crimsonace1

Probably one of the most desirable jobs in the state. No program has the resources Carmel has. They have the largest student body in Indiana, a commitment to athletics (the main reason why Carmel hasn't split is because they don't want to weaken their athletic programs), Taj Mahal facilities, the wealthiest public school community in the state, kids who come from stable homes with parents who are motivated and expect success (and are willing to pay for extra training, et al). But with that comes high expectations. If you're not playing on Thanksgiving weekend on a regular basis, you're not going to last long there. Also, you have a community full of business leaders and Type A-type parents who are used to getting their way (and more than a few who will attempt to micromanage every aspect of their kids's life) and neither they nor their kids are used to being told "no." You're going to have them in your program. Not in football, but I have some connections to Carmel in other sports, and there's lots of "daddy ball" issues there at the lower levels.

I could see the MIC extending an invite to them (but not CG) to return, but that seems highly unlikely given the severe competitive imbalance beyond football and boys/girls basketball. The HCC had a chance, and turned Carmel (and CG) down and instead invited Franklin Central to fill its eighth spot. Have heard that Olympic sport coaches had a big hand in that - you know if you're bringing Carmel into the league, you're probably never finishing higher than second in the conference in tennis, swimming, et al. Carmel will likely be an independent for the foreseeable future.

It reminds me of when I used to coach girls basketball and we'd coach some of our junior high travel teams. We'd spend our time teaching fundamentals and we'd play man-to-man defense because we knew it would teach our kids to *learn to play defense.* We're still learning how to dribble, pass and shoot. Invariably, you'd run into some daddy-ball coaches with backwards hats who did nothing but full-court press and play 2-3 zone in a sixth-grade girls "B" game with a lot of beginner players, and they'd be over there congratulating themselves on their coaching acumen because press would yield 4-5 steals for layups a game. I always took satisfaction when our kids would beat theirs in high school games a few years later, because we'd actually spent time drilling fundamentals instead of teaching them defense consisted of making one trap and then getting a steal, which works in sixth grade but doesn't work as well with 11th graders.

Both of these teams should be really good next year, too. Chatard has five underclassmen starting on each side of the ball, including some of its biggest playmakers (Harrington, Graves & Adams). NP starts 10 juniors on defense and six juniors, a sophomore and a freshman on offense. NP does bump up if it wins state, since it won a regional last year.

Heck, even at high schools where they run the most "modern" spread with tons of RPO actions, the youth programs 6th grade and below are often running some version of an under center Wing-T, double-wing or I-formation offense, because it's about blocking defenders, running the football and most kids that age aren't really well-suited to passing yet.

To pull this from the discussion of SOS and rankings and to the actual game at hand ... These two teams mirror each other. Both spread offenses with a home-run hitter in the passing game, accurate junior QBs and very good, fast defenses. Chatard's Jack Harrington does a nice job of spreading the ball around. They use a lot of play-action and misdirection in the passing game to get guys open, and Julio Graves is a big-time deep threat. He torched Roncalli last week on three deep balls. The running game is solid - Daniel Adams is small, but quick. Daniel Shaw isn't much bigger - both are 5-7 - and didn't play last week. They have similar stats - they've combined for nearly 1,500 yards, splitting the carries and yards almost exactly evenly between them. I like their TEs, who they threw to a lot last week. Chatard's defense is very fast, with excellent LBs. Zach Gantz has 4 INTs this season, and LB Declan Hostettler had a pick-6 against Roncalli last week. You could almost replace names with New Pal. Jacob Davis spreads the ball around well, throws a really good ball both short and deep, and uses all of his receivers. He's also a solid runner. Austin McMahan is a deep threat, with six TDs of 40+ yards this season. NP likes to spread the field both vertically and horizontally with the passing game, and also with the running game, with the threat of the jet sweep with their slots complementing Josh Ranes up the middle. Ranes has 1,841 yards and 23 TDs this season - a big, power back who has excellent speed and is a threat to take it to the house on any play. NP's line is big and good, anchored by Brock Brownfield, who has multiple Power 4 offers. Defensively, NP has been very stout against the run, holding teams to 2.5 yards per carry (in the half of the unfinished game against Decatur Central, the Hawks had 25 yards on 8 carries), led by 2x All-State DL Michael Thacker and a deep linebacking corps. Conner Jacobia has four INTs this year, while Caden Jacobia and Aalijah Lissade both have INTs in each of the last two games. From watching both teams (I've seen every NP snap and have watched Chatard on film), they're very closely matched and mirror each other. Both teams are very disciplined, well-coached, have playmakers on the perimeter, fast, physical lines and defenses and playmakers throughout. Turnovers and special teams will be key. NP has had two long kick returns the last two weeks to set up scores, BC gave up a kick return TD and fumbled a punt return but also forced a turnover on a punt last week. Both are *really* aggressive on the punt block. Chatard has given up some yards in the running game, NP has given some up in the passing game. If NP can establish its running game and control the LOS, it will be successful. If Chatard can dial up some big plays in the air, it will be successful. If either team can win the turnover or special teams battle, that will go a long way in deciding it. I'll have the audio broadcast at NewPalRadio.com. There will be a couple of video webcasts on IHSAAtv.org, too, but mute them and sync up our audio.

