crimsonace1

In the Class of 2024, New Pal's Ian Moore has verballed to Ohio State.

With so many head-to-head matchups, might as well post a thread New Palestine at Mt. Vernon (4A 22): NewPalRadio.com, WHMB-40 (delayed), WNDY-23 (live): Probably the game of the night in 4A. The Dragons won 42-6 in Week 4 but MV freshman QB Luke Ertel has had five more games of varsity reps and the Marauders have two outstanding two-way players in George Burhenn & Eli Bridenthal, who will undoubtedly touch the ball a lot more than they did in the first meeting. NP used its advantage up front and rolled up 200+ yards in the passing game last time. Should be a great one. Winner gets PH/G-C next week. Pendleton Heights at Greenfield-Central (4A 22): WEEM-91.7, WRGF-89.7. G-C is a dangerous team because they have one of the best DEs in the area in Brad Allen and their wishbone offense forces opponents to create completely different gameplans. PH has finished the season well, with three straight victories - including a 28-20 win over previously-ranked Yorktown, and is always well-coached under Jed Richman. Winner gets MV/NP next week. Beech Grove at New Castle (4A 22): WLTI-1550. The Trojans have taken some lumps in the HHC schedule, but they've been competitive outside the conference and have been very solid defensively. Being at home and with a unique offense that's difficult to defend will help New Castle, as well as having played a strong schedule. The teams have two common opponents - New Castle beat Franklin County 18-12 in OT and lost to Triton Central 21-14 in Weeks 1 & 2, while BG lost to TC 27-7 and to Franklin County 20-15 last week. Winner gets Connersville/Richmond next week. BNL at Shelbyville (4A 23): WSVX-96.5/1520. A long drive for the Stars, who went 5-4 but tied for the Hoosier Hills Conference title. Shelbyville is improving and its win over New Castle in Week 4 was its first HHC win in years, but the Golden Bears will be an underdog. Winner faces Martinsville or Greenwood next week. Yorktown at Delta (3A 27): WMUN-1340. Going to be a great rematch between two rivals. Yorktown won the Week 4 meeting 35-21 - and Delta has dropped six straight since as it as been ravaged by injuries. Yorktown is on a two-game skid, but scored 45 points last week in a loss to Mt. Vernon. The matchup of Yorktown's triumvirate of Moulton, Nanko and Thomas against Delta's aggressive defense led by Manor will be a really interesting one to watch. Winner plays Bellmont or Garrett next week.

This happened in a sectional game a few years ago, but was one of the wildest things I've seen (and the officials talked for a few minutes to make sure they had it right. Team A throws an interception at the 50. Team B returns it to the +25, but a post-possession flag for holding is thrown on Team B at about the +35. At the end of the play, Team A is called for a personal foul (I believe it was a facemask, but might have been a late hit - and I understand one is a live-ball and one a dead-ball foul). IIRC, the ball was taken back to the spot of the interception and the penalties enforced there and Team B retained the ball. == Alternatively, let's take a similar play but change the timing of the fouls. *-Team A throws an interception, but a flag is thrown for holding before the pass is thrown. Team B intercepts and is called for a post-possession holding penalty. Does A get the option to decline the penalty and keep the ball or is it an offsetting penalty and replay the down?

So if the ruling is illegal participation by R1, what is the enforcement? 15 yards from previous spot and rekick? (which would presumably be from the +45?) or does the kicking team have the option to allow R1 to take the ball 15 yards from the spot of where the ball was touched?

*-Rule does not apply at Michigan Stadium (and Bill Lynch will launch a wad of gum 40 yards in protest).

At one time, they had less than 1K, but that was about 25 years ago. Westfield has absolutely exploded in size.

The thing is, IU had an *identity* under WIlson. It was chaos ball and they'd drive you nuts at times, but they had a real identity. The thing holding them back was the lack of a defense until the last couple of years, especially when Allen came aboard as DC in 2016. I believe in Tom Allen and have been in his corner since he was coaching at Ben Davis, but I'm not sure what the team's on-field identity is. I love the relational approach to program-building, but there's nothing on the field that says "this is who Indiana football is." Wisconsin and Iowa have identities - it's ground-and-pound (and Illinois is developing the same under Bielema). Purdue has one with Brohm - air it out and run a lot of trick plays (and, like IU under Wilson, a bit of chaos ball). Penn State is Linebacker U. I'm not sure what IU's identity is right now on the field.

He's a helluva defensive coach. I wish we could go back into an alternative universe where IU had never fired Kevin Wilson (and while I've heard the circumstances, it seems very fishy) and had KW at HC and CTA as DC. They were tremendous in their one year together.

Another thing to note - they and Yorktown are, by a pretty significant amount, the two smallest schools in the Hoosier Heritage Conference. The only time Delta plays a team smaller than them in enrollment (during the regular season) is when it plays Yorktown ... and Yorktown *never* sees a school with a smaller enrollment during the regular season. What Yorktown has done this year has been impressive - they went 6-3 playing almost exclusively a 4A/5A schedule despite most of those schools being 1.5-2x their size. They had New Pal in a dogfight for a half (they were down 14-10 before NP drilled a 47-yard field goal at the halftime gun), beat Greenfield-Central and led Mt. Vernon at halftime before running out of gas. Delta looks like a team that's a year away but has a lot of talent and a very aggressive, sound, physical defense with some playmakers. Manor is a real stud at MLB/WR and I really like their WR Edwards. Their matchup this Friday should be very good - Yorktown won 35-21 in the regular season but rivalry games are always wild cards.

It was McCulley's decision - he approached CTA and asked him to move to WR. Otherwise, he might have been the starter entering this season. Talent-wise, IU has recruited as well as it ever has the last few classes. But those guys are froshies and sophomores right now. They're also really thin (and losing Matthews, Bedford and Cam Jones has *really* hurt them in these winnable games like Nebraska and Maryland). CTA has a huge buyout, so he's around for at least two more years. He's also only two years removed from back-to-back January bowls and being named National Coach of the Year. That's earned him a bit of a honeymoon even though last year was a disaster and this year has gone about as expected given the graduation losses from last season and the youth (although I'd like to have Nebraska & Maryland back - those games should have been Ws).

Their lineup last week was almost all sophomores and juniors. They are really young.

