foxbat

I'm going to call BS! First of all, you are completely crazy if you think that LCC "throws games" to go back to 1A. Secondly, you are talking from a position of not knowing at all, but again, it's all about perception, not reality. In the years that LCC was in 2A, there was a different SF model where a school needed at least 3-4 points to stay up in 2A ... that has been reduced to 2 points now ... AFTER LCC was in 1A. In the two years that LCC was in 2A, to again refute the insane idea that they threw games, LCC lost in a sectional game to eventual state runner up Tipton 28-24 and was about 25 seconds from taking that game which was the second sectional game. In the following year, LCC lost to eventual 2A state champion RCHS 17-14 in semi-state. You really believe that LCC would "throw" a 2A semi-state game with a chance to go play a 2A state title game that they likely would have won? Also, by that type of statement, you also diminish the efforts of fellow HC competitors Tipton and RCHS who fought hard for their games that year and I think would set you very straight about whether or not they thought LCC was "phoning it it" or "dogging it" to get back to 1A. I'd suggest, if you want a direct accounting on this, you check in with @Coach Nowlin who was with that championship RCHS team on the sidelines. I'm pretty sure he'll shoot straight with you about whether or LCC was dogging it.

You're avoiding the question. You're going to seriously tell me that Frankfort's up year this season would keep them from getting beaten by New Pal in their down season? Actually we see it in a number of places ... well some of us see it.

I don't have a problem with it. If you show me something that they did illegally, then let's look. LCC's been around since 1956. Took 20 years before it had its first state title. They then went on to lose out to many different public schools year in and year out taking no more so than a sectional. Matter of fact, until this year, LCC usually either won it all or lost out early. This is LCC's first semi-state loss in 1A. Prior to this year, according to Harrell's, LCC's only had one other regional win where they didn't win state ... and that was in 2A under Success Factor over Lapel. In essence, the school has been around 64 years, yet only won two regionals outside of a state title. That means that, for 54 other years of LCC's existence 1A teams have all had opportunity. Of course, LCC's got this "great advantage" which somehow or another they failed to capitalize on for the better part of about five decades including around 30 years ago when the school was scheduled to be shutdown until an 11th-hour appeal to the Bishop to keep the high school open. It's taken them LOTS of effort and determination to get where they are, but it continually gets brushed aside like these kids are somehow or another just showing up and collecting trophies and "hiding out" from the competition. The narrative is that LCC's "stealing opportunity from 1A schools, but in reality, 1A schools have had the opportunity 85% of the other seasons to not have LCC in the way. And realize that, in four of those seasons, we're talking about an era of uniqueness that only a handful of 1A schools, like Sheridan and Pioneer, have experienced. So to answer the question ... no, I don't have a problem with it. In the same vein, I have no problem with Parke Heritage showing up last season as a consolidation of two schools which hadn't seen a sectional title between the two of them in a decade, and being a Top 10 team last season and this season in the IFCA Coaches' Poll. It makes for good sound bite and clickbait, but I give the teams credit for what they do ... especially to South Adams for knocking off LCC this year in an unmistakable, decisive win that left no doubt as to who the better team was in that game.

Then it's not really about competitiveness if publics get a pass against other publics when they clearly may/do have an advantage. You're going to tell me that it's not OK for Roncalli to stay in 4A and they have to go to 6A because they pray before games, but it's OK for NewPal to bludgeon Frankfort in 4A?