They were trying to run a read-option and struggled with Snider's speed. Made adjustments on both ends and dominated the game until that point until the kicker kicked deep when he wasn't supposed to and that flipped the game. Who they played in Week 3 had nothing to do with it. Nothing.

You're forgetting Decatur Central, because that game was called at halftime and ruled a no-contest so it's not on Harrell. NP had nearly 300 yards of offense in the half that was played and moved the ball very effectively against a likely 5A state finalist. DC is ranked higher than every team on Chatard's schedule except Cathedral. I'm not saying NP is the favorite, but these are probably the two best teams in 4A and it should be a very good game, but who they played in Week 5 is irrelevant to what will happen on Friday night.

If not for two really horrendous calls - a TD taken off the board for an illegal forward pass when the QB was a yard behind the LOS when he threw the ball, and a clear fumble three plays before Roncalli's last TD where the runner was incorrectly ruled down - NP might have won that Roncalli game in 2022, too. NP's failure to convert multiple fourth-and-1s turned out to be their downfall, but that was a one-possession game for most of the night. 2021 was a rebuilding year and a surprise sectional title, but they managed to keep Cathedral a two-possession game. They scored 61 freaking points against Snider in 2015. The difference in that game was a blocked PAT and NP had no real answer for Snider's speed on the perimeter. Schedule had *nothing* to do with it. They beat Columbus East, Zionsville and Castle - not exactly chopped liver - to get to Lucas Oil. As far as "can they compete with the Top 10 6A teams," guess what, they don't need to. They're a 4A school, they need to beat the top 4A teams. Chatard will be the best team NP will have faced this season. This should be a very close, well-played game between two very good, well-coached teams.

You realize New Pal practices against New Pal every day, right? I hear this every year. "They don't play anybody" (which we'll hear unless the schedule includes 1991 Ben Davis, 2007 Warren Central, et al), "their schedule is weak." And yet, NP has won six regional titles in the last 11 years, several of them in a class higher than their enrollment level. They faced a likely 5A State Finals team in Week 2. They obliterated a ranked Greenfield-Central team in Week 6. They faced a decent Kokomo team in Week 1 - one down by their standards, but still solid. New Pal doesn't duck anyone. They've played Whiteland, Westfield and Center Grove in the past in the non-conference (as well as Brebeuf when they've been surging). They've play Decatur Central every year for the last four seasons. Schedules don't win championships. Players do.

Yes, they have. Mt. Vernon never got to running clock in the sectional, and Kokomo in the opener was a two-score game until a 99-yard TD pass in the final six minutes. Decatur Central was 21-21 at halftime - and that was because NP had played horrendous in the first half with some unforced errors - and then got called due to an eagle-eyed official spotting lightning in the clouds from two counties away. And, as far as two-way starters, they have a few guys who start on defense and are half-time on offense or vice-versa - but about 2-3 guys who are full-time both ways. It's not really a major concern. NP's conditioning is top-notch.

