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Yeah, it's Lindsey's first year to call all of the shots, which is certainly different and more challenging than being a position coach as we all know. He couldn't ask for a better situation to break in his head coaching career with a very experienced squad returning and a senior QB in Dash King to guide the offense. About the only thing that could trip them up this season is a rash of injuries, especially among the key starters.

I see the same top four teams in the conference again competing for the conference crown with somewhat of a shakeup at the top and Terre Haute North (0-10) and Southport (2-9) hoping to just look a little more competitive this season. It's really difficult to predict winners and losers in the conference for Week 1 for the top four teams with maybe Bloom. North being the biggest favorite in their matchup. Bloomington North appears to be the favorite with a lot of experience returning from a 9-1 team last year to include Dash King, with their only loss to Bloomington South in last season's sectional. Columbus North returns a lot of experience and starters from a 5-6 team and could challenge for the conference crown. Bloomington South went 11-2 last season losing to Decatur Central in the semi-state, and they return just five starters overall from that team. Back-ups from last year's team and players from the unbeaten JV team look to fill the graduation holes, and just how quickly they can do that remains to be seen. South scrimmaged against Carmel, Center Grove and then at Lawrence Central where their 6-5 soph QB Duncan Combs, who guided the JV team to an unbeaten record as a freshman, looked really good in the scrimmages. Terre Haute South is the other team in the mix for a conference crown and after getting off to a rough 1-4 start last season, they finished the regular season with a 3-2 record with a narrow loss to Columbus North and a blowout loss to Bloom. South. I don't know what they have coming back, but they will probably to competitive. Southport and Terre Haute North should be the bottom dwellers again. All CI teams are on the road in week 1 except for Southport. Conference Indiana Week 1 matchups. Bloomington North @ Mooresville Bloomington South @ Columbus East Columbus North @ Decatur Central Terre Haute South @ Plainfield Roncalli @ Southport Terre Haute North @ Northview

I don't think I will this season. With a six-team conference, and having two of those teams among the worst in 5A/6A in Terre Haute North and Southport, there were mostly blowouts among conference rivals with just four teams competitive in the conference. We generally had five to six individuals in the pick-ems last season and no Bloom. North fans participating.

I failed to mention that the kicking game will be in great shape for South with the return of Bryce Taylor who committed to IU. He is right up there with the better kickers/punters in the state. He broke his collarbone near the end of the regular season last year during a weight lifting session.

I can only comment on Bloom. South, and they had heavy graduation losses, especially on the defensive side where they lost most of their front seven. I'm not close to anyone on the team to include the staff, and also any of the relatives of players, so I don't have much information on the team. It goes without saying that with practice starting on Aug 5th, a lot more information will become available. With the size of football rosters, there are usually some transfers out and in and I haven't heard anything on that. A roster for 2024 is not available at this time, at least one that I can access. South has talent coming up with their JV team last season going unbeaten at 7-0 with most of their wins being blowouts. The freshmen team went unbeaten also with a 5-0-1 record with the tie to Col. East at the start of the season with that score being 14-14. Just how that impacts the varsity team this coming season remains to be seen. The Panthers lost their starting QB in Jarrin Alley and their tandem RBs in Gavin Adams and Ben Morrison. They also lost a couple of highly talented WRs in D'Andre Black and Lucas Waldon who were both speedsters. Expect highly touted soph QB Duncan Combs to take over under center. Combs led the JV team to the unbeaten record as a freshman and drew raves as the season progressed. He's got good size and I have seen him listed at anywhere from 6'4 to 6'6 and 180 lbs as a freshman, so I will have to wait to see how they list him this season. I'm strictly guessing that junior Braylen Townsend who was the primary running back for the JV team last season, will join Combs in the starting backfield. South will have most of their offensive line returning. South scrimmages at Lawrence Central this season and will start the season at Columbus East, so things will be a lot clearer where things stand.

K/P Bryce Taylor of Bloomington South has committed to IU. His junior season was cut short by a broken collarbone.

North elevated assistant coach Anthony Lindsey to the head-coaching position. He was a former three-sport athlete at North.

North elevated assistant coach Anthony Lindsey to the head coaching position. He's a North grad and was a three-sport athlete there.

I never saw him play, but his numbers have been incredible. He certainly deserves the honor so congratulation.

I'm not close to the North program so I really have no idea in which direction they will take. Bless is staying at North as a teacher and assistant athletic director. The North AD, Andy Hodson, said the replacement search would be both internally and externally and that was his only comment on a replacement search.

Bloomington North's Scott Bless has retired after 19 years at North. His team went 9-1 in his last season. He was the last of the Bless brothers to hang it up.

He's retiring from calling games after this season if my memory is correct.

