foxbat

Harrison fumbles and Plainfield recovers. Second Raider fumble in as many possessions. 2:41 left. Oddly enough, Plainfield is passing the ball with a 7-pt lead and the ball

Plainfield with a scoop and score. Leads Harrison 35-28. 4:21 left in game.

Plainfield with a scoop and score. Leads Harrison 35-28. 4:21 left in game.

Harrison and Plainfield tied again at 28. 6:49 left in game.

Harrison goes up 28-21 on Plainfield. 8 minutes left in the game.

Harrison and Plainfield tied at 21. Getting ready to start the 4th.

Harrison and Plainfield knotted at 14 at the half. Harrison receives in the second half.

This year. There's absolution for 2017.

Atoning for that loss to Heights? Lord, I apologize for that there.

For some reason, the edit has a time-limit on it ... you tend to make changes around 10-15 minutes after the original submit, I believe.

Lots of CC folks over at Walt's even though his boy played at McCutcheon ... although he did play youth ball at LCC. I'm a fan of Walt's over Teay's River although my son favors Teay's ... of course my son's loyalty goes right out the window if he finds out that I'm buying.

3 POINT GAMES Bishop Chatard @ Hamilton Heights Kokomo @ Western West Lafayette @ Calumet Cass @ Central Catholic Rochester @ Benton Central Bluffton @ Tipton Zionsville @ Noblesville Plainfield @ Harrison Logansport @ Northridge Gibson Southern @ Owen Valley Andrean @ LaVille Traders Point Christian @ North Vermillion Mooresville @ Brebeuf Jesuit Cascade @ Sullivan Elkhart @ Warsaw

Pretty accurate and succinct assessment. LCC has typically done well with special teams over the years. LCC's point kicker, Henry, has been 100% on PATs and 4-4 on FGs this year ... long of 28. Kickoff average though, different kicker, seems to be down this year at just a tad over 30 yards or so ... matter of fact, the punt average is more than the kickoff average. Maybe the vast majority of these are squibs or sky kicks that are killed around the 30, but if not, it's another problem for the defense.

It has been a pretty mild season so far ... although I probably just jinxed us and we'll end up with a late-season hurricane followed the next weekend by a blizzard ... even heat in the early part of the season was not nearly as oppressive as it's been in past seasons.

Zionsville is a two-time runner-up for 5A to Cathedral before bumping up to 6A along with Cathedral. In 2021 and 2020, they were 4-5 in the regular season before finishing 9-6 and 7-6, respectively, and a pair of red rings. You are correct sir about the 4-5 and the trip to LOS, except that they got the red ring ... at least in 2021 and 2020.

I agree with what you are saying, and I think you are spot-on in the reasoning at those higher levels, but I'm not as sure that, in the all-in in Indiana high school football, money is as influential as it is in those other areas that you mention. Don't get me wrong, money certainly talks, but I don't think that it's the specific driving reasoning for a resistance to a qualifier. With that said, should sponsorships and streaming at high school become a more lucrative influence, that may well change.

Not likely. If they go to seeded sectionals, it will take them at least a decade to "assess" the impact and, since the impact will be minimal, if at all, to top-performing teams, there will be very little grousing going on that will require direct action. A seeded sectional, with an all-in, is a way to respond, if they do at all, in a very risk-averse way. If there's anything that we've learned from the IHSAA is that risk-averse is their middle name.

Speaking of that 2009 1A LCC team, there was conjecture in the area that that team could have given 3A West Lafayette a run for their money that year ... recall that West Lafayette won state in 3A in 2009 along with LCC in 1A. Given what happened two years later, I'm inclined to believe that.

I think Harrell's percentages are based on numeric datapoints as opposed to more subjective items like whether there was an injury or not; even if those most likely have palpable impacts. His site states, "Chances of winning each round, based on ratings, draw and home-field advantage."

No, not effectively seeding the post-season allows Pike Central to play Washington while Ben Davis plays Brownsburg ... not an all-in format. Effectively seeding the post-season takes care of that problem if done correctly. A compromise that most folks can likely easily buy into. Even if it was slightly off and had #1 in a sectional playing #7 and #2 playing #8, I think most folks could/would make that compromise. The biggest issue is getting #1 and #2 on opposite sides of the bracket ... although #4 and 4 on opposite sides would be nice as well. I used Sagarin, but pick your poison on the ordering. This is what Sectional 30 would look like. A1. Gibson Southern (9-0) vs Princeton Community (0-9) A4. Mt. Vernon (5-4) vs Pike Central (1-8) B3. Vincennes Lincoln (4-5) vs. West Vigo (3-6) B2. Owen Valley (9-0) vs Washington (2-7) Second round is Winner A1 vs Winner A4 and Winner B3 vs. Winner B2. Championship is Winner A vs Winner B. Problem that you complained about, "unworthy teams vs. unworthy teams" and "worthy teams vs. worthy teams" in first round pretty much addressed.