Rivalry rematches highlight sectional openers Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com The opening of sectional play means every one of Indiana’s football teams starts clean, with an equal shot at making the trip to Lucas Oil Stadium on Thanksgiving weekend. Seventeen teams finished the campaign undefeated, but their records all reset as tournament play begins for Classes A-4A this week. Classes 5A and 6A will kick off their sectional tournaments next week. For many teams, it’s an opportunity to face new squads who don’t appear on the regular season schedule. But, given the geographical nature of the sectional fields, it also means rematches are aplenty. One of those will take place in Class 4A, where defending state champion Mt. Vernon will host No. 1 New Palestine in Sectional 22. New Palestine won a 5A sectional last season and is returning to 4A after spending seven seasons in 5A due to the Tournament Success Factor. The host Marauders are 6-3, the visiting Dragons 9-0 on the season. New Palestine won a 42-6 decision in Week 4, snapping a two-year losing streak to Mt. Vernon, allowing the Dragons to reclaim the Hoosier Heritage Conference title - one of the two schools has won the HHC title each year since 2010. The two arch-rivals have played every year since their programs began in 1968, but this is their seventh postseason meeting and first since 2013. “The one thing that helps in football that’s different from a lot of other sports is teams evolve as the year goes on,” New Palestine coach Kyle Ralph said. “We’ve evolved quite a bit offensively, and defensively, we’ve had to play some bizarre gameplans, but we’ve evolved. We’re learning more what our kids can do. I’m sure they’ve done the same thing. It’s going to be ‘what type of team are they in Week 10 compared to Week 4, and what type of team are we in Week 10 compared to Week 4.’ You come up with a new plan and you give it your best shot. It’s really interesting.” NP’s Grayson Thomas ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 4 meeting, while senior quarterback Danny Tippit threw for 220 yards and three scores - 86 each to junior Kyler Kropp and senior Ball State commit Isaiah Thacker. Defensively, the Dragons held Mt. Vernon to 197 total yards, and they’ve been holding opponents to 194 yards and 9.7 points per game this season, led by sophomore Michael Thacker, who has 25 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Linebacker Eli Hook and defensive back Blaine Nunnally lead New Palestine in tackles. NP has shut out its opponents in the first quarter of every game this season. “Our guys on defense have done a great job. Coach (Scott McMurray) has great gameplans and our boys execute them,” Ralph said. “Our guys come out, play fast and physical and they play sound. We pride ourselves on being very physical and very aggressive. Those guys, when they get the juices going, they’re hard to deal with. It’s got to stay that way. Great defenses are usually the teams that end up getting themselves deep in the tournament, that and teams that run the football together.” The Marauders have run the table since that September meeting, and have done so with offensive fireworks, averaging 50 ppg in that span, including a 63-45 victory over Yorktown last week that saw MV score 34 points in the second half. Freshman quarterback Luke Ertel continues to gain experience, having now thrown for 1,159 yards. He has two solid targets in Purdue commit George Burhenn at tight end (666 yards) and Xavier baseball commit Eli Bridenthal at wideout (534 yards). Both were starters on last year’s title team. “Luke Ertel is improving each week due to the fact that he is investing hundreds of quality reps and those experiences are compounding in his growth and development,” Mt. Vernon coach Vince Lidy said. “At this point he has seen almost every possible defensive front and coverage a player can see in high school, so when the game plan is presented he is able to process and understand where the football needs to go sooner than what he was doing in August. Another thing that has benefited Luke is that he has a great selection of skill players around him and the threat of our running game that past 4 weeks has helped take some pressure off the passing game. It's a game of numbers and match-ups and if we can gain some ground running the football we feel it opens up some passing lanes for Luke and the wide receivers.” Second verse in Dearborn County Another rivalry rematch takes place in Dearborn County, where South Dearborn hosts 3A No. 5 Lawrenceburg for the second consecutive week. This time, it’s with the season on the line in the first round of Class 3A’s Sectional 31. Lawrenceburg won last week’s first meeting 31-0, but both teams come in with solid marks. Lawrenceburg is 8-1, South Dearborn 7-2. Both have a loss to East Central on their records, in addition to their head-to-head matchup. For South Dearborn, which is receiving votes in the IFCA poll, their victory gave them the championship in the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference’s small-school division. “Winning a conference championship was a goal we set at the beginning of the season and it means a great deal to our program and community to achieve this goal,” Knights coach Rand Ballart said. “We have not won a conference championship here at South Dearborn since 1996 so it has been a long time coming for us. I am proud of the coaches and players for working hard this season to accomplish this goal and bringing the conference championship to South Dearborn this year. “ Lawrenceburg enters the sectional having won three straight sectional titles and six of the last seven under coach Ryan Knigga. Last year, the Tigers dropped a 31-29 decision to eventual state champion Gibson Southern in the regional, and are trying to return to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since a state runner-up season in 2016. South Dearborn's program development has accelerated under Ballart. The program had won two games total in the three seasons prior to his taking over in 2015. He implemented a two-platoon system to promise opportunities to players. Things turned around in 2018 with an 8-3 season, when his first freshman class was seniors, coming within seconds of winning the sectional. The Knights have won seven games each in back-to-back years and have had significant facility upgrades to take the program to another level. “It has taken a lot of work and a lot of commitment from our community, administration and students,” Ballart said. “When I took over in 2015 there were 29 players in the program and 20 of them were seniors, so needless to say we had to get folks to buy in and get out in the hallways and start recruiting kids to come out and play. “It worked out as planned with the thought of this group being the ones to get us over the hump. We increased our numbers to around 75+ every season and have a solid coaching staff of around 16-18 coaches who are committed to this program. We have been blessed with incredible support from our administration to get the things we needed and our community has been very supportive.” Junior Adam Kunkel has thrown for 2,121 yards and 18 touchdowns through nine games. Austin Ballart (49-783, 6 TDs) and Olli Babcock (37-448, 2 TDs) have been his top two targets. “Adam has done an incredible job leading our offense this year, Coach Jason Babcock does a great job with him to see the field and take what the defense is giving him. He does have a solid connection with his receivers and that is a testament to their work ethic and staying after practice everyday and throwing routes,” coach Ballart said. “I also credit a lot to our offensive coaching staff for buying into the system and being able to get the kids to respond. The uptempo offense that offensive coordinator Jon LeMasters has introduced has really taken off and we have been able to produce so far.” Lawrenceburg enters the sectional with six straight shutouts and a defense that has allowed a total of 20 points since Week 2. The Tigers’ defense is led by senior Jake Pierce (69 tackles, 8 TFL), senior Niko Ferreira (43 tackles), junior Zavyn Slayback (41 tackles) and