23andCounting

I agree, those need to go.

Do you have a better suggestion? Snider, Dwenger, Northrop, Homestead, Carroll, Penn, and Elkhart. That leaves two non-conference games. Add Warsaw? Swap Northrop for Warsaw? There aren't many options without having to travel too far. Penn and Elkhart may not even be on board for something like this. Eliminate those two, add Warsaw, and each team still has to go searching for three more games. No matter how you slice it, Northop fits the mold.

12 Teams - Not enough. Last year two of the best three teams in the country were on the bubble of getting in and one didn't make it. It's flawed. 16 Teams - Perfect in my opinion. Eliminate the committee. Use the AP poll..........or even better, an average of the AP, Coaches Poll, BPI, and Sagarin. 24 Teams - Watered down in my opinion. I guess I'm siding with the SEC on this one. Sorry B1G.

None of our last three national championship teams had a non-conference game against a Power 4 program. As I stated when USC withdrew from the Notre Dame series, B1G and SEC programs feel beaten up enough going through their conference season, thereby really don't feel the need to schedule a "potential loss" non-conference game. This doesn't bode well for Notre Dame. They can thank the Lord that major programs will still schedule them for the sake of having their brand on their campus and a massive payout in the process. Thoughts on this? Are we going to see a downturn in inter-conference games between Power 4 programs?

I'm not sure how you exclude a school with 2200 students, a balanced mixture of inner city and suburban kids, and one of the nicer football facilities in the state. Advantage for Northrop: A super conference pushes them to be better. Disadvantage: FWCS doesn't pay football coaches well. Drawing top tier coaching is a problem. Advantage for their Opponents: Talented teams like 2025 & 2026 will challenge them to the end. Down years at Northrop will offer their opponents an "off" game........I don't see a problem having a game like that your schedule.

"The university protected it's brand." It was the logo, not the name itself. What Cathedral did was worth fighting for. What Central Catholic is doing is not. Good grief, how did we get here? I was just suggesting some good games.

Unless the branding is identical, more than likely Notre Dame won't go after a a Catholic high school for usage of their name. It's my understanding that most trademark problems occur regarding logos and mascots.........not the name itself.

They have the enrollment, athletes, and college like stadium atmosphere. They just need a coach willing to stick around long term.

Interesting games that would drive attendance. The above examples are drives of 1hr54m for Carroll, 1hr45m for Homestead, 1hr42m for Snider, and 1hr34 minutes for Dwenger. About the same as traveling to the Northern Indy burbs. Closer than the region. A great opportunity for Fort Wayne to tap into.

I've been advocating this one for a few years now. We finally got a game last season with Dwenger vs St. Francis DeSales. Per AI.................Fort Wayne vs. Toledo makes for some of the best possible interstate high school football matchups in the region because the talent levels are similar, travel is manageable, and the fan bases are close enough to actually show up. 🔥 Premier “headline” matchups Snider Panthers vs Whitmer Panthers Two physical, disciplined programs Both regularly produce playoff-caliber teams Would feel like a true “border rivalry” game 👉 Probably the most natural stylistic matchup on the list. Carroll Chargers vs Central Catholic Fighting Irish Carroll = modern 6A Fort Wayne power Central Catholic = Toledo’s perennial elite program This is a statewide-level quality game on both sides 👉 Easily the highest “rankings impact” matchup. ⚔️ Competitive, evenly matched games Bishop Dwenger Saints vs St. John’s Jesuit Titans Both programs are physical and well-coached Similar enrollment and competitive cycles Would be a grind-it-out, defense-heavy game 👉 Very realistic as a long-term home-and-home. Homestead Spartans vs Perrysburg Yellow Jackets High-level consistency on both sides Strong playoff histories Would likely be one of the most balanced games 👉 Great “benchmark” matchup for both programs.

I thought Wayne was 4A, but currently playing like a mid-level 2A team. I would agree that there probably weren't many options for either team for them to schedule that one. No offense to Wayne, but it will be a running clock at some point..........possibly halftime. Both teams should treat it as a scrimmage. Perfect tune-up game for DC and an opportunity to work on some things. Wayne has to be careful not to let themselves get too beat up both physically and mentally. That being said, Wayne has had some gritty teams in the past........2018, 2014, 2009. Those teams would hit DC back. I just don't see it this year.

Any insider information as to why this game is happening? Not good for either program. Desperation move for both programs?

Can't say I disagree. Opens the door for Luers vs Dwenger or Luers vs Northrop. Former SAC games stay in tact. Luers vs Snider might even work. Lopsided series, but Luers is always competitive. I'm guessing that's a proposition Snider wouldn't say "no" to. Easy travel.

