23andCounting

Like it or not, you're just one opinion. Penn is still considered one of the best programs in the state. I'm saying this from two hours away. Ninety percent of those with a fully developed frontal lobe would agree. So no, if you're under 25, you don't get an opinion on this.

Well, there's that. Kelly was admired in South Bend. If it's not broke, don't fix it. Not sure when these coaches will learn. Same thing happened to Rich Rodriguez. Cigneti sure as hell won't succumb to that.

I just think running into Cathedral will be like running into a brick wall for New Pal. I think the Dragons are probably good enough to adjust and win the game. I'm just predicting Cathedral to throw New Pal into a state of shock in the first quarter. We'll see what happens after that.

Brownsburg, Westfield, Hamilton Southeastern, Avon, and Fishers could only dream of having Penn's resume. And 75% of that list is comprised of the three largest schools in the state. In order to be a Blue Blood, you have to have a massive enrollment advantage over your opponents?

Whatever makes Temp feel better :).

I have a lot of respect for DC and their head coach, they're just not top tier yet. Sorry, can't go there with them. If you're not ready to put Crown Point and Carroll there, you certainly can't put DC there. Dominated 5A last year? There was no Snider or Cathedral that season. They barely beat Warsaw. They ended up winning that game by two touchdowns, but Warsaw was on their tail the whole time.

Really? Those teams? You're alone Temp. Ninety nine percent of the college football world would have considered Michigan a blue blood in 2022. Hobart is a blue blood. They have the titles, and when you play them, you still have to game film if you don't want to get beat. Notre Dame doesn't have to game film to beat Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. And you're really stretching going back 65 years with Minnesota.

Not really so down on Avon, but ultimately, you have to win games, right? Who's is their best win over the past three seasons? Bloomington South? New Pal wasn't that good in 2023, so scratch them. Sorry, I'm just not ready to mention DC in the same sentence as Cathedral until they beat someone. I get what your saying about transitive property, losing to Avon in overtime I guess one could say is an impressive loss. I dunno Temp, I just think Cathedral is on another level.

Not buying it. Beating Avon in overtime and only losing to NP by three touchdowns qualifies them for big boy discussion? What' happened to "show me?"

Same level as Cathedral? C'mon.

Even if the team that beat Center Grove shows up? I think I said 7-9 points. I think I'll stand by that. New Pal hasn't seen a team of this caliber. Decatur Central doesn't qualify. I think the Dragons are in for a rude awakening until they adjust. I wouldn't even be surprised if Cathedral wins this. Even though New Pal's schedule is pretty week, I acknowledge that they might be the third best team in the state this year. That'll be an interesting game in two weeks. Obviously severe speculation on my part as I've only seen four games in person this year.

It was brought to my attention that Penn's past history has very little value. Personally, I have tons of respect for the Penn's and the Hobart's of high school football. College media types always cite the historical value of Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, Nebraska, Penn State, Texas, and USC. So why cant we do the same at the high school level? That's what my post was about, discrediting Penn's past. But yes, you're correct. Penn of the 80's was very similar to the the suburban teams Indy has now. No disrespect to them. But if the Penn contingent wants to tout 5 state titles, most of which occurred in the 90's, then let them. Blue Blood. Plain and simple.

You sure about that?

Not sure where that came from. Komets tends to nail games like that. I don't see anything "wild" about that prediction. The only "wild" thing I see about us "Fort Wayne dudes" is that we even take the time to handicap a game two hours away. Be flattered that we take interest in your teams and say "thank you" next time.

I really don't know anything about injuries and whatnot. Just looking at the scoreboard, I'm thinking about a blowout loss to Brownsburg and close wins against Ben Davis and Warren Central. To me, that screams 10-14 point win by New Pal. On the other side of the coin, the Irish did manage to beat two pretty good football teams in Chatard and Center Grove. New Pal hasn't played a good team in 10 weeks, though Plainfield will be a nice little tune-up for them heading into the Cathedral game. And for that reason, I've gotta give the edge to New Pal. It may take them a quarter or two to adjust to playing a real team, but I see them warming up around mid second quarter. Let's say Dragons by 7-9 points.

Who ya got?

It really was a level playing field back then, even with Indy having three programs double the enrollment of everyone else. It really says a lot about how strong the North and South were before the population explosion of the Indy burbs.

Lol, doubt it Rodney.

I've got East Noble and Dwenger dead even, but I hope you're right. I'm pulling for the Saints this year. I felt all year that Dwenger had a 6A state title defense and a 2A state title offense (equates to above average 4A). That being said, I guess we'll see what happens.

Those Indy JV teams would have beaten Ben Davis and Center Grove? I mean, those were two of Penn's victims on their way to 5 state titles. That was a fun fact finding adventure I just went on. In the 90's, The North had 4 state titles by two different teams. The South had 3 titles by two different teams. Indy had 3 titles all by the same team.

I don't think it's a bad look. There's something to be proud of when you're a blue blood. Penn hasn't had a title recently, but it's hard to ignore that they've tasted success every year for the last 5 decades. There's a lot of talk about how dominant Indy teams are, and it's true. But most are a bunch of Johnny-come-latelies who are benefiting from massive enrollments in the fastest growing area in the state by far. It's a no contest. Tax dollars are being sucked away from other areas of the state so that Indy can "be like Chicago." And those aren't my words. Those are words directly from an Indy politician's mouth. Indy wants to be MASSIVE. And they are succeeding.

Great atmosphere, would have liked to have seen a few more Dwenger fans show up, but that's the world of the internet we live in. The fans who did show were pretty loud though. Perfect night for football. Dwenger's defense was just too much for Leo. The Lions put together a couple good drives, one ending with a blocked field goal, the other ending with a fumble. They couldn't take advantage of the opportunities when they got them, mostly because Dwenger's D just didn't allow it. Dwenger's offense, while not looking overly dominant, did what they needed to do. The final score was pretty much indicative of how the game went. Saints the better team by far.

Looks good. Switch Carroll and DC. Drop Penn to #20. Replace Mishawaka with Dwenger. That being said, I think the north is a toss up with East Noble, Dwenger, and Mishawaka.

Sounds like you need to go all in on Southport.

I'd be all in if I weren't 2 hours away. That will be a good game. I was at Leo last night. The lions hung tough for a quarter, but it was the Dwenger show after that. This will be a fun class to follow moving forward.