sophomore Noah Knigga (40 tackles, 10 TFL). The Tigers have forced 25 turnovers. Playing a second game in a week provides a unique challenge to both teams. “The game this week is the one that matters as it’s, win and move on or lose and season over,” Ballart said. “Our kids are fully aware of what is at stake this week and are determined to come out and prepare and get ready to go for this Friday. Playing a county rival two weeks in a row can be interesting and it hasn’t disappointed.” Wildcats find perfection On the other end of the state, 3A No. 4 Hanover Central has also used a stout defense to become one of the state’s 17 unbeaten teams entering the sectional. The Wildcats open Sectional 25 play at Rensselaer. Hanover Central has posted back-to-back shutouts, including a 42-0 defeat of Calumet last week in a game of unbeatens that gave the Wildcats the Greater South Shore Conference title. They’re now seeking their second straight sectional title in just the ninth season as a varsity program. “Thus far, our recipe for success has been our ability to play a fast and physical brand of football,” coach Brian Parker said. “I think we’ve done a good job of playing complimentary football where all three phases of the game feed off of one another. We’ve done a good job of establishing the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Regarding our game against Calumet, our defensive staff did an excellent job of scheming to take away what they do best offensively. On the offensive side of the ball, the gameplan was to pound them up front with our big guys and choose opportune times to take our shots downfield.” Defensively, Hanover Central has shut out four teams and hasn’t allowed more than a touchdown in any game this season - giving up 33 total points on the year, a season that began with three wins over 4A and 5A squads. After defeating East Chicago, Hammond Morton and Culver Academy, the Wildcats rolled through the GSSC schedule with a 47-7 victory over Griffith the closest contest. Junior Collin Foy (57 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 3 sacks), senior Ryan Hildeman (44 tackles, 16.5 TFL), freshman Dylan Boewn (41 tackles) and senior Luka Zakman (38 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 3 fumble recoveries) lead the defense, as well as senior Gannan Howes, who has six interceptions. “In our 3-4 hybrid defense, we have tremendous size and explosiveness along the defensive line,” Parker said. “Within our scheme, we have linebackers that are strong and can run from sideline-to-sideline and defensive backs that are sure-tacklers with exceptional ball skills.” Offensively, Kyle Haessly has run for 1,078 yards and Howes has 662 receiving yards and 10 TDs. Junior QB Matt Koontz is completing 63 percent of his passes for 721 yards and 13 scores. They run behind a strong offensive line of Leo Vukmirovich, Maddux O’Brien, Mitchell Oostman, Davin Hunt and Hildeman, that has the team averaging 330 yards per game. “Matt is a dual threat QB that can has a strong arm and is very fast when he tucks it and runs,” Parker said. “Gannan is a 2-time IFCA JUnior All-State player for us, who is rare blend of speed, toughness and is the ultra competitor. The hammer for us is Kyle. With the speed and athleticism we have on the outside, Kyle allows us to play a hard-nosed style of offense by running the football.” This weekend’s sectional opener features a matchup with one of the top 3A programs in the area in Rensselaer, as the Wildcats seek to win a second straight sectional. The Bombers are 5-4 and are coming off a 28-14 defeat at Cass, but are always a dangerous team. Rensselaer is seeking its seventh consecutive winning season under 24th-year head coach Chris Meeks, who led the Bombers to a state title in 2014. “First and foremost, we have the utmost respect for for Coach Meeks and his staff. Bomber football is predicated on toughness and our team toughness will be tested this upcoming Friday night,” Parker said. “We are going to have to play a clean game with no turnovers, stay ahead of the chains on offense and play assignment-sound defense. If we can do that, I believe we will put ourselves in a good position to be successful.” Top matchup in southern Indiana Out of many good matchups in southern Indiana this week, one of the best comes in Class 3A’s Sectional 32, where 8-1 Southridge - the Pocket Athletic Conference Small School Division champion - hosts 7-2 North Harrison. Southridge is ranked No. 10 both polls. North Harrison enters the sectional having won four straight games, including a 21-14 victory over Providence last week. Coach Mark Williamson’s team features a powerful running game that averages 340 yards a game, led by senior Sawyer Wetzel (1,675 yards, 16 TDs) and quarterback David Langdon, who has accounted for 821 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns passing and running. “North Harrison will provide us with our biggest test of the season in regards to a team that wants to play power football and just come downhill right at a defense,” Southridge coach Scott Buening said. “They are much bigger than we are up front and use a lot of variations in formations to get their tailback the football who is very talented and a load to bring down.” Southridge enters with an 8-1 mark and has seen much success under Buening, who has led the Raiders to four sectional titles, three regional championships and a state title in 2017. Their upperclassmen were part of a semistate team in 2020. The Raiders also have won four straight, finishing the season with a 35-7 victory over Heritage Hills and a 42-14 win over Forest Park. “We think the strength of our team has been our ‘connectedness’ as a team,” Buening said. “We have a lot of guys who have been great teammates and have worked hard over the course of their time through our youth, middle school and high school program and just want to win football games. We play one offensive lineman over 200lbs, most are between 165-180, and all three starters on our DL are in that 165-180 pound range. We think over the course of the season we have been able to evolve into an identity on both sides of the ball that will give us an opportunity to compete for a sectional championship. I think overall, finishing the season on a high note is good, and we are looking forward to the challenge we have this week with a very good North Harrison team.” Southridge’s defense is allowing eight PPG, led by Reid Schroeder and Caleb Kramer, the two inside linebackers. The Raiders have been very multiple on offense, led by junior quarterback Hudson Allen (1,178 yards passing, 13 TDs) and Schroeder (685 yards). Six backs have at least 200 rushing yards. “Balance has definitely been key for us offensively. We don't have the size up front to just impose any kind of ‘will’ on defenses,” Buening said. “We don't have the ability to force a round peg into a square hole in the run game. The development of our passing game has helped us tremendously be more balanced offensively, so we can use it when we need to use it and as the season has gone on, it has become more of a weapon for us, not just something we can use when we need to. We have balance in both the run game and the pass game. We really have 6-7 guys we are comfortable using at any point in the run game and about the same in the passing game.” Other games to watch this week 4A 21: Lebanon (6-3) at No. 8 Mooresville (7-2) 4A 21: No. 10 Brebeuf Jesuit (5-3) at Northview (6-3) 3A 25: Twin Lakes (1-8) at No. 1 West Lafayette (9-0) 3A 27: No. 7 Norwell (8-1) at Heritage (6-3) 3A 28: No. 9 Guerin Catholic (5-4) at Oak Hill (9-0) 3A 30: Vincennes (4-5) at No. 2 Gibson Southern (9-0) 3A 30: No. 6 Owen Valley (9-0) at Mt. Vernon (Posey) (5-4) 2A 33: Whiting (4-4) at No. 2 LaVille (9-0) 2A 34: No. 10 Rochester (8-1) at Seeger (7-2) 2A 37: No. 1 Linton (9-0) at South Vermillion (7-2) 2A 40: Perry Central (8-1) at No. 5 Evansville Mater Dei (6-3) 1A 4A: No. 4 North Judson (8-1) at South Newton (6-3) 1A 44: No. 2 Adams Central (9-0) at Southwood (7-2) 1A 46: No. 3 North Decatur (9-0) at No. 7 Tri (8-1) 1A 47: No. 9 South Putnam (7-2) at No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (9-0)