Parents want their kids running 4/5-wide spread because that's what they see on Saturdays and it's "more exciting." I remember Mt. Vernon running the Wing-T in the Doug Peacock days, winning a *ton*, and parents (especially the parents of QBs and WRs) nonstop kvetching from the stands because they "didn't pass enough." Same thing with another Wing-T program in the area in my newspaper days. So, they went spread one year and went 1-9 ... then went back to the Wing-T and started winning games again. Kokomo - same thing. Ran the double-wing "phone booth" offense with Brett Colby. He retires, they go to a spread attack, get pummeled for a few years, hire Austin Colby and go back to the "phone booth" and they're a state contender again. Bottom-line, old-school football does work - and can even mask a talent deficiency - but you have to have people committed to it. But it's not flashy, and parents feel like their kids are losing "college opportunities" if they're not running a "modern" offense. It's also hella hard to win in the HCC, which is probably the deepest conference in the state right now. You might be the 10th best team in the state and go 3-6.

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Site: Kelso Stadium, New Palestine Broadcast: NewPalRadio.com & WEEM-91.7 New Palestine is gunning for its fourth straight sectional title - which would be a first in school history. PH is shooting for its first sectional since 2011, when it won at an undefeated New Palestine team. PH struggled in the middle part of the season, losing four straight games, but enters the sectional on a four-game winning streak, including a big 31-21 victory over Greenfield-Central last week. The Arabians feature the Hoosier Heritage Conference's leading passer, Colton Frank, and second-leading rusher Keaton Jones. Nate DeRolf leads a deep receiving corps. PH's defense carried the Arabians last week, with three interceptions and four takeaways allowing it to take an early lead and keep a lead and avenge a regular-season loss. NP has been rolling, beating Yorktown 41-7 last week while rushing for 356 yards and intercepting three passes - including a pick-6 by Connor Jacobia. The Dragons also had six sacks. The Dragons feature the HHC's leading rusher, Josh Ranes, and a talented passing game led by Jacob Davis - the conference's second-leading passer - and a deep corps of receivers. But the Dragons' hallmark has been a defense that allows less than three yards per rush and has posted three shutouts, led by All-State DL Michael Thacker. NP won 56-17 in the regular season, gaining 641 total yards and 473 on the ground. Ranes ran for 268 yards and Gavin Neal ran for 108. Frank threw for 284 yards and a touchdown.

From what I've heard, the AD was probably as more involved than the coaches in confronting the officials prior to the flag being thrown. That's almost certainly what "administrative actions" refers to.

Have a question about illegal forward pass enforcement based on a play I saw a long time ago. It's usually 5 yards from spot of foul + loss of down. But usually, it's a QB throwing a pass who's a yard or two beyond the LOS when he throws. However, saw a play many, many years ago in a college game - when the option was more prevalent - and am wondering how this would be adjudicated. Team has the ball, say, at its own 30, 3rd-and-5. QB keeps and breaks downfield, gaining 15 yards to its 45. Defender closes, so he pitches to the RB. However, the pitch is forward and is caught at the 47. It is correctly flagged for illegal forward pass. However, since the line to gain has been achieved ... is it 1st-and-10 from the -40 (which is what I assume), or is it 2nd-and-10 to account for the loss of down? I'm assuming it's *not* fourth down in this scenario. == Now, what if the line to gain had been gained, but the penalty enforcement takes them behind the sticks ... So, same scenario. 3rd-and-5 from the -35. QB carries to the 37, then throws an illegal forward pass. Is it 4th-and-3 from the 32 at that point?

Sectional 21 is (again) the HHC Tournament, while Delta is alive in Class 3A Class 4A Sectional 21 Greenfield-Central (8-2) at Pendleton Heights (5-5): This was a close game when they met in Week 4 - G-C won a 28-14 decision, but it involved a goal-line stand. PH has had some good wins (47-20 over Yorktown) and some head-scratching losses in that time, while G-C's only blemishes have been against New Palestine and Yorktown. When the Arabians are good, they're *really* good, led by HHC passing leader Colton Frank. G-C gained 325 yards on the ground and nearly 500 total yards in their regular season meeting. New Palestine (9-0) at Yorktown (7-3): The Dragons were tested a bit last week against Mt. Vernon, which hit two long pass plays and slowed the game down to keep contact. The Tigers have been playing good football of late - they've won four of their last five, including a 28-27 win over Mt. Vernon in Week 9. Sam Tokar threw the ball well against the Dragons in their Week 3 meeting, but NP's running game was too much. Josh Ranes ran for 177 yards on 10 carries in that game. If NP can control the trenches, it will be successful. If Yorktown can get its passing game going, it will find success. Class 3A Sectional 28 Delta (5-5) at Mississinewa (10-0): Delta's 54-14 win over 8-1 Heritage last week opened a lot of eyes, but not around the HHC. The Eagles have been competitive all season, despite being the smallest school in the conference, but it hasn't translated to wins. They have a veteran team with Bronson Edwards, Zane Cline and Nolan Carpenter at the helm on offense, and a very solid defense. Ole Miss will be a challenge, but Delta could put a scare into the Indians.

