AG

How much will Winamac win by?

I'm definitely not about to get my hopes up, but if Purdue gets a few lucky bounces and stays relatively injury-free, I can see them entering the Wisconsin game at 6-1 or even 7-0. If they can use that momentum to end the Wisconsin losing streak, I really like the rest of their schedule. With that being said, the run blocking will have to improve in under to even have a shot at winning the division, let alone the pipe dream of contending for a playoff berth.

How much do high school aged players in Europe make? Not gonna lie, I'm all for athletes getting paid before their bodies are ruined.

Winamac ain't got no fancy Walmart, but they do have a Bottle Shoppe.

Does anyone want to take a stab at a prediction on the number of seasons we have left of "normal" college football?

Maybe the media was distracted by the coaching carousel that's been happening up there lately. My personal theory is that the media got the inside scoop at Diamond Lil's and Bill and Babe's after the Power From the Past festival.

LaVille, Caston, Pioneer, NJSP, Knox, Triton

Hmm, it sounds like both teams performed very well against poor competition. It doesn't solve anything, but at least we know that Pioneer has reloaded as a program and have potential to be very good again in the future.

In no particular order, for Pioneer I will go with LaVille, NJ, Cass, and either Triton or 5A Hammond Central. Cass has struggled W-L wise lately, but they do play a tough schedule and are very well coached. HC isn't any good, but I can't pick a decent 1A team in Triton over a bad 5A team. For LaVille, I'm going with Bremen, Glenn, Pioneer, and NJ.

The HNAC has quite a few interesting storylines for this season! It will be interesting to see if Pioneer can continue to be a state power. If they do struggle, or relatively struggle this season, will they be able to rebound in the future? Going back to 2002, Pioneer hasn't lost less than 3 games in a seasons, and they also haven't won less than 8 in a season as well. Pioneer's overall record since 1997 is 266-48, good for the best in Indiana during that time, which is 16 wins more than the second place team, Brownstown. Even a 5-5 or 6-4 season will be uncharted territory for many Pioneer fans, especially those under the age of 30. If the Pioneer dynasty does come to an end, will another HNAC team, such as North Judson or LaVille, become the premier HNAC team? Both LaVille and North Judson are primed to have strong teams this season and both are seen as contenders in their respective classes, with NJ in 1A and LV in 2A. LV and NJ are both on a collision course for what many expect to be the unofficial HNAC title game in week 8, although a lot can happen in two months. Will another team, such as Knox, Triton, Culver, or even the reloaded Panthers play spoiler for one of those teams? Winamac saw beloved Coach John Hendryx retire after a surprisingly short run with the Warriors, although he did win a sectional and conference title in two years. Winamac also lost a total of 20 starters from last years team and is expected to struggle under first year head coach Josh Burgess, although they do retain their entire coaching staff outside of former HC Hendryx. Will the Warriors be surprisingly competitive this season? Also in the HNAC, former long time head coach Chris Ulerick returns to man the Comets. Although Caston wasn't a power under Coach Ulerick, they did field some very tough squads in the 2000s and early 2010s that gave Pioneer a few close games. The Comets might have won a conference title or two, even a sectional, if it hadn't been for them needing to run through the Pioneer, Seeger, and LCC buzz saws on a yearly basis. Coach Ulerick left the program following the 2014 season and Caston's best team finished a with a meager record of 3-8. Can Knox become a contender again following a mediocre start for legendary Coach Russ Radtke as the skipper for the Redskins? Many in the HNAC were shocked that Knox declined so much, as many of us expected Knox to instantly become a state power, but instead they were merely average and competitive. Knox had an overall record of 11-12 the past two seasons, although they didn't lose a single game by more than roughly three touchdowns in that period, either. Can Triton be a contender? I have seen Triton mentioned as a dark horse HNAC championship contender by several posters. They return a lot of talent and lost to LaVille last season by only a TD. Finally, I'm not sure what Culver returns, although they seemed to be competitive last season in 6 of their 7 losses, judging by the final scores.