Having seen Delta in person last week - their defense is legit good. It's easy to see how they beat a very good Columbia City team in Week 2. They're very aggressive and force you to do things you don't want to do. They slowed New Pal for a quarter and a half before the Dragons made some adjustments and got their running game going last week. Offensively, they're still a work in progress, but they have playmakers. Youth and injuries have slowed them a bit, but they will be a very tough out this week against a *very* good Yorktown team.

Yorktown is solid. Moulton is a very good QB and Nanko does everything. Thomas is a homerun hitter in the backfield. I can see them making some noise in the tourney, although Norwell is going to be a very tough out in the sectional. I'm glad to see them having a good year. They're the smallest school in the HHC by a good bit and it's always a bit tough to compete with some of the larger schools just because they don't have the numbers, but Mike Wilhelm is one of my favorite people in football and he's a heck of a coach, even if the record doesn't always reflect that because they're the smallest school in every game they play in the regular season.

Looking over this after a night of sleep, I think I'd put Carmel 1 and Westfield 2 in Sectional 4. Carmel's out-of-state games don't factor into the Sagarins, but their body of work is probably a bit more impressive.

I'd probably have committees meet preliminarily after Week 8 to create a rough seeding list and contingencies and then meet briefly the Saturday morning after Week 9, and announce the bracket either Saturday or Sunday evening. I know most coaching staffs get together to gameplan on Sunday mornings, so a Saturday announcement would probably be best, but as long as they're in place before practice begins, that's good. The ease of trading film via Hudl makes it a lot easier.

