AG

20 hours ago, FarmerFran said:

We don't have any Jack Kiser's walking through the halls if that's what you're asking... 

We have a few kids that could step up and be pretty good for us this year, but most of our skill positions will be relatively new faces with different roles than they're used to playing.

I assumed that there aren't any Kiser or Lewellen type talents walking the halls right now. I was asking about maybe a tier or two below that, i.e. potential all-state players. It sounds like we return most of our lines though. Hopefully everyone will take their new role with pride and work hard.

On 5/6/2022 at 1:08 PM, FarmerFran said:

For Pioneer:

Offensively, we lose leading rusher Brock Robinson, wingback Beau Mersch and linemen, Legrand (TE), Solano, Smith(TE) and Lowe.

Defensively, we lose Legrand and Solano from the Dline, LB Smith and DB Robinson.

We return a handful of experience on both sides of the ball, but we will need a lot of kids to step up who have limited varsity experience. I'd hazard a guess that we will see freshmen on the field on Fridays sooner rather than later due to the overall lack of depth we will have.

Will definitely be an interesting year.

Will Pioneer have any studs in your opinion?

1 minute ago, foxbat said:

I could be wrong on this, but I think a lot of Pioneer's strength was independent of the MWC strength.  There are certainly some conferences where the strength of the conference determines the strength of a particular team or teams from that conference, but I think there are some programs that regardless of the strength of the conference have done well and Pioneer is one of those.  I've pointed out before, but if you look at the last decade and a half of football, LCC and Pioneer have been the predominant enders of each others seasons.  In almost all of those meetings, even though they came early in post-season, they were the equivalent of semi-state or state matchups ... the exceptions were probably 2017 and 2018 where Pioneer just basically mauled LCC en route to LOS. 

I agree with you actually. I brought it up because I've been told this before by non-Pioneer fans. The only seasons that I've questioned whether Pioneer was actually really good or not were the 2010-2012 seasons, in which Pioneer was smashed by LCC all three seasons after cruising through their MWC schedule.

On 5/7/2022 at 10:25 PM, Bears62 said:

Take with these with a grain of salt as it is pretty difficult to find information on teams in the off season. Any insight is appreciated

6A favorites: Cathedral

Can win it all: Ben Davis, Carmel, CG, Westfield, Warren Central

Longshots: HSE

5A favorites: Decatur Central, Merrillville

Can win it all: Michigan City, Valpo, FW Dwenger, FW Snider

Longshots: Harrison WL

4A favorites: Roncalli

Can win it all: Mount Vernon, East Central, Evansville Memorial, Leo

Longshots: Kokomo, Brebeuf, Northridge, New Pal, New Prairie, Lowell

3A favorites: Chatard

Can win it all: West Lafayette, Mishawaka Marian, Lawrenceburg

Longshots: Western Boone, Danville, Tri-West

2A favorites: Andrean

Can win it all: Evansville Mater Dei, Eastside, Fort Wayne Luers, Eastbrook

Longshots: LCC, Indy Scecina, Linton-Stockton

1A favorites: Adams Central, Indy Lutheran

Can win it all: Pioneer, Park Tudor, Covenant Christian

Longshots: North Judson, Churubusco, Parke Heritage

I have NJ as the favorite in their sectional. Pioneer should challenge them, but they've lost a ton of talent in the past few years. The X-factor is Pioneer coach Adam Berry. Can he do the same thing that previous coach Mike Johnson did and continue to reload, even in years when they lacked amazing athletes? Will he return to the bread and butter of the Wing-T, making sure that his team is a machine running a small but effective playbook? Or will he do something different and continue to succeed? Or was Pioneer's success in the Johnson days mostly due to the weaker MWC conference?

1 hour ago, HHF said:

But Brohm got them and Allen didnt.

Brohm was 9-4 with them last year.

Allen was 2-10 without them.

Brohm wins.  Hands down.  

We will see if last year was an outlier for Purdue or if last year's success will continue.