A couple of differences that I can see, from an LOS perspective, and I'm spitballing here because I don't know their cost of operations, is what kind of resources they need to clean each level and the offset ticket pricing. I would agree that, in normal circumstances, they've already figured out the breakeven point or, potentially, the loss-point for the event. Under normal circumstances, I'd agree that 12,500 for a Colts game should translate to a similar 12,500 for IHSAA games(s). With that said, let's assume that they need three crews to clean three levels. I might be able to spread 12,500 comfortably across three levels, but I might also be able to handle 6,000 comfortably on one level. By making the restriction to 6,000 I get to drop two cleaning crews and their corresponding costs/logistics ... it also makes it easier to do crowd control for clearing LOS between games. The other difference is probably based in the pricing of the tickets ... although the "everyone out, pay again to come back in" might help that out a bit but not much. I have to imagine that top ticket price of $15, or $30 for two tickets vs. the Colts, see below for ticket prices for today's Colts game with a caveat that these are resales, leaves A LOT of room that has to be made up and my guess is that, with a 12,500 capacity for attendance, it makes it really hard to make it up on concessions. As such, cutting out the upper two levels or one level helps drop what the Colts eat on the event. That would be the main reasons why I could see the numbers dropping down below what the Colts allow on professional game day. Like I said, I'm not in the heads of the Colts, so I don't know how much they are willing to eat on an event like this, so I'm mainly speculating here.

Four for LCC alone out of their own quarantine and a fifth where a PP school they were going to play had to give up an opportunity to compete for a sectional championship due to COVID in their ranks.

Actually, what you want to see and when you want to see it are the difference. You want to see everything RIGHT NOW and don't seem to be willing to wait out SF to work itself out. Realistically, if Roncalli really is a TRUE 6A school, it will get there eventually via SF provided that IHSAA doesn't get too cute and put them in the same sectional with someone like Cathedral where it has to be either/or. In the same way, if Cathedral really was a true 6A school, and at best they are a lower-rung 6A, SF would keep them up in 6A. Similarly, should Chatard get to 4A, assuming the IHSAA doesn't do, what our good friend @Impartial_Observer refers to as "stepping on their d*cks," and keeps them out of the same sectional with Roncalli, there will be ample opportunity for them to stay in 4A. If Chatard really is a 4A or 5A school, then it's just a matter of time before 1) SF gets them there and 2) SF keeps them there ... again, assuming someone not getting "cute" with sectional assignments. This also goes to the problem, as I pointed out before, about a multiplier vs. SF. SF moves based on performance and performance takes time. Multiplier is done right now, but doesn't really achieve competitiveness, it only punishes or cripples. So the questions really are, do you REALLY want competitiveness? Do you REALLY want revenge/crippling? And if it's the former, then why would you not be willing to see competitiveness shake out?

Just the opposite for me. I love the implied/real big game culmination of the kids getting to play in LOS and perhaps even fueling their desire to make that transition from the high school field to the college field to the professional field and getting a "taste" of that even if just for a day and even if it may be the only time they ever get to do it. Just like our youth kids getting a chance to play their games on the high school field and one game a season getting to be "under the lights." That "under the lights" game is such a special event for the kids. As a youth coach that coached in a program where all the various team levels practiced in close proximity, we always talked to the kids about our hope for them was to move from the youth practice field, to the junior high practice field, to the varsity practice field, and eventually to the varsity game field. The other thing that I love about LOS, is the look in the eyes of the young kids in the stands. The look in my boys eyes when we'd get to LOS and that look when they first go through the tunnel and it opens up to the seats and the field, and just the looks in their eyes during the whole experience is all worth it for me. The game almost becomes icing on the cake.

I too like college sports definitely more than professional, but high school sports have really grown on me since moving to Indiana. I will confess that I used to be a "big school football bigot" coming from Texas and from a high school that would have 6A classification in Indiana ... somewhere in the enrollment neighborhood of Pike or Penn ... but I've really grown to enjoy high school ball; especially small school ball. The crowd size doesn't bother me as long as I have a dog in the fight ... either I coached the kids, or I know the kids' families, or I know and have coached against the coaches, whether my own kids are performing at the game or, this year for the first time, whether one of my kids is actually playing in a high school game. At the high school level I love the game for the purity of the game and, as I've gotten older and coached so many kids, I love it because of the impact that I know that it has on the individual kids ... to an extent beyond the actual game that's taking place.

Doesn't actually matter whether they do or don't. Most people (should) buy insurance with the expectation that they'll never need it, but what if they do? Liability for large entities works the same way ... they don't really care that it hasn't happened, only what happens if it does. Doesn't mean that you have to agree with it or do it yourself, but as Willy Wonka said, "You wouldn't begrudge me a little protection? A drop."