That's what I thought, which leads me to believe the one crew just got confused on whether it was Friday night or Saturday afternoon. I think the previous LOS was the +23 and they placed the ball at the +8.

This is probably cut-and-dried, but I've seen this enforced two different ways *this season*. Defensive pass interference inside the 30 yard line (e.g., let's say the team has the ball at the +25, DPI occurs in the end zone). Is enforcement half the distance (so, in this case, to the 12.5 yard line) or is the full 15 stepped off on pass interference up to the 2 yard line? In one case in a game this season, the crew stepped off half the distance. In another, the crew stepped off the full 15.

This is why, as a broadcaster, I try to keep up with the rules (and if something unusual happens in a game, I ask an officiating friend - you've been a big help a couple of times), because I want to make sure we're *not* giving our listeners bad information. I often find myself explaining on-air the differences between NCAA & NFHS rules (especially when there's DPI when there's 15+ yards to gain and it doesn't yield a first down, or what happens when a missed field goal attempt crosses the goal line and comes out to the 20). Funny thing is, someone approached me at church on Sunday and asked me about *this specific play*, and I was able to tell him - because of this forum - that the offended team has the option to enforce the penalty on the try or kickoff in NFHS rules. I also broadcast hockey and keep a copy of the league rulebook in my bag so I can refer to it in an unusual situation.

Center Grove, demographically, is very similar to Carmel. It's where the big houses, high-dollar neighborhoods are. The neighborhoods east of Greenwood in the Whiteland district are growing suburban areas, too, and probably will be very demographically similar to HSE or Westfield. Greenwood is a town of mostly smaller, older housing stock with a lot of apartment complexes/rental housing. It's still a nice suburb, but it's not the high-rent districts like CG and (to a lesser degree, Clark Township/Whiteland district to the east).

Wide range of enrollments - two 4A teams with more than 1K students (but stagnant enrollments) in Shelbyville/Greenwood on one end and a few 2As with 500ish students in Speedway and Triton Central on the other. It feels like a bit of a marriage of convenience ... a few teams that felt like they couldn't compete in their current leagues, another that basically got kicked out of its conference because it was too good, and one that was a horrible geographic fit in its previous league and found something closer to home. The Hoosier Heritage and Mid-State are traditional *conferences* - similarly-sized schools (the HHC's enrollment spread pretty much mirrors the top and bottom of 4A) with similar academic/community profiles that had a lot in common. The Mid-State has begun to see suburbanization and growth hit some schools (Whiteland to a big degree, Franklin & Plainfield to a lesser degree), while others have largely been stagnant or declining (Mooresville, Martinsville) ... DC & PM are great competitive fits even though they're more recent additions. The MIC & Hoosier Crossroads are also great examples of traditional conferences of similar-size, similar-profile schools. However, Shelbyville felt it wasn't competitive in the HHC, and Greenwood had been badly outsized by the Mid-State (interestingly, Greenwood had wanted to go into the HHC in 2013, but that move was vetoed by their school board, who demanded they stay in the Mid-State with their traditional rivals). Marriage-of-convenience conferences have existed as long as conferences have. Some really work, some don't last very long (feels like the now four-team Sagamore is one of those, and will need to find some new teams or it may be short-lived). Heck, Conference Indiana has soldiered on as one in some form since it was formed as a merger of the remnants of the old Central Suburban & South Central conferences, but especially so since it traded THN & THS with the MIC for Pike & LC.

TV news stations are hurting for cash. They've had to cut way back on both personnel and operations, and a chopper is really expensive to operate.