I'm a Purdue guy through and through who has paid very close attention to recruiting in the past five years. With that being said, Purdue benefitted from two of the most important factors in recruiting - location and timing. Yes, it took some effort from Brohm and his staff to land Bell and Karlaftis, but they have been outliers. Purdue hasn't landed a player ranked as highly as either player since both committed. Yes, they've signed Milton Wright who is from Louisville and is an outlier, Maliq Carr, who has left the program for Michigan St, and Brady Allen, who has yet to play and is in Purdue's backyard, and a dozen or so of other low 4 star recruits. The only other former 4* players that have played at a high level, in the Brohm era, have been Marvin Grant, Gus Hartwig, and Rondale Moore, with Hartwig and Grant being debatable. Purdue only landed Moore because he went to the same high school as Brohm and is from the Louisville pipeline, which makes him another outlier. Hartwig also seems to be yet another outlier, as he is the highest OL recruit that Purdue has signed, by far, in the Brohm era, and was essentially in Purdue's backyard.

I've read a few mock drafts for next season and I've only seen one player mocked to be drafted, and it's Jalen Graham in the 5th round. Obviously a lot can happen between now and then. I think that AOC and Wright have good chances to be drafted, as long as Wright can stay eligible. Purdue was very lucky to have signed two top 100 players in their own backyard. Outside of those two, Purdue had one other player drafted this year, a former walk-on in the seventh round, and had several UDFA free agents signed. Take away Bell and Karlaftis and Purdue goes back to their norm, which is normally one player being drafted on day 3 and a slew of UDFA being signed after the draft. 

Recruiting has improved quite a bit in the Brohm era, as he has been adept at recruiting Indiana, but the drafting really hasn't outside of three outliers. It's not like 5-10 players are being drafted every year now. Brohm hasn't shown that he is capable of signing highly coveted players outside of the Indiana and Louisville pipelines, which tells me that his classes would have been mediocre without those pipelines producing highly coveted players.

23 hours ago, AG said:

There is a PIONEER FOOTBALL Facebook group that has several thousand followers and whoever runs the page made a post about being switched from 2A to 1A. Using emojis, they expressed happiness with their 2A placement and anger with their 1A placement. There's no justification for placing Pioneer in what is basically the "region" sectional other than pure laziness by the IHSAA.

 

The IHSAA needs to release a statement explaining their actions as it is very puzzling for all parties involved.  

Minor correction. It wasn't the group that posted the reaction, it was a member of the program who commented. It tells me that even those inside of the program had little to no idea what was going on. This is a bad look by the IHSAA, but I honestly doubt that they care.

1 hour ago, Basementbias said:

Pioneer and North Judson. Possibly Triton too.

According to the rosters posted on Maxpreps, North Judson only lost 6 seniors from last years squad. I've been told very good things about this upcoming team and it will be very interesting to see if Pioneer and North Judson will end up playing one another in back to back weeks, as they are scheduled to play in week 9. Hopefully they'll be able to meet in the sectional final for a real dandy.

Triton only lost 4 players from last years squad and has 53 players listed on the roster! They have a big freshman class of 16 players coming in.

2 hours ago, Purdue Pete said:

Hopefully it stays.  Now that Busco is in 2A there isn’t anyone else in the North for the jets to play.

North Judson will be really good and is probably the favorite to win that sectional.

5 hours ago, CoachDurham said:

That Sectional had 7 teams. Either re do the whole 1A North, or make Pioneer #8.

That was their thinking. Conference foes Triton and Judson are in that Sectional with them as well. The only "Region" team is Bowman, and South Central.

Or just switch Pioneer and West Central. Voila.

16 hours ago, foxbat said:

If applied evenly or logically ... no problem with that. 

However, again, using Chatard's experience to try to make sense, Chatard had eight points in two seasons while LCC had seven points in three seasons.  Chatard had a pair of state titles while LCC had a state title and a regional in the two seasons when they were in their previous classes. 