Nope. Not even a youth program. Their kids actually end up playing ball over with LCC as youth. 220 kids, but apparently somehow the "advantage" of being in Tippecanoe County hasn't been discovered by them. And of course there's St. James Lutheran ... which terminates at 8th grade. Somehow all of these privates are really bad at "luring all the talent out of the public hallways" as the narrative would go. Or perhaps, just maybe, it's not as cut-and-dry and easily-packaged as some would like everyone to believe ... as they are doling out torches and pitchforks.

Faith Christian.

Don't know directly about IHSAA guidelines, but LOS issued a statement that, for today's game with the Packers, they were allowing a max of 12,500. https://www.colts.com/news/green-bay-packers-tickets-week-11-2020-lucas-oil-stadium-covid-19

I suspect the answer to this is one word: liability.

$200 sounds like a lot, but really, the differential we are talking about is only $30-$60/$75 depending on one-day or two-day attendance. Normally you would have spent the $15 to attend the first game of the first day and stayed. Now you have to pay for the other two of the day because each requires a ticket for re-admission. If you normally stay for one-day, then it would cost you an extra $30. If you would normally go for two days, I believe that you had a have a ticket for that second day. Again, you would have paid $15 for the first game and you'll now pay an additional $30 for the second day. If the first day ticket would normally grant you free admission to the second day, then the added cost this year would be $45 for the second day. You would have spent the other money on parking, food, etc. regardless of whether you did re-admission or not. That added price goes down by the way if you don't stay for all the games. For example, if you go on Day 1 and only stay for a second game, you'd only be paying an additional $15. I understand that some folks don't have the extra $30-$60/$75 or don't want to pay it, but all of the other talk of food and the like is already baked into the equation normally.

I thought that was in the West? At least that's what the song says ... "Westward leading, Still proceeding, Guide us to Thy perfect Light." 😀

It'd go to 100% if Guerin or Brebeuf or honorary PP, West Lafayette, moved up with Chatard. 😀

Kind of the 4A/5A equivalency of the Sectional of Death in 3A. Actually, things start all over again for SF evals, so next year would only be the first year of the next cycle eval period for SF. With that said, if Roncalli picks up a state win next year, it lays down a better foundation for a 5A bump-up in the next evaluation cycle.

Roncalli played 5A Harrison this year and won 49-45 in a game that saw a back-and-forth lead change until pretty much the last possession. Harrison finished 6-4 this season dropping games to 6A Jeff 76-55, Westfield 34-10, the aforementioned Roncalli 49-45, and Zionsville in the first round of sections 33-21. Not too shabby given that three of these teams will be visiting LOS next week. With that said, I would agree that, despite the really good season that Roncalli is having, a permanent position in 6A would be untenable. Like you alluded to, SF has done what it needs to do. It may not do it immediately, but if Roncalli is really 6A material, they will be there in four years. If they aren't, then again, SF will let us know BASED ON PERFORMANCE. It will also do what it needs to do in 1A by moving LCC up next season and keeping Pioneer in 2A after moving up last time around after back-to-back state titles in 1A. Depending on where the IHSAA positions Pioneer and LCC, they could potentially end up spending a decent spread in 2A just by picking up a couple sectionals each. On the other hand, if the IHSAA puts them in the same sectional, they are guaranteeing that one or both of them will be back in 1A in the following cycle.

Marian made Chatard work for it though. That was a tight game.

True, but WeBo's thrashing of MD tonight was a surprise too. Harrell's actually had both of them with thin odds of getting to LOS, much less winning.

Five would be, although there was a stretch from 2010 - 2012, with five classes, where PPs won 1A-4A. I'm going to go out on a limb and take SouthAdams in 1A over Covenant Christian and WeBo to clip Leurs in an upset in 2A for the block.

SouthAdams 42 - LCC 9. Final. Good luck to South Adams representing the North in 1A at LOS next week.

SouthAdams 42 - LCC 3. 3:23 left in Q3.

Ah, and there we have the classic Muda. Keep it classy there!