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Welcome to The Gridiron Digest Indiana Football Report. Each week, we spotlight some of the teams and storylines from Indiana high school football. Titans reloading in Class 3A The Gibson Southern Titans are reloading after winning the Class 3A state championship, starting the season with a 2-0 record, defeating two 5A teams. The Titans beat Terre Haute South 27-20 in Week 1, then defeated New Albany 45-7 last week. They open Pocket Athletic Conference play this Friday at home against Washington. But playing two larger schools in the non-conference schedule - and a strong out-of-state team in Week 4 in South Warren (Ky.) - helps prepare the Titans for conference and tournament play. “I think it is so important to play teams like that. It really forces us to prepare and play at a high level,” Titans coach Nick Hart said. “Then, when we see phenomenal athletes in conference or in the tournament it is something we have seen. We play the defending 5A Kentucky champs next week. Last year they whooped us pretty good, but we learned some valuable lessons that game and I don't think we win a state championship without those lessons.” The Titans graduated a number of players from last year’s squad, including quarterback Brady Allen, who is now at Purdue, but had a strong offseason. “I think it is always a fear that when you reach that mountain top that there can be a hangover going into the offseason,” Hart said. “With everyone that graduated you are looking around for leaders. Our kids did a fantastic job this offseason. I could not have been more pleased with what they did from December-July.” Quarterback Tanner Boyd has taken the reins of the offense and completed 39-of-47 passes for 311 yards and five touchdowns, spreading the ball around to multiple receivers. He was 16-of-18 against New Albany. A dual-threat, he also had a 131-yard rushing game against Terre Haute South in the opener. RB Devan Roberts tallied 169 yards and two scores on 13 carries against New Albany. “He has been great,” the Titans’ coach Hart said of Boyd. “He brings a different dynamic with his legs. We put a lot on our quarterbacks from a decision making standpoint and he has made phenomenal decisions so far. He's a great kid and he has done a great job.” Brownsburg returning to glory It’s been nearly four decades since the Brownsburg Bulldogs sat atop the high school football world with back-to-back state titles in 1984 and 1985. This current crop of Bulldogs is seeking to add to that proud tradition. With Nick Hart's father John at the helm, the Bulldogs enter Hoosier Crossroads Conference play this week after a pair of statement wins in their non-conference schedule, punctuated last week with a 42-35 victory over defending 5A champion Indianapolis Cathedral. Brownsburg moved up to No. 2 in the Class 6A poll with the victory, which came on the heels of a 21-16 win over Ben Davis in the opening week. Last season, the Bulldogs went 9-3 and won their first sectional title since 2009. “Our kids love to compete and winning never gets old, but we try to keep everything in perspective,” Bulldogs coach John Hart said. “We try to stay hungry and humble.” Quarterback Jayden Whitaker completed 15-of-23 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown, winning a shootout with Cathedral’s Danny O’Neil, who threw for 317 yards and four scores. Whitaker and Corey Smith have had a strong connection threw two weeks - Whitaker has 430 yards passing and is completing 63 percent of his throws. Smith has seven catches for 196 yards, including a 142-yard game last week. Junior running back Garrett Sherrell added 129 yards and three scores. “Our success throwing the ball has been the accumulation of a lot of hard work from our players,” Hart said. “Their commitment to working in the spring and summer showed up at the Colts and Hoover 7-on-7 tournaments.” Hart has led Evansville Reitz and Warren Central to state championships. He is the father of Gibson Southern’s Nick Hart. When Gibson Southern won the 3A title last year, the Harts became the third father-son duo to coach teams to IHSAA state titles, joining Bud and Kevin Wright, as well as John and Vince Lidy. All four of Hart’s children are head coaches, as is his son-in-law. “Our kids are tremendous coaches & their success coaching has been incredible,” John Hart said. “We all talk often about football, weight training, and program development, but mostly about life and family. I think we are all each other's biggest fans...led by their mom.” Nick Hart echoed those