianapolis Chatard (10-4) vs. (5) Lawrenceburg (13-1), 3 p.m. Saturday Class 3A features two programs familiar with very proud traditions. Chatard is appearing in its 17th state championship game, seeking its 16th title and third in four years. Lawrenceburg is back to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2016, but it is the sixth championship game appearance for the Tigers, who are seeking their first title since 1978. Lawrenceburg joins East Central as Dearborn County and Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference schools in the State Finals. The Tigers dropped the season opener to EC, but have since ripped off 13 straight victories, led by a defense that leads the state, allowing just 6.1 ppg. The Tigers shut out six straight opponents to finish the regular season and then posted a seventh in a 28-0 victory over Greensburg in the sectional semifinal. Only East Central in Week 1 and Milan in Week 3 have scored more than once against the Tigers. Jake Pierce leads Logansport’s defense with 114 tackles, 10 TFLs and four INTs. Niko Ferreira has 95 tackles, Noah Knigga 79 tackles and 14 TFLs and Zavyn Slayback four interceptions. Lawrenceburg rolled to a 35-7 victory over Monrovia in the semistate after dispatching Southridge 31-7 in the regional and Batesville 33-7 in the sectional final. The Tigers’ running game is led by Teagan Bennett (1,410 yards, 18 TDs) and Alex Witte (1,201 yards, 18 TDs). QB Logan Ahaus has thrown for 1,106 yards and 11 touchdowns. Chatard went 5-4 in the regular season but was still in the top 5 because of its schedule - the losses came to two semistate teams in larger classes - Roncalli and Cathedral - as well as two quality out-of-state teams. In the tournament, the Trojans used a powerful offense to score 40-plus points in four consecutive games, winning a tough sectional field with a 49-13 win over Guerin Catholic in the championship game. They then defeated Yorktown 42-14 in the regional and No. 1 West Lafayette 21-3 in the semistate. QB Drew VanVleet has thrown for 2,732 yards and 28 TDs, completing 68 percent of his passes, with Noah Dudick (816 yards, 8 TDs) and Aiden Duncan (788 yards, 7 TDs) his top targets. The Trojans have a balanced running game that averages 145 yards per contest, as well. Class 2A: (3) Andrean (10-3) vs. (5) Evansville Mater Dei (11-3), 11 a.m. Friday The first game of the State Finals will be the first of two rematches from last year’s championship game, a game Andrean won 21-9 to clinch its third state football title. Mater Dei has climbed one rung of the ladder each of the last three seasons - sectional champion in 2019, regional in 2020, semistate in 2021 and is now looking to add the program’s first state championship since 2000. The Wildcats have been a state runner-up four times since then. Head coach Mike Goebel led the Wildcats to that 2000 title and also has won 12 state championships as Mater Dei’s wrestling coach. Andrean features one of the state’s top players in all-everything back Drayk Bowen, who has run for 1,689 yards and 26 TDs and leads the 59ers on defense with 137 tackles, 19 TFLs, five sacks and two interceptions. The 59ers balance the run and the pass, with Bowen leading the way in the running game and Billy Henry throwing for 1,837 yards and 23 TDs in the passing game, with Patrick Clacks (1,075 yards, 14 TDs) his top target. The 59ers opened the tournament with a 28-6 victory over previously-unbeaten LaVille before defeating two other ranked teams - Lafayette Central Catholic 30-12 in the regional and Fort Wayne Luers 48-29 in the semistate. Bowen was unstoppable in the semistate, running for 358 yards and five touchdowns. Andrean jumped ahead 28-13 at halftime and continued to extend the lead. Mater Dei’s offense was also unstoppable in a 51-28 regional victory over previously-unbeaten Linton. QB Mason Wunderlich was 14-18 for 222 yards, while senior Joey Pierre ran for 181 yards and a score. Mater Dei’s Mason Wunderlich is ninth in the state with 2,565 passing yards and has thrown for 27 touchdowns. Ethan Stolz (676 yards, 9 TDs) and Blake Herdes (567 yards, 7 TDs) are his top targets. Pierre (1,015 yards, 12 TDs) leads the running game. Mater Dei tied for first in the tough Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and after rolling through the sectional, won a 35-28 game over Triton Central - also ranked No. 5 in the coaches poll - in the regional before the win over Linton in the semistate. Class A: (2) Adams Central (14-0) at (1) Indianapolis Lutheran (14-0), 11 a.m. Saturday It’s the one matchup of unbeaten teams in the State Finals and the second rematch. The top two teams in the Class A rankings meet for the state championship. Last year’s meeting was a classic, with Lutheran winning 34-28 for its first-ever football state championship. The Saints are making their third State Finals appearance in four years, while Adams Central’s Jets are seeking their first state title since 2000. Lutheran has the state’s highest-scoring offense, tallying 49.4 ppg, led by the state’s passing leader Jackson Willis. He stepped into the QB role this season and has thrown for 3,890 yards. Micah Mackay ranks third in the state with 1,403 receiving yards. Adams Central tallies 46.1 ppg offensively, fourth in the state. Both teams have also been stout defensively - Lutheran allows 9.7 ppg and Adams Central 10.1 ppg. Adams Central’s Wing-T offense has always featured a powerful running game under 14th-year coach Michael Mosser and this year is more of the same. The Jets tally 316 yards per game on the ground, led by Keegan Bluhm (1,488 yards, 18 TDs), Ryan Black (931 yards, 28 TDs) and Gavin Clark (810 yards, 10 TDs). As the quarterback, Black has thrown for 800 yards. AC’s defense, led by Bluhm (93 tackles, 3 INTs) and Jack Hamilton (89 tackles, 4 INTs), allows 191 total yards per game. The Jets have played one game decided by less than 21 points this season - a 25-21 victory over Eastside in Week 2. In the tournament, they’ve tallied at least 35 points in each game, with identical 35-0 wins over Carroll (Flora) and North Judson in the regional and semistate. Lutheran has rapidly built into a state power under 15th-year head coach Dave Pasch, with Willis and Mackay leading an offense that tallies 457 yards per game. In addition, Joe Davis has rushed for 1,769 yards and 28 touchdowns, complementing the Saints’ powerful passing game. Their defense allows 170 yards per game, led by Jonny Hall (105 tackles, 4 INTs). Like Adams Central, the Saints have played two games decided by less than 21 points this season - a 54-41 victory over Triton Central in Week 3 and a 28-19 win over Scecina in Week 6. The Saints shut out South Putnam, Cloverdale and Covenant Christian to win the sectional before beating Providence 49-7 in the regional and North Decatur 28-7 in the semistate. Davis ran for 207 yards and Willis threw for 220 in the semistate.