Realistically, Pioneer, Chatard, and LCC are no shrinking violets in Indiana football.  Pioneer's been to LOS five times, LCC's been eight times, and Chatard's been a whopping 16 times.  I completely understand the special commissioner treatment for a team that might have picked up six points and might have found themselves up a class on a once in a career situation, but that doesn't really apply to the likes of Pioneer, LCC, and Chatard which are well-known, at least in the last decade and a half, for punching above their weight.

I'm trying to give the IHSAA the benefit of the doubt for the movements/non-movements, but there doesn't seem to be a reasoning.  Even in the case of commissioner discretion, there should be a reasoning.  As an example using a fictitious account, "In reviewing the record of Indiana School of the Deaf who was promoted to 2A in 2021, the Commissioner has determined that special circumstance provides for Indiana School for the Deaf to revert to their original Class A position due to the once-in-a-lifetime state championship win followed by a severe dropoff in student enrollment that would place their players at risk as well as a zero-point first season in 2A on a 3-7 record."  I'm not sure that there could be a straight-faced statement as to why LCC's still in 2A and Chatard is back down in 3A ... other than, as I pointed out, a semi-logical, "Due to the 2020 season giving odd results due to the impact of COVID, the IHSAA took the 2021 results and counted them as a surrogate for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons."  While folks may not like that, it would show some level of reasoning as to the action.  In essence, a little transparency helps.

There is a PIONEER FOOTBALL Facebook group that has several thousand followers and whoever runs the page made a post about being switched from 2A to 1A. Using emojis, they expressed happiness with their 2A placement and anger with their 1A placement. There's no justification for placing Pioneer in what is basically the "region" sectional other than pure laziness by the IHSAA.

The IHSAA needs to release a statement explaining their actions as it is very puzzling for all parties involved.  

1 hour ago, TRCJunkie said:

I would of loved to stay on a staff, but leaving the teaching profession and transitioning into the private sector was much higher on the priority list than coaching. 

Tough to rationalize making 40k as a teacher + a couple grand coaching over a career that gives you an opportunity to provide for your family in a manner I wanted. 

That's definitely not very good money, especially when it requires a degree. The Indiana Department of Correction pays a rookie correctional officer better than that and the minimum requirement is a GED, a driver's license, and the ability to pass a drug screen and a background check. The work is dangerous, but I digress.

6 minutes ago, Irishman said:

My mistake. I apologize. I thought I was in the Head Coach topic. 

Carry on 🙂

You're fine. I made the comment because several years ago there was controversy, involving Coach Burgess and Coach Barr, in which Barr was barely voted in by the school board due to several school board members wanting Burgess to be the next head coach. Then there was controversy when Barr was fired as well.

2 minutes ago, DE said:

Oh no, not what I was implying.  🙂

Ok. Well my post has already been deleted.

7 minutes ago, DE said:

And here we go...

My post didn't violate any policies. 

17 hours ago, gonzoron said:

 

Any idea what the school board vote was?

2 hours ago, Donnie Baker said:

Com’on Gonzos. You know he can’t stay away 

He doesn't lurk very well though. If he was on here he would have already posted on this topic by now.

Personally I am very loyal, sometimes to a fault, but I get that from my dad, who has only held two very unglamorous jobs for the past 40ish years. If I had been a D1 athlete, I would have chosen Purdue, probably regardless of the sport, unless I hadn't been recruited there, and then my goal would have been to eventually play for Purdue. 

With that being said, despite the fact that I tend to pick something and stick with it, through thick and thin, I am all for the transfer portal. I think that giving athletes more flexibility and choices is a great thing. 

1 hour ago, Bash Riprock said:

I did read Bell's interest.  Great character guy, playing for his home town team and catches everything that comes his way sounds awesome.