I tried to take a crack one-man seeding committee, using Sagarin ratings, head-to-head matchups and other criteria a ratings committee might use. I would've pulled MaxPreps ratings in but I don't have unlimited time ;). This could be a fun exercise if we put a "seeding committee" together for each class. Anyway, here goes. Class 6A Sectional 1 Crown Point (8-0, 2-0 H2H) Lafayette Jeff (6-2, no H2H but has higher Sagarin than LC) Lake Central (4-4) Portage (1-7) Sectional 2 Carroll (8-0) Penn (6-2, has H2H win vs. Elkhart) Elkhart (7-1) Warsaw (6-2, has lowest Sagarin rating) Sectional 3 HSE (8-0, H2H win vs. Fishers) Fishers (5-3, higher Sagarin than Homestead) Homestead (4-4) Northrop (1-7) Sectional 4 Westfield (5-3, 2-0 vs. sectional) Carmel (5-3, no games vs. sectional). Can split hairs between them & Westfield Zionsville (4-4, H2H win vs. Noblesville) Noblesville (2-6, 0-2 vs. sectional) Sectional 5 Brownsburg (8-0, 2-0 vs. sectional) Ben Davis (5-3, 2-1 vs. sectional) Avon (1-7, has higher Sagarin) Pike (1-7, has lower Sagarin than Avon) Sectional 6 Cathedral (6-1, highest Sagarin) Lawrence Central (4-4, 2-0 vs. sectional) Lawrence North (3-5, 1-1 vs. sectional, lost to LC) North Central (0-8) Sectional 7 Warren Central (4-4, has played 7 6A schools, highest Sagarin) Perry Meridian (3-5, win vs. Southport) Tech (1-7) Southport (0-8) Sectional 8 Center Grove (7-1, 7-0 vs. 6A teams) Franklin Central (3-5, but significantly higher Sagarin, 3 wins vs. 6A) Columbus North (4-4, but only 1-0 vs. 4A, lower Sagarin than FC) Jeffersonville (1-6) Class 5A Sectional 9 Merrillville (7-1, 3-0 vs. 5A, highest Sagarin by far) Hammond Central (6-2, H2H win vs. Morton, higher Sagarin) Munster (3-5, H2H win vs. Morton) Hammond Morton (0-8) Sectional 10 (this one is really tough, but they all play H2H and all 3 - Chesterton, LaPorte and Mich City - have identical Duneland records) Valparaiso (5-3, only team with winning record, 3-0 vs. sectional) LaPorte (2-6, 2-1 H2H vs. sectional) Michigan City (2-6, 1-2 vs. sectional) Chesterton (3-5, but 0-3 vs. sectional and 5A. Does have two 6A wins. Has higher Sagarin than LaPorte & Mich City) Sectional 11 Mishawaka (7-1). 2-0 vs. sectional Concord (3-5) 1-1 vs. sectional, H2H win vs. Goshen SB Adams (1-7). Higher Sagarin than Goshen Goshen (2-6). 0-2 vs. sectional, lower Sagarin than Adams Sectional 12 FW Snider (7-1). 2-0 vs. sectional, has win vs. North Side FW North (6-2). 1-1 vs. sectional, has H2H win vs. Dwenger FW Dwenger (5-3) Anderson (3-5) Sectional 13 Harrison (7-1). Clear-cut #1 Plainfield (3-5) Has H2H win vs. Decatur Decatur Central (3-5) H2H loss vs. Plainfield McCutcheon (2-6) Sectional 14 Whiteland (7-1). Clear-cut #1 Franklin (6-2). Higher Sagarin, good record in tough conference TH South (5-3). H2H win vs. North TH North (2-6) Sectional 15 Bloomington South (6-1). Clear-cut #1 Bloomington North (4-4) H2H win vs. East Columbus East (4-4) H2H win vs. Seymour Seymour (6-2). H2H loss vs. East, lower Sagarin Sectional 16 Castle (5-3) H2H win vs. North Evansville North (4-4). Higher Sagarin Floyd Central (3-5). Has a 5A win New Albany (2-6). 0-4 vs. 5A teams, lowest Sagarin by far Class 4A Sectional 17 New Prairie (7-1). Best record, 3-0 vs. class, H2H win vs. Lowell Hobart (5-3) 4-0 vs. sectional, H2H wins vs. Culver, Lowell, KV, Highland Lowell (5-3). 2-2 vs. sectional. Wins vs. KV, Highland Gary West (6-2). 3-1 vs. 4A teams, 2-0 vs. sectional. Wins vs. Highland, EC Kankakee Valley (4-4). 0-2 vs. sectional Culver Academy (2-6). 0-1 vs. sectional Highland (2-6). Higher Sagarain than EC East Chicago (2-6). Sectional 18 NorthWood (8-0). 3-0 vs. sectional, unbeaten Northridge (5-3). 2-1 vs. sectional, H2H wins vs. Wawasee & Plymouth. Logansport (6-2). Better record but weaker schedule than Northridge SB Riley (5-3). 1-0 vs. sectional (vs. Washington) SBSJ (2-6). Higher Sagarin Wawasee (1-7). Higher Sagarin, has a sectional win (vs. Plymouth) SB Washington (2-6). Low Sagarin Plymouth (0-8). Winless Sectional 19 Columbia City (7-1). 4-0 vs. sectional, H2H wins vs. DeKalb, NH, EN, Leo Leo (5-3). H2H win vs. Angola (also NH, EN) Angola (6-2). H2H loss vs. Leo, win vs. EN New Haven (4-4). Higher Sagarain, H2H win vs. EN & DeKalb East Noble (3-5). H2H win vs. DeKalb, 1-3 vs. sectional DeKalb (3-5). These flip if Wayne wins & DeKalb loses this weekend FW Wayne (2-6). 1-0 vs. sectional (vs. South) FW South (0-8) Sectional 20 Kokomo (8-0) Western (5-3) Higher Sagarin than Miss Mississinewa (5-3) Muncie Central (3-5). 1-1 vs. sectional Huntington North (2-6) H2H win vs. Jay County Jay County (2-6) Frankfort (1-7) Marion (0-8) Sectional 21 Roncalli (7-1). Highest Sagarin Mooresville (6-2). Lower Sagarin than Brebeuf but better record vs. good schedule. Could flip based on weekend results. 2-0 vs. 4A Brebeuf (4-3). Good Sagarin, 0-1 vs. sectional, 1-1 vs. 4A. Lebanon (6-2). No games vs. sectional, 2-0 vs. 4A Northview (5-3). Lower Sagarin than Lebanon Attucks (5-2). H2H wins vs. Shortridge & Washington Shortridge (4-4) H2H win vs. Washington Indpls. Washington (1-7) Sectional 22 New Palestine (8-0). H2H wins vs. PH, G-C, NC, MV Mt. Vernon (5-3). H2H win vs. G-C, PH, NC Greenfield-Central (5-3). H2H win vs. PH Pendleton Heights (4-4). 1-3 vs. sectional (W vs. New Castle) Beech Grove (4-4). Higher Sagarin than New Castle. Connersville (4-4). 1-0 vs. sectional (Richmond) New Castle (2-6). Higher Sagarin & better record than Conn, but worse record Richmond (0-8) Sectional 23 East Central (7-1, highest Sagarin) Martinsville (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional (BNL, Greenwood) BNL (4-4). 1 win in sectional (vs. JC). Has better record than GW despite lower Sagarin Jennings County (2-6). Higher Sagarin than SC/Shelby/Edgewood Greenwood (1-7) Tough schedule, higher Sagarin. Can flip them & JC Silver Creek (3-5) Lower Sag but better record than Shelby Shelbyville (1-7) Higher Sagarin than Edgewood Edgewood (1-7) Sectional 24 Evansville Reitz (8-0). 5-0 vs. sectional Jasper (5-3) 3-2 vs. sectional, H2H wins vs Memorial, Central, Bosse. Loss to Harrison Evansville Memorial (5-3). 3-2 vs. sectional. H2H loss to Jasper Boonville (6-2). Has not played a 4A team this year. 4th in sectional in Sagarin Evansville Harrison (2-6). H2H wins vs. Jasper, Central Evansville Bosse (1-7). H2H win vs. Centra Evansville Central (0-8) Class 3A Sectional 25 West Lafayette (8-0). 2-0 vs. sectional, has win vs. Harrison Calumet/Hanover Central (8-0). Play each other this weekend. Winner Calumet/Hanover Central (8-0). Loser Rensselaer (5-3). 1-1 vs. sectional (W vs. TL) River Forest (5-3). 1-2 vs. sectional (loss to Calumet, HC, W vs. BG) Griffith (3-5). H2H win vs. Boone Grove Boone Grove (3-5). 0-3 vs. sectional Twin Lakes (1-7) Sectional 26 Jimtown (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional. Plays a lot of larger schools Knox (5-3). 1-point loss to LaVille, tops in Sagarin West Noble (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional, Fairfield & Lakeland (7-6) Fairfield (5-3). 1-1 vs. sectional, win vs. Lakeland Lakeland (3-5). Higher in Sagarin than Marian Mishawaka Marian (2-6). Mostly 4A/5A schedule, higher than Glenn in Sag Glenn (4-4). 1-2 vs. sectional, win vs. Clay SB Clay (0-8) Sectional 27 Norwell (8-0). 2-0 vs. sectional (Bellmont, Heritage) Yorktown (6-2). Higher Sagarin, plays mostly 4A schedule Heritage (5-3). 2-1 vs. sectional (Woodlan, Belmont) Delta (3-5). Win vs. Columbia City. Plays mostly 4A schedule Woodlan (4-4). 