sentiments. “It is really special,” he said. “When I was old enough, I was always at practice. It is a part of who I am. We talk a lot. It is super-busy this time of year but there are always conversations going on.” Mater Dei takes big step with win The Evansville Mater Dei Wildcats have taken a step each of the last three years - sectional champ in 2019, regional in 2020 and semistate champ in 2021. The Wildcats would love nothing more than to climb the last rung this season as they look to make their seventh State Finals appearance since 1994 and seek to win their first title since 2000. They made a significant statement last week, beating then-5A No. 7 Castle 17-14. Mater Dei moved up to No. 1 in the Class 2A polls with the victory. While it is early in the season, last week’s victory was a big one. I “It seems that the MD-Castle game is always so close and such a battle, Friday night was no different. We have the greatest respect for Coach Doug Hurt and his staff and program – actually, the two programs have very similar philosophies,” Mater Dei coach Mike Goebel said. “The outcome could have been different, the lead changed hands four times and we were able to capitalize on a fumble late after our go-ahead score. Either team could have won.” The victory was Goebel’s 250th career win in a 26-year head coaching career - all at Mater Dei. Quarterback Mason Wunderlich threw for 224 yards, including a three-yard TD to Luke McDermon in the final two minutes to put the Wildcats over the top. They then forced two turnovers to seal the game - recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. When the Knights got the ball back, Mater Dei’s Joey Pierre picked off a pass to seal the game. Wunderlich has thrown for more than 459 yards through two games after passing for 2,671 yards a year ago. Pierre has been the leading rusher in both games as well as playing solid defense. “We think we have a good blend of players,” Goebel said. Several seniors have played in many games and they lead the way. Mason Wunderlich is much-improved. Joey Pierre is an outstanding two-way player and our leading scorer. We have great competition among our receivers to actually get on the field--they are all trustworthy. The line on both sides of the ball has been battling and is improving by the day. As to our main players, we really look at it as the team is trying to find itself and improve, that requires excellent effort from everyone.” With the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference being a 10-team league, every week is a league game, and therefore an important one. “Every game in the SIAC is important,” Goebel said. “Parity seems to be the word this season as only two teams remain undefeated after 2 games. We are now locked in on a very much improved Vincennes Lincoln team this weekend. Coach (Levi) Salters could very easily be undefeated at this point.” Roncalli starting strong Roncalli has started the season strong under new head coach Eric Quintana. The Royals are ranked No. 2 in both Class 4A polls and were ranked No. 1 in the IFCA poll for a week. In Week 1, Luke Hansen broke a 21-year-old school record, rushing for 335 yards and five touchdowns against Southport. He ran for 182 yards on 37 carries in a 17-0 Week 2 victory over Franklin Central. Roncalli’s massive offensive line, led by Iowa commit Trevor Lauck, opens the way. “We focus on ourselves every day. Our emphasis every day is fundamentals and physicality. Our offensive line did a great job at doing their jobs at max effort. Luke did the same,” Quintana said of Hansen’s record-breaking day and start to the season. “He has naturally progressed over the summer and early fall at training his eyes and trusting the guys up front. It helps that he is great in the weight room and an all-state wrestler. We have the tools every week to be a leading rushing team in the state. It's easy to talk, we have to work every day. Very proud of our guys' work ethic so far.” A native of Plymouth, Quintana takes over at Roncalli after 11 seasons as an assistant coach at five different Central Indiana schools. He was on the staff for three state championship teams - with Carmel in 2016 and Indianapolis Bishop Chatard in 2019 and 2020. “The last few months have gone by fast,” Quintana said of taking over as the Royals’ head coach. “I personally like to just get involved and get to work. The first thing was to create relationships with my guys and hire the best staff for our guys. Once that was done, we got straight to work program-wide. The summer went well and the school year