Saw this on Facebook, someone looking for a list of traveling/rivalry trophies. A few I know of Boundary Rail: New Palestine vs. Mt. Vernon. Piece of interurban track from the U.S. 40 corridor (roughly the boundary between the school districts). It owes its origin to the GID. It's typically painted in the winning team's school colors. War on 44: A trophy game between Rushville and Connersville. Plow Share & Anvil: Eastern Hancock vs. Knightstown. It's a replica, because a real plow share and anvil would be insanely heavy. Putnam County Bucket: It's a football *and* boys basketball challenge trophy between the four Putnam County schools - Cloverdale, Greencastle, North Putnam, South Putnam - held by the winner until beaten.

Sectional 21 is basically the HHC Tournament 4A Sectional 21 Beech Grove (4-5) at Greenfield-Central (7-2): The teams met in Week 1, with the Cougars winning 50-8. G-C bounced back nicely from a two-game skid midseason with two running-clock wins over Delta and New Castle to hit the ground running going into the tournament. New Castle (4-5) at Pendleton Heights (4-5): When they met in Week 3, the Arabians won a 42-21 decision. Both of these teams have been in the middle of the pack - PH beat NC, Yorktown and Shelbyville; while NC beat Delta, Yorktown and Shelbyville. PH has the HHC's leading passer in Colton Frank, but NC's Carson Bell is not too far behind. The Arabians finished well, with a 47-20 victory over Yorktown and a 42-14 win over Shelbyville, snapping a four-game midseason skid. NC has dropped three straight to Mt. Vernon, New Palestine and Greenfield-Central. Yorktown (6-3) at Richmond (1-8): The Tigers have had a surprisingly good season, led by a really talented group of experienced skill players surrounding sophomore QB Sam Tokar. The Tigers have posted a couple of signature wins over Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon, but they sandwiched a 27-point loss to Pendleton Heights. The Tigers should be very heavily favored in this game against a Richmond team allowing 52 ppg and whose only win is against 0-9 Anderson. Mt. Vernon (4-5) at New Palestine (8-0): The Dragons have gone to a running clock in all seven of their conference games, and played one of their best all-around games in Week 4, when they rolled up 49 first-half points in a 56-8 victory at Mt. Vernon. Sophomore quarterback Mason Meyer has had some more time to get acclimated to varsity football after a baptism-by-fire first four weeks, and has performed well. MV is averaging 28 ppg and beat Delta, Pendleton Heights, New Castle and Shelbyville in consecutive weeks before a one-point loss to Yorktown last week, which was decided by a blocked PAT. But the Marauders' success will likely ride on if Joliba Brogan has a big game. Last year, he ran for 200+ in the regular season against the Dragons, but struggled to find much running room in the regular season meeting this year. NP's Jacob Davis threw for 200+ in Week 4, and Josh Ranes has run for 100+ in eight consecutive games. NP's defense has allowed just one score in the last four weeks. Class 4A Sectional 23 Shelbyville (1-8) at Greenwood (2-7): It's a Hoosier Legends Conference preview, as both schools have struggled in recent years in their current leagues, so both are leaving to be the biggest fish in a smaller-school conference. The Golden Bears' improvement hasn't been shown in their record. Their lone victory was a Week 1 win over a Greensburg team that hasn't won a game since 2022, but Shelbyville's defense is improving under Pat Parks, and the offense scored two TDs last week in a loss to Pendleton Heights. Greenwood is 2-7, with its wins coming against Indian Creek in Week 2 and Mooresville in Week 4. The Woodmen have shown offensive prowess, scoring 20+ points five times, but have been vulnerable on the other end, giving up 35+ points six times. Class 3A Sectional 28 Heritage (8-1) at Delta (4-5): This one is a bit difficult to figure out. Heritage is 8-1, but rolled through a conference of mostly smaller schools - five of its nine games were against 2A or 1A teams - but the Patriots did finish second in the ACAC and have done so with a high-flying offense averaging 36 ppg. Delta has dealt with the being the smallest school in the HHC. The Eagles only went 2-5 in conference play, but one of those was an impressive 27-26 win over Pendleton Heights in Week 7. They've fallen to Greenfield-Central and New Palestine the last two weeks. Delta's experienced playmakers - Bronson Edwards, Nash Keesling, Nolan Carpenter, Zane Cline - will need to have big nights.

6A: Lawrence North over Westfield 5A: Merrillville over Plainfield 4A: New Palestine over Mishawaka 3A: Evansville Memorial over Mississinewa 2A: Lutheran over LCC 1A: North Judson over Providence