0-1 vs. sectional. Low Sagarin (7th in sectional) FW Concordia (3-5). Plays mostly 4A/5A schedule Garrett (1-7). Decent Sagarin, 0-0 vs. sectional, 1-2 vs. 3A Bellmont (0-8) Sectional 28 Indianapolis Chatard (5-3). Highest Sagarin by far despite record Oak Hill (8-0). Higher Sagarin than TV Tippecanoe Valley (8-0). 2-0 vs. sectional (Peru, Maconaquah) Guerin Catholic (4-4). Tough schedule, 3rd in sectional in Sagarin Hamilton Heights (6-2). 1-0 vs. sectional (Northwestern) Maconaquah (6-2). 1-1 vs. sectional (W Peru, L TV) Peru (2-6). Northwestern (1-7) Sectional 29 Tri-West (6-2). 4-0 vs. sectional (WeBo, Danville, NM, Crawfordsville) Western Boone (7-1). 3-1 vs. sectional (H2H loss to TW) Speedway (5-3). 3rd in sectional in Sagarin. Danville (3-5)/North Montgomery (4-4) winner Danville/North Montgomery loser Monrovia (2-6). 0-1 vs. sectional. Higher Sagarin than CV Crawfordsville (2-6) Purdue Poly (3-5). Lower Sag than Monrovia, CV Sectional 30 Gibson Southern (8-0). Champs until knocked off Owen Valley (8-0). 1-0 vs. 4A Vincennes (4-4) Mt. Vernon (P) (4-4). Ower Sag than Vincennes Washington (2-6). H2H wins vs. Pike Central, Princeton, higher Sag West Vigo (3-5) Pike Central (1-7) Princeton (0-8) Sectional 31 Lawrenceburg (7-1)/South Dearborn (7-1) winner Lawrenceburg (7-1)/South Dearborn (7-1) loser Indian Creek (6-2). H2H win vs. Batesville Batesville (4-4). 3 wins vs. sectional (Rushville, Greensburg, FC) Centerville (6-2). Plays mostly 1A/2A schedule Franklin County (2-6). 2 wins vs. sectional Greensburg/Rushville winner (both 2-6) Greensburg/Rushville loser (both 2-6) Sectional 32 Southridge (7-1). Highest Sagarin by far Charlestown (7-1). 4-0 vs. sectional, H2H W vs. NH North Harrison (6-2). 3-1 vs. sectional Heritage Hills (4-4). 2nd in Sagarin, 0-1 vs. sectional (Southridge) Madison (4-4). Higher Sagarin than Corydon Corydon (3-5). 2-2 vs. sectional, wins vs. Scottsburg, Salem Salem (2-6) h2H win vs. Scottsburg Scottsburg (2-6) 0-4 vs. sectional Class 2A Sectional 33 LaVille (8-0). Higher Sagarin, unbeaten Andrean (6-2). Slightly lower Sagarin than LaVille Bremen (4-4). HIgher Sagarin Whiting (3-4). 1-0 vs. sectional (win vs. Wheeler) Wheeler (3-5). 1-1 vs. sectional, win vs. Noll Lake Station (3-5). 1-0 vs. sectional, win vs. Noll, lower Sag than Wheeler Hammond Noll (0-7) Sectional 34 Lafayette Catholic (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional (Seeger, BC) Rochester (7-1). Lower Sag than LCC Cass (5-3). 1-0 vs. sectional (BC) Seeger (6-2). 0-2 vs. sectional (Ls LCC, BC) Benton Central (3-5). 2-2 vs. sectional (Delphi, Seeger) Delphi (4-4). 0-1 vs. sectional Winamac (2-6) Sectional 35 Eastside (6-2). 3-0 vs. sectional (Busco, PH, CN) Churubusco (6-2). 2-1 vs. sectional, H2H loss vs. Eastside FW Luers (4-4) 3rd in sectional in Sag Central Noble (2-6). H2H win vs. PH, losses to Busco, Eastside Prairie Heights (2-6). H2H win vs. Whitko Wabash (2-6). 7th in Sagarin, H2H win vs. Manchester Manchester (1-7). H2H win vs. Whitko Whitko (0-8) Sectional 36 Alexandria (5-3). 4-0 vs. sectional (Blackford, Eastbrook, Elwood, Frankton) Eastbrook (6-2). H2H loss vs. Alex Eastern (Greentown). Behind Eastbrook in Sag Bluffton (4-4). 3rd in Sag in sectional Frankton (2-6) 2-2 vs. sectional (Elwood, H2H win vs. Tipton) Tipton (3-5). 1-1 vs. Sectional (Elwood) Blackford (1-7) Elwood (0-8) Sectional 37 Linton (8-0) Southmont (6-2). 1-0 vs. sectional (NP) Sullivan (4-4). 3-1 vs. sectional (SV, Greencastle, NK) South Vermillion (6-2). 0-1 vs. sectional (Sullivan) Cascade (4-4). 4th in sectional in Sag Greencastle (4-4)/North Knox (3-5) (GC if it beats North Putnam) North Knox (3-5)/North Putnam (3-5) (NP if it wins Friday) North Putnam/Greencastle Sectional 38 Heritage Christian (5-3). Not as good of a record, but better schedule & Sagarin. 3-0 vs. sectional Northeastern (7-1). 3-0 vs. sectional (UC, Winchester, Shenandoah) Lapel (4-4). 1-1 vs. sectional Shenandoah (4-4). 1-3 vs. sectional (losses to 3 teams ahead of them) Eastern Hancock (3-5) Winchester (3-5) - low Sagarin, but 1-1 vs. sectional (beat Union County) Union County (4-4) Ritter (1-6) Sectional 39 Scecina (7-1). Beat TC H2H Triton Central (6-2). Has highest Sagarin of field Brownstown (5-3), winning record, 3rd best Sagarin Clarksville (3-5). Sagarin substantially better than rest of field Switzerland County (4-4) Eastern (Pekin) (1-7) Manual (3-5) Very weak schedule Brown County (0-8) Sectional 40 Evansville Mater Dei (6-2). Plays 5A schedule, has very good Sagarin Perry Central (7-1). 4-0 vs. sectional (TC, FP, CC, Paoli) North Posey (6-2). 2-0 vs. sectional (TC, FP) Paoli (6-2). 2-1 vs. sectional (CC, Mitchell, loss to PC) Tell City (2-6). Actually has higher Sagarin that Paoli Forest Park (1-7) Mitchell (1-7) Crawford County (0-8) Class A Sectional 41 North Judson (7-1). Good Sagarin, 2-0 vs. sectional Triton (5-3). 3-1 vs. sectional (Culver, Pioneer, SC, oss to NJ) Culver (5-3) 2-2 vs. sectional (Ws SC, Pioneer; Ls Triton, NJ) South Newton (5-3). 2-0 vs. sectional (NN, SC) Pioneer (2-6). 0-2 vs. sectional Bowman Academy (3-4) South Central (1-7) North Newton (0-7) Sectional 42 Park Tudor (5-3). 1-0 vs. sectional (TP). Good Sagarin North Vermillion (5-3). 3-0 vs sect (Covington, Attica, FC) Clinton Prairie (5-3). 1-0 vs. sectional (CC) Traders Point (4-4). Decent schedule, 0-1 vs. sectional Fountain Central (2-6). 2-1 vs. sectional (Ws Attica, Covington) Covington (3-5). Lost to Fountain Central Clinton Central (0-8). Higher sagarin than Attica Attica (0-8) Sectional 43 Carroll (Flora) (8-0). 3-0 vs. sectional West Central (7-1). 3-0 vs. sectional (Caston, TC, Frontier) Frontier (4-4). 2-1 vs. sectional (def NW H2H, TC, lost to WC) North White (5-2). 3-1 vs. sectional (Ws Taylor, Caston TC; L Frontier) Tri-Central (2-6). Close w/NW & Frontier in Sagarin. Lost to Carroll, beat Taylor Taylor (1-7) Tri-County (1-7) Caston (0-8) - if any of these three win this weekend, they jump to #6 Sectional 44 Adams Central (8-0). Clear #1 South Adams (6-2). 2nd highest Sagarin Madison-Grant (6-2). 1-0 vs. sectional (SW) Southwood (6-2) 2-0 vs. sectional (NM, Northfield) Northfield (4-4). 0-1 vs. sectional (Southwood) North Miami (3-5) Fremont (2-6) Southern Wells (0-8) - this sectional follows Sagarin Sectional 45 Sheridan (7-1). Clear #1 in Sagarin, 5-0 vs. Class A Monroe Central (5-2). Clear #2 in Sagarin, wins vs. UC, Wes-Del Hagerstown (5-3). Win vs. Union City Indiana Deaf (6-1). Can flip w/Hagerstown based on weekend results Union City (2-6). 0-2 vs. sectional, 2-3 vs. Class A Wes-Del (1-7). Win over Tindley, 1-4 vs. Class A Indianapolis Tindley (1-7). 0-4 vs. Class A Sectional 46 North Decatur (8-0). Clear-cut #1 in Sagarin. Tri (7-1). Lone loss to 3A Centerville. 5-0 vs. Class A Milan (3-5). 3-4 vs. schools in larger classes Edinburgh (4-3). Close with Milan. H2H win vs. SD South Decatur (4-4). Low Sagarin, 0-2 vs. sectional (ND, Edinburgh) Knightstown (1-6). Win over CCL Cambridge City Lincoln (0-8) Sectional 47 Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0). Clear #1 South Putnam (7-1). Clear #2. 6-1 vs. larger classes Covenant Christian (5-3). Solid schedule. #3 in Sagarin Riverton Parke (6-2). H2H win over Parke Heritage North Central (Farmersburg) 1-6. Higher Sagarin Parke Heritage (1-7). Higher Sagarin than Cloverdale Cloverdale (1-7). Lowest Sagarin. Sectional 48 Tecumseh (8-0). Highest Sagarin, 2-0 vs. sectional (SV, ND) Providence (6-1). 5-1 vs. higher classes. 2nd in Sagarin North Daviess (5-3). 1-1 vs. sectional (w/vs EG) West Washington (5-2). Better record & H2H win vs. SV Springs Valley (4-4). 1-2 vs. sectional South Spencer (4-4). Could put 4-5-6 in a blender Eastern Greene (1-7)