@HoopsCoach I like your Division 1 scenario with the addition of Dwenger and Warsaw. Two non-conference games. Fort Wayne schools would have one long travel game, two depending on their non-conference opponents. I guess it would come down to Penn and Elkhart's willingness to travel.

I think some fans gravitate toward the high school game to get away from all the monetary b***s***. Could this hurt attendance at all? Attendance has been dropping for years. What's the IHSAA doing to get the fans back on a Friday night? I mean, if high school players are getting paid too, I might as well be watch a Big Ten game from the comfort of my recliner on a Friday night. Haven't decided that yet, but it's heading in that direction.

I think this is a Carroll and Homestead thing, as stated before. My guess is that Snider and Dwenger are okay with the SAC in it's current form. Just a hunch. I'm looking forward to who Carroll and Homestead might pick up. New and interesting opponents are good for attendance. Something tells me that Carroll vs Toledo Whitmer will bring a bigger gate than Carroll vs South Side. #Fort-vs-Port

Agree. I think there are a few programs like Adams Central who have systems that are designed for success every year, regardless of their schedule strength. Chris Geesman at Penn and Russ Isaacs at Snider were two of those programs. Currently New Pal.

I imagine a junior or sophomore making all-conference would probably get the attention of scouts if the kid has otherwise gone unnoticed. You make a good point. It will be interesting to see how this all goes down and whether or not it will affect other nearby conferences. I personally had no issue with the SAC as it was. For Carroll: If playing Center Grove, Hamilton Southeastern, Snider, Dwenger, and Homestead doesn't prepare you for the tournament, I'm not sure what will. As stated before, I think playing schools like South Side and Concordia are good tune-up games. It gives the Chargers an opportunity to work on some things as you would in a pre-season scrimmage. Reps for the second stringers. Rest for the starters. For Concordia: Why not take the Bishop Luers approach? The Knights wouldn't have thirteen state titles if they were playing in a conference with a bunch of 1A, 2A, and 3A programs. I think at least a few of those titles were a result of the preparation playing the bigger schools gave them. At the end of the day, I'm not going to blame a program that want's to play schools more like themselves in terms of strength and enrollment. There are some obvious advantages of that in terms of player buy-in and fan turn out. It will be fun just watching what escalates from here. Maybe another massive opponent for Carroll worth making the trip out to see with Dinan's "go big or go home" approach. I really don't have a dog in this fight.

At the end of the day, does it really matter whether a player makes all-conference? I can't imagine college recruiters paying any attention those. If anything, I'd say it's just a recognition a player can hold onto for a lifetime. How much stock does a player or coach put into it? I honestly have no idea. I personally see this as a Carroll and Homestead thing. I'm guessing there's not much noise coming out of the Dwenger or Snider camps. Speculating.

New soccer stadium coming along. Wondering if they'll host some high profile high school football games. Maybe St. Francis vs Marian.

I think Dinan's end goal is to win a state title. I think when a team has that mentality, the conference championship becomes secondary. Granted, there are some programs out there that don't truly believe that, and a conference championship is the pinnacle of their season. I don't think Carroll is one of those programs.

With School Choice going into affect, maybe Dwenger is getting back those families who defected to Carroll to save 12k a year? Speculation.

I think the MIC and the HCC have proven your point. Playing that kind of competition week in and week out sets a higher standard. I don't think a few tune up games are bad, but I understand the logic. I personally like what Carroll and Homestead have done. They've taken the non-conference games with a "go big or go home" attitude. I don't necessarily like that those games have to be the first two weeks of the season though. It would be nice to schedule a game like that during the last couple weeks of the regular season. Not sure what the overall ingredient is. I just know catching up with the HCC and the MIC is a tall order. Something like this would help though. Carroll, Homestead, Northop, Snider, Dwenger, Penn, Elkhart + three non-conference games (5A & 6A teams only) would be a good start.

One would think since South Side is the neighborhood they reside. Most went to New Haven and some went to Woodlan where Haydock resumed his coaching. Ironically, even though 95% of Harding's student body resided in FW city limits, the school sat just outside the city line. So it was never part of FWCS. Refresher: Kids from central Fort Wayne (South Side neighborhood) are distributed to Snider, North Side, Northop, and Wayne (and once Harding).

Maybe "showing out" wasn't the most accurate word. But hey, if an 0-10 team can take a 9-1 team to the wire in a sectional game, I don't mind giving "showing out" to them.