Final pick'em standings: LC_Bears_04 (0-1) 39-6 ptr (0-1) - 39-6 Frozen Tundra (1-0) - 39-6 MuleDriver (0-1) - 31-14 Bulldog 15 (no pick) - 32-8 THPD262 (no pick) - 24-3

It should be an interesting game between DC and Snider. I haven't seen Snider play, so I don't know their strengths and weaknesses. DC obviously has been pretty much one-dimensional with their run game and they pretty much say stop it if you can. They had 362 rushing yards against Whiteland and 408 yards against South on the ground, but was 1 for 11 in the passing game against the Panthers. If Snider can slow the running game down, you have to like their chances. In looking in my crystal ball right now about next season, I have to think the frosh Duncan Combs will be under center next season and he has gotten a lot of hype. He guided the JV team to an 8-0 record with most of the wins being blowouts. I saw comments that JV running back soph Braylen Townsend was impressive on the JV team, at least from some of the comments I've seen since I haven't seen him in person. With seniors Adams and Morrison 1-2 on the varsity squad, Townsend got some more "seasoning" playing with the JVs waiting for his turn. That's two players I see as possibly being starters in the backfield next season, but they will still have to earn it leading up to the new season. If I'm not mistaken, there will be a veteran o-line with four of five starters back.

Absolutely. The Hawks were definitely the better team tonight and I posted on the score thread that I thought the DC defense would be the MVP of the game if they gave one out. South gave up quite a few yards on ground in the first half between the 30-yard lines, with two big runs on edge runs, but they did a good job on stopping the runs between the tackles for the most part. However, the 2nd half was a different story, with DC's defense keeping the Panthers offense on the sidelines for much of the 2nd half, and our defense appeared to just run out of gas, giving up chunk runs between the tackles. I don't know how many times the Hawks ran through tackles in the 2nd half. South will lose quite of few players since they were senior-dominated, especially on defense. If my memory is correct, they will have four of five offensive line starters back, and Bryce Taylor should be back healthy doing the kicking chores. The defense will have to be rebuilt. The JV team went 8-0 and the freshman team was 5-0-1, so we have some good players coming up to the varsity next season.

Decatur Central 24 Bloomington South 12 (final) Congrats to the Hawks. They were certainly the better team tonight and if I had to give out an MVP award, I would give it to the DC defense that simply kept the South offense on the sideline for much of the 2nd half, which led to South's defense getting gassed and giving up chunk run after chunk run in the 2nd half. DC's run total was huge on the game especially in the 2nd half. I believe I saw that DC had 408 yards rushing on the game, and I would have never thought they could do that against the South defense, but like I said, South's offense spent way too much time standing on the sideline.

Decatur Central 24 Bloomington South 12 (4:38, 4th) South scored on a drive with the two-point conversion attempt no good. Down two scores with the time left, it doesn't look good for the Panthers. On-side kick by South didn't work also after the score.

Decatur Central 24 Bloomington South 6 (7:54, 4th) DC probably put this game out of reach with another time consuming drive and a back breaking TD. With DC defense shutting down South's offense in the 2nd half, they have been picking up chunk run after chunk run with the Panthers defense looking gassed after spending much of the half out on the field. DC defense has been the big difference in this game.

Decatur Central 17 Bloomington South 6 (end of 3) South blocked a 47 yard FG attempt by DC and has the ball at the DC 40-yard line to start the 4th.

Decatur Central 17 Bloomington South 6 (6:16, 3rd) South gave up two big edge runs in the first half, and they gave up another in the 3rd which went for 40 yards, and it set up DC's 2nd TD of the game.

Decatur Central 10 Bloomington South 6 (half) Defenses for both teams have kept this to a low scoring game so far. The play in the 2nd qtr where South went for it on 4th and a half-yard at their 35 yard line, and it was a fake to the RB in which Alley the QB was sacked, was the difference in the first half and it gave DC a short field TD. If Alley had actually handed the ball off the RB they would have easily had the first down. That's the way it goes and it's still anyone's game going into the 2nd half. DC gets the ball when the 2nd half starts.

Decatur Central 10 Bloomington South 6 (5:00, 2nd) South scored on a 61-yard drive. The PAT was missed.

Decatur Central 10 Bloomington South 0 (7:57, 2nd) South had a 4th and half-yard at their 35 yard line and they went for it with the QB faking a handoff which didn't fool anyone and he was sacked, giving DC the ball at around the South 30 yard line. DC was able to score with the short field to take a 10 point lead. DC defense has done a terrific job on the Panthers so far.

Decatur Central 3 Bloomington South 0 (end of 1st) DC has the ball on 3rd and fairly long around midfield. With South's primary kicker limited to kickoffs, the Panthers backup punter has given DC good field position on short punts.

Decatur Central 3 Bloomington South 0 (7:43, 1st) South had the ball first and after a couple of first downs their drive stalled near midfield. DC got a big running play on their first play from scrimmage and went deep in Panther territory, but South held and DC kicked a 40 yard FG.