I agree there are some comparisons with Harrison in terms of hands and route running.  But they are very different physically.  Bell is much bigger than Harrison, but Harrison was timed in the 40 at 4.38 while still at Syracuse.  He could definitely stretch the field.  The 4.65 40 Bell ran at the combine does raise eyebrows, and would seem to be more of a possession receiver.  It would be great to have him, but I hope the Colts find that receiver that makes the safeties respect and play deeper.  I hope that is Campbell.....and he can stay healthy.  I like Bell a ton, but hard to compare him now to a HOF player.

Campbell is that receiver, IF he stays healthy. I'm hoping that the Colts will draft Bell, a speed receiver, and a TE. Bell can always replace Pittman if Pittman becomes injured or demands far too much money, and we all know cheap Ballard can be. Ashton Dulin is a pretty fast receiver too if he ever develops. I just don't see the point in skipping Bell if he's there because he's just been so darn productive at every level, dominating with his route running and hands. 

14 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

Not questioning David Bell at all.  I have personally seen him play a ton of football and basketball games during his WC days.  Great athlete and great young man.  I know what he did at Purdue.  So I don't question he will be a success.

The question I am raising is that having both he and Pittman would be having 2 of the same type of receivers.  They are both excellent, but I question their abilities to stretch the field and force the safeties to play deeper.  This is where we may disagree that speed matters.  Perhaps it was a bad day for his 40.  Pittman ran a 4.52 for his 40 (considerably faster than Bell) and he is not considered a field stretch type of receiver.  To ignore Bell's 4.65 40 would not be wise.

Reggie Wayne ran a 4.45 40.  And yet Harrison with a 4.38 was typically considered the deep threat.  All I am saying is that I am not sure to compare Bell to Harrison (a proven HOF guy) is a good comparison...at least yet.  

Colts have a pretty darn good WR coach.....my guess is that Ballard and Reich will certainly listen to his input.  But please know I am a David Bell fan....and not saying the Colts would be wrong for drafting him.  Just hoping they can find a WR with great hands that puts fear into a secondary.

I'm not sure if Bell will be as productive as a pro due to his lack of speed, but barring injuries, I really don't see how he won't be productive, since he's been extremely productive at every level so far, without a doubt. 

I'm a Purdue diehard and I am really rooting for Bell, so I'll be overjoyed if he's drafted by the Colts. 

2 hours ago, DE said:

Is he still a SB Champ?

Yes. Your point? 

On 3/22/2022 at 11:33 AM, DE said:

28-3

Wentz SB champ.

Next

Wentz didn't even play in the playoffs that season or the last three games of the regular season. The Eagles were good enough to win without Wentz. Ever since then he has been damaged goods and lacks the clutch gene. 

Pioneer achieved something similar in 20-21. Although the football team was short of making it to the 2A state finals by eight points, the girls volleyball, basketball, and softball teams all won state titles. The girls three-peat was the first of its kind in Indiana.

How likely is Ballard to trade for a WR now that the FA market is looking pretty thin? 

I'm not against him signing MVS from the Packers and drafting David Bell.

I like the Matt Ryan trade. He will actually play behind a good offensive line in Indy and I think that he has at least 2 more years left in the tank. If he doesn't, the Colts can release him next season and face zero dead cap money. His TD-INT ratio wasn't fantastic, but his completion percentage was 5% higher than Wentz. He also had 3 4th quarter comebacks and 4 game winning drives, while Wentz had zero of either. Ryan also threw 4 percent less bad passes and his on target percentage was 5% higher. 

Ryan is much better than every single free agent QB and it only cost the Colts a third rounder.

Wentz is damaged goods and doesn't possess the clutch gene. He also didn't seem to be as committed as he should have been and also had possible attitude issues.

I don't follow the MLB all that closely anymore, but it always confused the heck out of me as to why one half of MLB allowed DHs and the other didn't. The entire league needed to either allow DHs or not allow them, IMO. Honestly I was never a big fan of watching pitchers, with sub .100 batting averages, attempt to bat anyway.