PH is one of the worst programs in the state. They haven't had a winning season since before 1994, which is as far back as John Harrell's site goes. They also haven't even had a .500 season since 2007. They were 4-7 last season, which was their best record since 2013. I wouldn't start making predictions based solely on a scrimmage against a struggling program. Does anyone know if the large Amish population in that area has effected the PH program?

Any word on how Pioneer looked last night? How about Judson and Winamac?

She's upset according to the script, or "kayfabe" as us wrestling nerds refer to it as. Rudy's been a wrestling ref since the 90's. He was the senior referee for TNA in the 2000s as well and has been in WWE for the past 9 years. I remember him telling me that he had taken finishers from Booker T, Scott Steiner, and others probably 12 years ago or so on here. Dan Engler - Wikipedia He's even famous enough to have a Wikipedia page!

The only thing that I'll be scouting for at Mickie D's is one of those returning steak, egg, and cheese bagels for my wife.

I hate to say it, but I haven't been this intrigued by a Pioneer season in quite some time. At least this year the majority of it won't be a foregone conclusion. Rival HNAC fans won't be treated by any D1 prospects this season. However, The PIT has been renovated with a new set of home bleachers, as well as a press box that is actually bigger than a janitor's closet. I haven't been able to visit it up close yet, but it does look nice from SRs 16 and 35. This is great news for assistant coaches, as they won't have to sit with the fans anymore.

I've been mostly lurking for a while now. I'm curious to see if Pioneer can reload this year. When I last talked to Coach Lambert's dad, he was very excited about this NJ squad. The NJ/LV game will be a dandy.

I never met TA in person, but I have fond memories of his presence on this forum. He often chimed in on topics, from 1A all the way to 5A/6A. When he commented everyone else noticed. It was kind of a big deal to me to have him comment on my posts, as I was just a teen when I joined the GID in the mid 2000s. That all seems like a lifetime ago. TA had a tight grip on this forum and you couldn't swear on here. Even though the board was heavily moderated, the mid to late 2000s were probably the prime of the forum. I remember when the 2008 tournament selection show had a guest amount in the thousands and certain game threads would be dozens of pages long, especially LCC and Roncalli threads. TA was insanely passionate about football, this forum, and it was an absolute blast back then.

Safety crossed my mind, although I can't advocate taking away a sport, especially one that a "husky" kid can specialize in.

It's about providing students an opportunity to learn through participating in athletics, win, lose, or draw. At many small schools, cross country is the only option for fall sport athletes, as many smaller schools don't field a soccer team. It's arguable that more soccer programs will pop up if football is contracted at many schools, although many small schools might decide not to go in that direction.

I figured it was caused by the free concession stand pop that I always received after little league games. Who else ordered a "suicide?"

Sounds to me like this law wasn't even needed. If anything it will potentially drive businesses from coming here.

From what I've read, there's only one transgender athlete in the entire state.

Not as important as allowing discrimination is. It's too slippery of a slope.

Apparently first place medals are more important than LGBTQ discrimination. Conservatives love saying "F your feelings" until it's their feelings being hurt. I'm absolutely appalled at how this country has been stepping away from progress so much lately. I've always felt that participation is more important than winning when you truly enjoy the sport that you're playing. At this point it's obvious to me that conservatives and liberals are wired differently. I just want all of the hatred and fighting to stop.

This reminds me of some of the old Scott Mannering coached Lewis Cass teams that Pioneer always played in week 1. Cass, a 2A school with a larger roster than Pioneer, would often have 10+ guys carry the ball throughout the game. There were several games in which Cass simply wore down Pioneer by rotating fresh ball carriers in and out, and the difference could be seen in the 3rd and 4th quarters, especially in the August heat. AC players might not put up the prettiest stats with this method, but if the players can put aside their egos, it will probably lead to something really special. 1A teams with elite talent and depth will often run roughshod over the rest of 1A. Will AC have very many one way starters?