DT's somewhat notorious for throwing a lot of spaghetti against the wall, and if two of the 20 strands he throws sticks, he calls himself an expert.

Added it in for you. Should be a great game.

Yep.

Lots of injuries and a tough schedule. The HHC has some pretty good teams and coaches. New Pal, Mt. Vernon and Greenfield-Central have all been ranked this year. I believe Yorktown has, too. Delta is also still really young.

Depends. Is the game being played north or south of the 49th parallel? 🙂

Kokomo, Jeff meet in Week 9 clash Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com The Kokomo Wildkats are one of 23 teams chasing an unbeaten regular season this week. The Lafayette Jeff Bronchos stand in the way. Two of the North Central Conference’s premier programs meet this Friday at Lafayette Jeff, with the Wildkats seeking at least a piece of the NCC title and the Bronchos looking to play spoiler and build more momentum going into sectional play. Class 4A No. 4 Kokomo is 6-0 in the NCC, as is 5A No. 6 Harrison, which plays winless Richmond this week. Due to the league’s rotation of opponents, the two don’t play each other this year, so they could share the title as unbeatens in conference play. Jeff, which is 5-1 in league play and 6-2 overall with losses to Indianapolis Cathedral and Harrison, is a formidable foe that has won five straight meetings with the Wildkats. It’s also a solid tune-up for sectional play. “Games like this week are fun to play in,” Kokomo coach Austin Colby said. “You don’t get meaningful game with these kinds of implications every week. Starting week 10 in the tournament, every game has massive implications that come with getting beat. So to be able to get into that mindset early and to prepare the way you are supposed to helps.” “Kokomo will be playing for a championship on Friday, and we are hoping to play the role of the spoiler,” Jeff coach Pat Shanley added. “It is great to have a game Week 9 against an extremely well-coached and senior-laden team as we prepare for the playoffs. We know that no matter the outcome of this contest, that this game and this opponent will help further prepare us for the postseason.” Kokomo has had a strong recent football tradition. The Wildkats posted three unbeaten regular seasons under Colby’s father, Brett, most recently in 2015. Two years later, they were the 5A state runner-up. Kokomo is competing in Class 4A this season for the first time. Austin returned to his alma mater in 2020 and led them to 4-4 and 8-3 seasons. “Not many coaches get that opportunity to coach back home and then to have success on top of that is very special,” Colby said. “ My dad had a lot of success here and I got to be a part of it playing and coaching for him. So to carry on the legacy has been a dream of mine all along. To be compared to his success means you are doing something right. It is also special to have him and my brother on the sidelines each Friday night.” This year’s Wildkat squad is keyed by a powerful running game - the double-tight, double-wing offense spreads the ball around to multiple backs. Junior Darrian Story has run for 774 yards, senior Keegan Name 620 and senior quarterback Evan Barker 610. They’ve combined for 28 touchdowns on the ground, running behind a line Colby says “has so much camaraderie and unselfishess as a group.” Defensively, the Wildkats are allowing eight points per game and have held six of their eight opponents below 10 points, including two shutouts. Their biggest win so far was a 14-0 victory over 6-2 Logansport in Week 3, shutting down an offense that’s scoring 34 ppg. It’s led by returning All-State linebacker Shayne Spear, as well as linebakers Jaquan East and Tracy Dowling. Up front, 6-6 Brandon Bennett leads a strong defensive line. “We have had exceptional play on the defensive side of the ball,” Colby said. “Returning seven starters on that side of the ball has helped us in understanding the expectations and how we need to execute at a high level each night and each week in order to be successful. “ Lafayette Jeff has also been a top team under Shanley, who is in his seventh season. The Bronchos posted undefeated regular seasons in 2017, 2019 and 2020 and are 57-15 under his tutelage. The Bronchos are one of the state’s top-scoring teams, tallying 45.8 ppg, led by quarterback Ethan Smith, who stepped into the starting role in Week 5 and is completing 79 percent of his passes for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns. Asa Koeppen (21-461), Abram Ritchie (19-375) and Brandon Jackson (18-247) are all weapons in the receiving game. “Ethan Smith is a true champion,” Shanley said. “Throughout the off-season, he prepared week to week as if he was going to be the starter, despite knowing that he could not play until Week 5. When Keyen (Crowder) was starting Weeks 1-4, Ethan was dialed into everything that was taking place both during practice and in-game. Because of this, he has hit the ground running within our offense. This week will be another great test for Ethan and our offense.” Northeast 8 title on the line as Eagles, Knights meet Conference championships will be decided all over the state this week, but one of the more intriguing matchups comes in the Northeast 8 Conference, where 7-1 Columbia City visits 8-0 Norwell. Both teams are 6-0 in conference play and seeking to win the trophy in a league that’s been dominated by Leo and East Noble in recent years. Columbia City is ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, Norwell No. 4 in Class 3A. “This Friday is going to be electric,” Columbia City coach Brett Fox said. “To have the last game of the season decide a conference title is a dream for any team. The atmosphere will be unreal and we will have to play a great game to come out on top.” “It's going to be a lot of fun,” Norwell coach Josh Gerber added. “Coach Fox and his staff at Columbia City have a really nice team. They have gotten better with each week. It should be a great environment Friday. That big game atmosphere should help us with big games in the tournament.” Norwell is led by a defense that’s allowed just four touchdowns all season. The Knights have posted five shutouts, including last week’s 56-0 victory at Huntington North. They had three straight shutouts of Heritage, Leo and Bellmont earlier in the season. Senior Luke Graft has five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Senior Brody Bolyn has 12.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while senior Aydan Rusu has 63 tackles and 10.5 for loss. “Our defense has been lights out,” Gerber said. “Matt Taylor, our defensive coordinator, does a great job of developing a game plan every week. We play an aggressive attacking style of defense, and our kids love it. Aydan, Luke and Brody are guys that set the tone for us with attitude and effort. We're lucky to have those guys. They want to be the best defense in the state. Hopefully, that success can continue for a while.” Norwell’s offense has been incredibly balanced, led by senior QB Lleyton Bailey, who has thrown for 722 yards. Graft, his younger brother Drew Graft, Drew Ringger and Timothy Bonjour all have at least 300 rushing yards. When Gerber took over in 2016, the Knights were coming off a 1-9 season. After a few building seasons, things began to turn in 2019 when the Knights went 5-6. They’ve since gone 10-2, 11-2 and now 8-0. A year ago, they won their first sectional since 2014. Now, they seek their first conference title since 2009. “It has taken the hard work of a lot of people,” Gerber said. “I'm biased, but I think we have the best coaching staff in the state. We have a supportive administration and community. I also get to coach a great group of kids every day. We have focused on building our feeder program in hopes of being a program that can win consistently. It hasn't been easy, but we are now starting to see the fruits of our labor. Having a lot of talent really helps too.” Columbia City is in the midst of its best season since 2010, when the Eagles went 10-2. After a week 2 loss to Delta, the Eagles rolled up back-to-back shutouts to open conference play, beating Bellmont 49-0 and Huntington