is off to a great start. Having a supportive administration and alumni group around is great. All hands on deck to continue and raise the standards of such a great traditional program.” Roncalli faces 3A No. 1 Indianapolis Chatard this week. Lions snap streak, start 2-0 Entering the 2022 season, the Rushville Lions had one varsity player who had experienced a victorious Friday night. That number now extends to the entire team, as the Lions have won back-to-back games to start the season for the first time since 2013. The Lions beat Milan 41-35 in Week 1 to snap a 24-game losing streak. It was their first victory since Sept. 20, 2019, when they beat Connersville in overtime. Rushville followed it up with a 41-39 victory over Shelbyville in the resumption of their longstanding rivalry that had been paused for a decade. For the Lions, the victories were a long time in the making. Isaac Sliger, a 2013 Rushville graduate, returned to the head coaching job at his alma mater last year and worked to build the culture. Last season, they went 0-10, but were playing a number of freshmen and sophomores and building. "When we came in, we understood we wanted to start over completely from scratch and rebuild from the ground up," Sliger said. "For us, that started with creating a culture of living in the weight room, creating high standards, holding players and coaches accountable and creating an environment where our athletes support other athletes and each other in their respective sports. As everyone knows, that is not an easy thing to do every single day, let alone when you are trying to build something from the ground up. Our kids have bought in and have done such an amazing job of doing things the right way." The Lions are led by senior quarterback Austin Vance, a four-year starter who missed all but one game last season with an injury. He threw for 217 yards and four touchdowns against Milan and 122 yards last week against Shelbyville. Junior Harper Miller ran for 169 yards in the win over Shelbyville. Sliger described Miller and Jayden Roosa as their "Thunder and Lightning" combo in the running game in their uptempo offense. Rushville hosts its first Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference foe, Franklin County, this week. "We know and understand we have a lot to prove," Sliger said. "We as a program are in uncharted waters. We are learning how to win games and learning how to raise standards daily, in practice, in film and in the classroom. The EIAC has some great programs that weekly are going to present challenges to each other. Our guys love the challenge." Notable Center Grove extended its winning streak to 30 games last week with a 31-27 win over Carmel behind 180 passing yards from QB Tyler Cherry, 129 of which went to Noah Coy. Carmel’s Jackson Kazmierczak was 22-of-34 for 353 yards and two touchdowns, with Reece Ballin on the receiving end of 156 of those yards. … Evansville Reitz’s Ben Davies was 22-of-30 for 317 yards in a 31-28 victory over Vincennes Lincoln. … East Central’s Cole Burton was 10-of-17 for 291 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-7 win over neighboring Harrison (Ohio). … Guerin Catholic’s Ryan Zimmerman topped the 300-yard mark for the second straight game, as he was 16-of-24 for 313 yards in a 47-10 victory over Lafayette Catholic. … North Harrison’s Sawyer Wetzel ran for 239 yards in a 42-6 win over Scottsburg … Perry Central’s Sawyer Guillaume had 269 rushing yards and three TDs in a 42-21 win over Forest Park. … North Knox’s Caleb Bottum ran for 274 yards and four TDs in a 45-14 victory over Eastern Greene. … Heritage Christian’s Luke Valerio had 185 yards receiving and four TDs on five catches in a 52-33 win over Shenandoah. The Raiders’ Mayson Lewis had 238 rushing yards in a losing effort. … Crawfordsville is 2-0 for the first time in eight years under new head coach Brad Clark. The Athenians had won three games total since 2017 prior to this year. Other games to watch this week 6A #1 Center Grove at Louisville Trinity 6A #3 Cathedral at 6A #7 Penn Detroit Cass Tech at 6A #6 Carmel 5A #9 Fort Wayne North at 6A #9 Carroll 6A #10 Homestead at Fort Wayne Luers Crown Point at 5A #1 Merrillville 5A #2 Whiteland at 5A #5 Decatur Central 4A #1 New Palestine at Yorktown 4A #4 East Central at Cincinnati Moeller 4A #8 Greenfield-Central at 4A #10 Mt. Vernon 2A #8 Heritage Christian at 3A #5 Guerin Catholic 2A #2 Eastbrook at Oak Hill 1A #1 Indianapolis Lutheran at 2A #7 Triton Central Covenant Christian at 1A #2 Adams Central 1A #7 North Decatur at 1A #4 Monroe Central

Generally, blatantly athletic transfers tend to fall into two categories *-Trophy-shopping - parents are looking for a place where their kid is most likely to win championships. These parents also tend to be really vocal on community social media groups and will let everyone in town know how superior their chosen school is compared to the local school. *-Conflicts with the coach/playing time/et al - you see this a lot. "My kid is a D1 player and they're not getting recruited so it's the coach's fault ... the coach isn't designing the offense around my kid ... the coach is mean to me ... the coach plays favorites." Often, these kids also seem to discover they're not getting recruited at other schools, too, and their kid isn't the focal center of the offense. I've seen both - especially in my years coaching and being around basketball. Sometimes, it's worked out and the kids climb the ladder (even though they play less minutes and have less of a role than they might have had they stayed home), sometimes, they sit the end of the bench when they could've been a rotation player. And they generally end up going to the same colleges they probably would've gone to before.

Me also. G-C is improved and opened some eyes with the road win at Plainfield. MV graduated a ton but still has some playmakers back from last year (Bridenthal, Burhenn, most notably) and has lost two games to larger schools. It's also MV's home opener after winning a state title, so expect a big crowd. Could go a long way in determining who the top three teams in the league will be.

I doubt many - if any - Catholics are attending Covenant. It's an Independent Christian Church-affiliated school connected to Chapel Rock Christian Church. But the families who aren't as concerned about the religious part and simply want their kids to go to a private/smaller school - especially Protestants - might be more likely to choose Covenant than Ritter (but would have chosen Ritter if it were the only private-school option on the westside with a football team, as it once was). Catholics will go to Catholic schools - and I can see a lot of Westside Catholics possibly moving over to Chatard or Cathedral, but for non-Catholic families, Covenant now has emerged as an option. Ritter canceled due to a lack of available players.

Brebeuf's surge in the last decade likely has a piece in that, too. A significant chunk of Brebeuf's enrollment comes from Carmel/Zionsville/Washington Township, but they seem to be drawing a few more of the St. Monica/Pike Township kids that historically would've gone to Ritter. Covenant having a good program and being another private school option that has football likely has affected them a bit. I've noticed a similar pattern with girls basketball on the northeast side, with Cathedral falling from state powerhosue status right about the same time Heritage Christian's rise began.

First week of conference play Greenfield-Central (2-0) at Mt. Vernon (0-2): WRGF-89.7. The Cougars are 2-0 for the first time since 2016. Mt. Vernon is 0-2 after winning the 4A state title last year. This is a measuring-stick game for both teams - can G-C break into the upper echelon of the league. Can MV break out of an 0-2 start and defend its conference title. County rivalry means a lot can happen. New Palestine (2-0) at Yorktown (2-0): NewPalRadio.com, WMUN-1340. Dragons have been impressive in steamrolling Westfield and Decatur Central. Yorktown has, too, in wins over Anderson and Muncie Central. Really like the RB matchup in this one with NP's Grayson Thomas and Yorktown's Jalen Thomas. Pendleton Heights (1-1) at New Castle (1-1): WEEM-91.7, WLTI-1550. This could be an intriguing matchup. PH is coming off a big win over Anderson. New Castle hasn't scored a lot of points this year and their air-raid offense depends on getting in shootouts. Last year's meeting was a 30-26 PH win. Both teams return a lot of key players. Shelbyville (0-2) at Delta (2-0): WSVX-1520/96.5. The Golden Bears are improving - especially on offense - but haven't been able to find the win column. Delta has won a couple of close, one-score games over Muncie Central and Columbia City.

New Palestine 49, Decatur Central 0. Wow. Franklin 20, Mt. Vernon 17. Marauders held an early lead but Franklin tied it in the third and won it with a FG in the fourth. Rushville 41, Shelbyville 39. Golden Bears mount a furious fourth-quarter comeback but falls short. Rushville 2-0 for the first time since 2013 Triton Central 21, New Castle 14. Back-and-forth game but the Trojans fall in the second half Pendleton Heights 42, Anderson 6. Arabians continue to be the kings of Madison County with the win Delta 21, Columbia City 14. Solid win for the Eagles, who are now 2-0 Greenfield-Central 44, Greensburg 0. G-C is ranked for the first time in at least a decade (and I think for the first time since 2004) and wins its home opener going away over Travis Nolting's alma mater Yorktown 27, Muncie Central 7. Tigers have allowed just one score in two games. They're 2-0 for the sixth straight year.

A kid can go wherever he wants. But a school cannot openly recruit students to play sports. Some walk right up to (and, honestly, obliterate) that line by hiring travel sports coaches whose players seem to just happen to transfer to that school (or people with connections to certain travel sports programs who act as "feeders" for those programs, but you cannot reach out to people to try to get them to transfer for athletic-related reasons. I've heard of schools skirting this by having the parents (so therefore, no official school personnel) reach out to promising middle schoolers at area schools. About 20 years ago, I got a phone call from the athletic secretary of a school fuming because she got a phone call from the parents at a local private school who were trying to sell them on the benefits of an education and the athletic experience at that school (her response: "I'm a school athletic department staffer, I know the rules, you're recruiting, but trying to get around it by having the parents contact me. And no, we're not going anywhere else." They can move on their own - and I coached kids in middle school whose parents were clearly shopping them around to every private school in the area - but coaches and school personnel cannot try to entice someone to leave their current school to attend yours.