North 41-0. They scored 40-plus points in their first five conference games before a 28-13 victory over Leo last week, putting them in a spot to play for the NE8 title. “I am extremely proud of how our team has played up to this point,” Fox said. “It's really fun having a different person step up each week and lead us offensively and defensively. The guys are playing for each other and really putting together a nice season.” Senior Colten Pieper leads the offense with 865 passing yards - 545 to Stratton Fuller. The Eagles are spreading the ball around on the ground, averaging 405 yards per game of total offense. Four backs - senior Justice Goree, junior James Getts, senior Ethan Sievers and senior Josh Arntz - tally between 325 and 600 yards on the ground. “Colten has done a great job of just being himself, trusting his teammates in situations, and just playing with confidence,” Fox said. “Stratton is a dangerous player and having him on our side just makes us a better team.The offensive line has been playing great with us averaging over 300 yards rushing a game. Having six guys rotating on offensive line, five of them seniors and the sixth a junior, allows us to be aggressive on offense.” Defensively, Fuller has four interceptions. Dominic Chacon leads the defense with 54 tackles, while Arntz has 48 stops and seven TFLs. South Putnam facing No. 1, then No. 1 again The Class A No. 6 South Putnam Eagles will see a No. 1 team this week - and then do it again next week. The Eagles close the regular season with a home game against 2A No. 1 Linton, which is their final tune-up before next week’s Sectional 47 opener at Class A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran, the defending state champion. “We love the challenge of playing the No. 1 team in 2A and then the No. 1 team in 1A,” Eagles coach Chuck Sorrell said. “We knew that Linton would be a tough game when we signed up to play them. We have to play physical. They are a very physical team and they have a lot of talent. Coach (Brian) Oliver does a great job of getting his teams ready to play. It will be a fun and exciting night at Wildman Stadium. Two ranked teams, both with the same goals of winning a state championship.” Linton is 8-0 and scoring 51 ppg, led by senior dual-threat QB Hunter Gennicks, who is a 1,000-yard passer and rusher this season. Oliver will be seeking his 100th career victory at the helm of the Miners this week. He has led the Miners to a state title in 2016, a state runner-up appearance in 2015 and a regional title in 2013. A year ago, the Miners went unbeaten in the regular season, then dropped a 28-27 decision to eventual 2A runner-up Evansville Mater Dei in the sectional semifinal. South Putnam comes into the game with a 7-1 mark - the lone blemish a 57-34 loss to unbeaten 3A No. 8 Owen Valley in Week 2 - and is coming off an impressive 49-20 victory at Heritage Christian, which was ranked in Class 2A. “We talked all week about going to someone else's neighborhood and being able to win the fight,” Sorrell said. “We had the best week of practice that we have had in my four years here. We talk every day about earning respect. Our goal was to get off the bus and be completely focused and ready to play.” Sophomore QB Wyatt Mullin has thrown for more than 1,100 yards, running an uptempo, no-huddle offense that is scoring 52 ppg. Senior RB Luke Switzer is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark rushing, while sophomore Wyatt Switzer and junior Drew Hill are the top receivers, both with more than 20 catches. Seniors Ethan Harcourt and Brock Heavin lead a talented offensive line. “When we installed this offense this summer, we wanted to get all of our skill players involved,” Sorrel said. “We have had multiple games where five or more players have scored touchdowns. We go into each game with the mentality that we will run power and counter with Luke Switer and Peyton Crickmore and screens to Wyatt Switzer and Drew Hill. Once that is established we are able to take a few chances down field to Zach Dorsett and Logan Tomaw.” Both teams have great football traditions. Linton has won 14 sectional and 10 regional titles in its history. South Putnam has 12 sectional and six regional titles. Both teams have a state championship trophy in the case - South Putnam’s from 1986, Linton’s from 2016. That success breeds success. “South Putnam is a football community,” Sorrel said. “Everyone that stands along the fence on Friday nights played here. Most of the kids that play for us, their families played for us. They want to win and all of our programs from first grade up through varsity win. While a lot of programs are struggling to increase the number of kids playing football, every level of football here the numbers increased.” Top 6As to face off It’s not the Final Four, but for the second time this season, the top four teams in Class 6A meet on the same weekend, as No. 1 Brownsburg travels to No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern with the Hoosier Crossroads Conference title on the line. Both teams are 8-0. Meanwhile, No. 3 Cathedral (6-1) travels to No. 2 Center Grove (7-1) in their annual Week 9 game. The teams have met annually in Week 9 since 2014, and every game but two has been decided by one score. Last year, CG won 21-6. Both have won back-to-back state titles: Center Grove in 6A, Cathedral in 5A. The Irish are back in Class 6A due to the IHSAA’s Tournament Success Factor. Tourney time The IHSAA drew the pairings for the upcoming state tournament Sunday. Classes A-4A will all begin Friday, Oct. 21 with seven and eight-team sectional fields. Classes 5A and 6A, because they have 32 teams each, will have a bye week and kick off their four-team sectional tournaments Friday, Oct. 28. Indianapolis Lutheran (Class A), Andrean (Class 2A), Indianapolis Chatard (Class 3A), Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (Class 4A) and Center Grove (Class 6A) will look to defend their titles. There will be a new champion in 5A as Indianapolis Cathedral is now in 6A. Other Week 9 games to watch 6A No. 5 Carroll (Fort Wayne) (8-0) at Fort Wayne Wayne (2-6) Lawrence Central (4-4) at 6A No. 7 Carmel (5-3) 6A No. 10 Elkhart (7-1) at 4A No. 8 New Prairie (7-1) 2A No. 8 Fort Wayne Luers (4-4) at 5A No. 1 Fort Wayne Snider (7-1) 5A No. 2 Merrillville (7-1) at Chesterton (3-5) 5A No. 5 Bloomington South (6-1) at Seymour (6-2) 5A No. 9 Valparaiso (5-3) at Lake Central (4-4) Delta (3-5) at 4A No. 1 New Palestine (8-0) 4A No. 2 Roncalli (7-1) at 4A No. 3 East Central (7-1) 4A No. 6 Evansville Reitz (8-0) at 2A No. 4 Evansville Mater Dei (6-2) Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (5-3) at Yorktown (6-2) 3A No. 1 West Lafayette (8-0) at Western (5-3) 3A No. 2 Gibson Southern (8-0) at Boonville (6-2) 3A No. 3 Indianapolis Chatard (5-3) at Cincinnati Elder 3A No. 5 Western Boone (7-1) at Lebanon (6-2) 3A No. 6 Hanover Central (8-0) at Calumet (8-0) 3A No. 7 Lawrenceburg (7-1) at South Dearborn (7-1) Southmont (6-2) at 3A No. 10 Tri-West (6-2) Lowell (5-3) at 2A No. 2 Anderan (6-2) 2A No. 3 LaVille (8-0) at Culver (5-3) 2A No. 6 Lafayette Central Catholic (6-2) at Hamilton Heights (6-2) Speedway (5-3) at 2A No. 7 Triton Central (6-2) 2A No. 9 Eastbrook (6-2) at Mississinewa (5-3) 2A No. 10 Eastside (6-2) at Angola (6-2) Rochester (7-1) at Maconaquah (6-2) Traders Point Christian (4-4) at 1A No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (8-0) 1A No.2 Adams Central (8-0) at Woodlan (4-4) 1A No. 10 Sheridan (7-1) at 1A No. 4 Carroll (Flora) (8-0)

LOS does convert the goalposts to the HS width for high school games. Only the NFL hashmarks are on the field permanently. They'll temporarily put the college or HS ones down for those games. NFL requires the posts to be 40' above the crossbar (and that was extended from 30' after a controversial good/no-good call when a kick sailed over the post). I don't know what the requirements are for NCAA, but it looks like most college posts I see are at least 20' and usually 30' above the crossbar. Some older HS teams, especially ones with the old H-style goalposts, have the posts extending 10' above the crossbar and no more.