Our grass field at New Palestine was a rutted mess and we spent a small fortune trying to just get it in playable shape. It was *only* used for the 15 or so varsity/JV/frosh games we'd host in a given year, as well as some band practices. Since putting in the turf, the field is probably used 200 days a year. The football team practices on it daily (and when they're not practicing on it, the soccer teams are). Both soccer teams host 1-2 games a year on it. Baseball practices on it in the winter and early spring. Summer/offseason workouts in multiple sports, club soccer teams rent the facility. It's been great. We've since built a new softball field with turf and are considering adding turf to our other outdoor venues because of the cost savings on maintenance and the amount of use (also, if you have turf fields, you're more likely to host IHSAA tournament events because the better drainage lessens the likelihood of a weather delay/cancellation).

Those two were on my list of "games to watch" but I was trying to keep it tight. There are plans to give the NLC some love here in the next few weeks.

Had a similar incident in a sectional game about nine years ago. A player was accused of throwing a punch when he didn't do anything of the sort. Was kicked out, film sent to the IHSAA and the suspension was rescinded.

The pod is a quick five-minute version intended for radio pregame shows (and it's running on at least three stations right now with hopefully more to come). Back in the day, TA and I hosted a podcast where we'd go around the state every week for about an hour, have guests, et al. I'd love to do something like that again but that pesky time gets in the way.

(Again, any newspaper, website or radio station that wants to use this content, it is yours free to use. Just make sure to give the author and GridironDigest.com credit. DM me your email address and I'll send it to you directly).

Greyhounds, Trojans to face off for Copper Kettle By Andrew Smith GridironDigest.com One of the state’s top rivalries isn’t forged by being neighbors, but competition on the football field. For the 25th time, Center Grove and Carmel will meet in the regular season, with the “Copper Kettle” trophy on the line this Friday at Center Grove. The two programs have become two of the state’s football blue-bloods, winning five of the last seven Class 6A state titles. Carmel has eight state titles in its history, Center Grove four. Three times since 2008, they’ve met for the state championship. CG is ranked No. 1 in Class 6A, Carmel No. 4. Interestingly, the No. 2 and 3 teams - Cathedral and Brownsburg - also meet this week. Their regular-season series has been dead-even - each team has won 12 games. “The rivalry is very important to the players,” Carmel coach John Hebert said. “I’m trying to get them to understand that it is just one game and it’s only Week 2 but I don’t think they are buying that. It will be a very tough, physical game. (Center Grove has) won 29 games in a row, so it goes without saying that are extremely hard to beat. I think if you are a real competitor, you love a game like this. We are all excited for the opportunity.” Center Grove, winners of the last two state titles, has the fourth-longest winning streak in the IHSAA tournament era. The longest is 34 games, held by Warren Central from 1983-86. Carmel was the last team to knock off the Trojans in the 2019 state title game - and the desire for the Greyhounds’ seniors to get back to Lucas Oil Stadium is palpable. “Our seniors were freshman when we last won the 6A title so they are very intent on earning a ring,” Hebert said. “They are very focused getting that opportunity and seem to understand that it is a season long process to get there. They’ve been a lot of fun to coach already.” The Trojans’ attack was led last week by senior running back Micah Coyle, who tallied 221 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-8 victory over Warren Central. Tyler Cherry takes over at quarterback, with two-year starter Tayven Jackson having graduated and now playing at the University of Tennessee. Carmel, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, dropped a 17-7 decision to Kentucky powerhouse Louisville Trinity in the opener. Blake Matthews had 87 receiving yards and a touchdown to lead the Greyhounds, while senior Reece Bellin had 65 yards receiving last week. Desmond Duffy is an Ohio University commit, giving quarterback Jackson Kazmierczak a number of quality targets. “The 2022 Carmel team is a very experienced team with several starters returning, but as per usual Carmel will have great size and speed,” CG coach Eric Moore said of this week’s opponent. “Carmel’s offense runs the ball with speed and power, but has an excellent passing attack, with a big offensive line that is quite athletic.” Both teams are stout defensively. Carmel’s defense is led by 6-6 linebacker Will Heidt - whom Moore cited as one of the state’s top players - and safety Winston Berguland, a fellow Purdue commit. Mason Bardwell had 15 tackles and Hunter Snow 14 against Trinity. CG’s Parker Doyle had a team-high seven tackles and an interception in the win over Warren Central. Safety Jalen Thomeson is the leading returning tackler, with 60 tackles and an interception in 2021. For the Trojans to keep the Copper Kettle, ball control will be key. “The Trojans will have to control the football and not have useless turnovers, Moore said. “First downs for the will be key and will keep the Carmel offense off the field. Once again the Trojan defense must eliminate the big play drive and make Carmel earn every yard.” Battle of 5A/4A heavyweights The first time New Palestine and Decatur Central met on the football field, it was the 2018 State Finals - a game won by New Palestine 28-14. Even then, the two schools had planned to face off in the regular season, and they’ll face off Friday at New Palestine in a matchup of top-two teams in their respective classes. Decatur Central is No. 2 in Class 5A, while New Palestine is No. 2 in the IFCA 4A poll and No. 1 in the AP, returning to the top spot for the first time since the start of the 2020 season. Big non-conference matchups are nothing new for either squad. This week will be New Palestine’s sixth consecutive non-conference game against a ranked team since a 2019 - facing Center Grove, Brebeuf Jesuit, Decatur Central and Westfield in that stretch, all of which have recently been to the State Finals. Decatur Central has also faced Center Grove and Westfield in recent years, as well as Franklin Central and Roncalli. “Our number 1 goal is to win the Mid-State Conference, but a close second is to be playing our best football in November when it matters most. We feel playing great competition early helps us get to where we need to be in November,” Decatur Central coach Kyle Enright said. DC beat Columbus North 26-12 in last week’s opener and features one of the state’s top seniors in quarterback/linebacker Aycen Stevens, a Virginia Tech commit. “Aycen is a talented football player, but an even better young man. He leads by example and has taken that a step further as a senior and has become a vocal leader as well,” Enright said, calling Stevens a coach on the field. Stevens and fellow linebacker Cam Renick - who are also best friends - both spent the offseason recovering from knee injuries and pushing themselves to get back into action. “They pushed each other to get back on the field by June,” Enright said. “When your best players are your hardest workers, you have a chance to be a very good team and no one outworks Aycen and Cam.” K.C. Berry played a big role in the Hawks’ season-opening win. He had a 35-yard interception return for a score and an 86-yard TD reception last week. New Palestine opened the year with a 42-28 victory over Westfield, which entered the year ranked No. 6 in Class 6A. The Dragons used their offensive line - led by Louisville commit Luke Burgess and heavily-recruited junior Ian Moore - to amass 299 yards on the ground, 189 of which belonged to junior Grayson Thomas. The Dragons ran the ball on all but two of their second-half snaps. Leading 28-14 in the third quarter, New Palestine ground out an eight-minute drive to restore a three-score lead, and then finished the game with another long march. “We told them at halftime … you guys are going to have to win the game for us,” New Palestine coach Kyle Ralph said. “If we’re supposed to have a really good offensive line that’s as talented as they are, as heralded as they are, those are things you expect. You put the game on their back and they delivered. For Week 1, that’s something you want to see, especially against a very good inside six as Westfield has.” Big game in the Fort In Fort Wayne, two heavyweights won their first games, as 5A No. 3 Snider defeated arch-rival Fort Wayne North 20-18, while 6A No. 10 Carroll won 42-3 over Luers. This contest, which Carroll will host, is an early test for both teams and could go a long way in determining the Summit Athletic Conference champion. Two of the last three matchups between the schools have been decided by one point. Sophomore quarterback Jimmy Sullivan threw for 234 yards and three scores in Carroll’s win over Luers, completing passes to six different receivers. Snider coach Kurt Tippmann described the Chargers as a team that is very well-coached by Doug Dinan, plays extremely hard and has a quick, disruptive defense. For Snider, Luke Haupert returns at quarterback and led the Panthers to an early two-score lead before they held off a late North comeback last week. The Panthers return their top three receivers. “Game 1 is always a bit sloppy and certainly was the case for us,” Snider coach Kurt Tippmann said. “However, we were extremely proud of our players toughness and willingness to fight in a tight game and come away with a victory. I think North Side is a good team and will make tough competition for the SAC opponents.” This is the final time the SAC will play a nine-game conference schedule, as the league will split into divisions next season. Thus, each week in the 10-team conference has title implications. Snider, Carroll and Luers shared the league title with 8-1 regular-season records a year ago. “I think our schedule is great and does do a great job preparing for the playoff season,” Tippmann said. “Each week we face players that can take over a game and score any time they touch the ball. The coaching is good and provides a great challenge every week. Next year will be different and we look forward to facing some non-conference opponents to get experience with other teams.” Milestone win Mooresville coach Mike Gillin reached a milestone last week in the Pioneers’ 38-13 victory over Bloomington North. The victory was Gillin’s 350th in a career that has spanned 44 seasons. He is in his sixth season at Mooresville after stints at Indian Creek, Decatur Central and Tri-West. Gillin led Tri-West to the Class 2A State Finals in 1989. Most recently, he took Mooresville to the semistate in 2020. “I’ve had a lot of good support and some good kids,” Gillin told the Martinsville Reporter-Times. “The formula’s pretty obvious. If you’ve got kids who want to compete, practice and work hard, you’ll win. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of those.” Gillin is the fourth-winningest coach in Indiana, behind Sheridan’s Bud Wright (436 wins), Knox’s Russ Radtke (380 wins) and former Jasper coach Jerry Brewer (368 wins). Mooresville hosts Danville this week. Quick hits Roncalli running back Luke Hansen ran for 335 yards and five touchdowns Friday in the Royals’ 46-7 victory over Southport. That broke a 20-year-old school record previously held by Marcus Nally. … Two teams broke long skids last week. Rushville snapped a 24-game losing steak with a 41-35 win over Milan. It was the Lions’ first victory since Sept. 20, 2019, and the first career head coaching win for Isaac Sliger, a former Rushville player. The Lions face Shelbyville this week. North Miami beat Manchester 14-12, snapping an 18-game skid that had dated back to Aug. 28, 2020. … Tri-West’s Ty Owens threw for 380 yards in a 20-14 victory over Western, completing 27-of-40 passes. The Class 3A No. 4 Bruins face 4A No. 9 Brebeuf Jesuit this Friday. Braves QB Nolan Buckman threw for 2,993 yards in leading Brebeuf to the Class 3A State Finals last year. … Guerin Catholic’s Ryan Zimmerman also had a stellar season-opening passing performance, completing 26-of-39 for 363 yards in a 45-21 victory over McCutcheon. … There were two changes atop the IFCA poll. In Class 4A, Roncalli moved to No. 1 after its win over Southport and Noblesville’s 43-35 victory over previous No. 1 Mt. Vernon. In Class 2A, Evansville Mater Dei moved to No. 1 with a 35-0 victory over Evansville Central. Previous No. 1 Andrean fell 27-7 to 5A No. 1 Merrillville. … Center Grove (6A), Merrillville (5A), Indianapolis Chatard (3A) and Indianapolis Lutheran (1A) remained No. 1 after season-opening wins. Other key games this week 6A #9 Lawrence North at 5A #3 Whiteland 3A #6 Guerin Catholic at 2A #5 Lafayette Central Catholic 5A #7 Castle at 2A #1 Evansville Mater Dei South Bend St. Joseph at 5A #6 Mishawaka 4A #4 East Central at Harrison (Ohio) 4A #9 Brebeuf at 3A #4 Tri-West East Noble at 4A #7 NorthWood Tech at 3A #1 Indianapolis Chatard Speedway at 2A #7 Scecina Indianapolis Ritter at 1A #1 Indianapolis Lutheran

It appears someone clicked New Prairie on the drop-down menu instead of New Palestine (which checks out - New Prairie got 9 votes, and a second-place vote for New Pal would've been 9 points ... it appears NP got 7 first-place and 2 second-place votes, which is 88 points). Same thing happened last week when Martinsville got a first-place vote that appeared to be meant for Mooresville.

Who are the 8-man programs? I see Blackhawk Christian, Rock Creek Academy, Indiana Deaf and Dugger are confirmed for this year from perusing news stories. Waldron and Irvington Prep are two more I've seen who were planning to have programs. Any others?

No. The Success Factor "stay-up" points *only* apply to schools that have moved up. Merrillville was 6A due to enrollment, therefore, it did not accumulate Success Factor points. It is properly placed in 5A. Now, I'm sure someone will propose a bylaw change if they win state this year, but that's how things are for now.

Last week of non-conference play Decatur Central at New Palestine: (IHSAAtv.org & NewPalRadio.com): Fresh off their 42-28 win over Westfield, the Dragons host another ranked team in a larger enrollment class in Decatur Central. The Hawks jumped out to a 31-17 halftime lead before the Dragons held them scoreless in the second half. A late touchdown pass and an onside kick recovery gave NP a chance to win, but a last-second field goal went wide in a 31-29 Hawks win. DC lost a lot to the diploma but KC Berry had a huge week last week. Mt. Vernon at Franklin: The Marauders lost to Noblesville in their opener for the second straight year, falling in a 43-35 barnburner. Looks like MV won't have much problem scoring with Eli Bridenthal and George Burhenn providing offense, but MV struggled to stop Noblesville's power running game last week. Things won't get much easier with a trip to Franklin, which posted an impressive win over Danville in Week 1 and possesses an excellent athlete at WR - and the nation's top baseball prospect - in Max Clark. Shelbyville at Rushville (WSVX-1520 - Giant.FM): An old rivalry that went away when Rushville left the HHC in 2013 is back. Both programs have struggled of late. Rushville snapped a 24-game losing streak last week with a 41-35 win over Milan. Shelbyville has won two games since 2018. The Bears had a halftime lead against Greensburg last week but fell 35-21. Triton Central at New Castle (WLTI-1550): The Trojans knocked off Franklin County 18-12 in OT last week, their second win over the Wildcats since the series began in 2014. It's an all-green matchup as New Castle faces Tim Able's Triton Central squad. TC has been one of the stronger teams in Class 2A in recent years and beat Cascade 42-14 last week. Anderson at Pendleton Heights (WEEM-91.7): A cross-county matchup that's been pretty lopsided in the Arabians' favor. PH has won six straight meetings and 10 of the 11 matchups since the series began in 2011. Both teams are coming off Week 1 losses. Columbia City at Delta: A matchup of Eagles. Delta's Eagles dispatched Muncie Central 34-28 last week. Columbia City's won 31-7 over Churubusco. Delta won last year's meeting 14-10. An intriguing inter-regional matchup. Greensburg at Greenfield-Central (WRGF-89.7): G-C posted a big 30-28 win at Plainfield that raised a lot of eyebrows in Central Indiana. Coach Travis Nolting faces his alma mater in a game where the Cougars should be a favorite. The Cougars are seeking their first 2-0 start since 2015. Muncie Central at Yorktown (WXFN.com & IHSAAtv.org): The Tigers dispatched Anderson 20-0 last week, but face an improved Muncie Central squad that pushed Delta to a one-score game in Week 1. Yorktown is seeking its sixth consecutive 2-0 start to the season.

Basically, this. IHSAAtv.org is essentially a clearinghouse for a lot of independent broadcasters (and the fees go directly to each broadcaster), so it's difficult to have a blanket charge and figure out who it needs to go to.

Week 1 scores. HHC goes 5-3 in the first of two non-conference weeks. Delta 34, Muncie Central 28 Greenfield-Central 30, Plainfield 28 Greensburg 35, Shelbyville 21 Lebanon 26, Pendleton Heights 12 New Castle 18, Franklin County 12, OT New Palestine 42, Westfield 28 Noblesville 43, Mt. Vernon 35 Yorktown 20, Anderson 0

You probably figured this out, but NewPalRadio.com is an audio stream. We provide the audio for the IHSAAtv video stream.

Bumping as we're now at Game 1 of the 2022 season. Lots of intriguing matchups in the league this week. Only two matchups with NCC schools, when there used to be so many, the first two weeks might as well have been the HHC-NCC challenge (which the HHC dominated every year). To follow Westfield at New Palestine: NewPalRadio.com, 107.5 The Fan & IHSAAtv.org/NewPalestine Greenfield-Central at Plainfield: WRGF-89.7 (available on TuneIn) Greensburg at Shelbyville: WSVX-1520 (giant.fm) New Castle at Franklin County: WLTI-1550 (no webcast) Pendleton Heights at Lebanon: WEEM-91.7 (link) Delta at Muncie Central: WXFN-1340 (WXFN.com), video webcast on IHSAAtv.org Yorktown at Anderson: WHBU-1240 (1240whbu.com) Mt. Vernon at Noblesville: Looks like it will be on IHSAAtv.org via Hamilton County TV

... I'll be at Westfield at New Palestine, doing the play-by-play for NewPalRadio.com & IHSAAtv.org. Looking forward to an intriguing matchup - both teams have multiple Div. I players. Westfield has a lot of talent even though it graduated a lot last year. New Pal is talented and experienced and generally punches above its weight pretty well. The two coaches are very good friends and the programs mirror each other in a lot of ways.

It's Week 1 of the season. Where are you going, which games are you watching, what are you looking for?