Just curious how 3A Pike Central has ANY influence at all on 6A Ben Davis, 6A Brownsburg, and 1A South Putnam? Just chaff? Incidentally, this same thing will likely happen in a qualifying system too, except it will be 5-4 playing 5-4 while 9-0 plays 8-1 ... or, by Sagarin, #31 3A vs. #32 3A while #5 3A plays #2 3A. The issue isn't with all-in; it's with a lack of seeding / blind draw. The only way to avoid that problem is to make sure that only 9-0s and 8-1s are allowed in the post-season. I suspect that the complaint at that point, however, would be two 8-1s met in the first round and so did two 9-0s.

Good set of games coming up this week with some good measuring stick components to them. I'll be following along online, but will be attending Harrison vs. Plainfield. My son's started varsity the past two games ... his first varsity starts although he played varsity last year ... and may have a chance to start in his first sectional game on Friday. Can't miss that opportunity if it comes to fruition!

Probably too late on these, but I'll toss them in anyway since it's 7:02 2 Point Games Western @ Jay County Twin Lakes @ West Lafayette Bishop Chatard @ Northwestern Winamac @ Central Catholic Hamilton Heights @ Maconaquah Hanover Central @ Rensselaer 3 Point Games Benton Central @ Delphi Tipton @ Eastern North Decatur @ Tri Frontier @ Taylor Speedway @ North Montgomery Guerin Catholic @ Oak Hill

But, due to Indiana all-in, everyone of them has had the opportunity to play a post-season game where, as you point out, the stakes are the highest. All you need say to most people in that situation is, "Imagine that Week 1 is just like Week 10" and most will grasp it. Coaches and players alike. All throughout the season I can pretty much guarantee you all across the state there are coaches saying, "This game is our LOS" when they play a rival or "This game is our Super Bowl" when playing against great odds or "Leave it all on the field" on any given Friday. I've seen both systems, I've been there in the practices day in and day out in both systems, I've been there to watch the seasons play out in both systems, I come from God's state in terms of football. I should be the easiest sell you have on this topic, but I'm not overly convinced by the general argument. Perhaps some concrete examples of what the specific benefits are for the state, and more importantly the programs, as opposed to the generalities or the "you can't know because you haven't experienced it" approach might help sell it. The realization that I see is that, in Indiana, for the best of the best programs, a qualifier doesn't matter because for them, every seasonal game is like a last game. For the worst of the worst, it wouldn't really matter because for them, they are often just trying to survive week to week, so a qualifier isn't going to make them perform harder. For the above average folks, again, like the best of the best, they are already working to squeeze just about everything they can out of the regular season within the constraints of their schedules/conferences. For the less than average, many of them may have football as a general extracurricular like band or chess club and not necessarily for trophies/titles/etc. For the average folks, with or without the qualifier, they depend on the proverbial "good classes" and perhaps long-term progress to eventually make some waves, even if once or once in a while. Those that move into the above average grouping from average would likely do so regardless of qualifier or not or, conversely, stay average with or without the qualifier. On paper, a qualifier seems to be a motivator, but typically when there's similar reason for responding to it. In high school football, and particularly in Indiana, there isn't. If the argument is that it makes the post season mean something more, then technically, yes it does. A 5-4 team can claim greater bragging rights to making it to post-season over the 4-5 team that's locked out. But then again, I can argue that a pound of sugar is sweeter than a tablespoon of sugar, but one's more impactful in my morning coffee than the other. In a sense, it ends up being a "participation trophy" for the average. If the argument is that the all-in "taints" the post season because it potentially allows a 0-9 team to play a 1-9 team and the 0-9 team makes it to the second round while two 9-0 teams play and only one makes it and the other goes home, then I'm right there with you. That can be fixed though by seeding the tournament. There may be players out there that complain about the post-season, but the complaint that I've heard from coaches and players is tied to the issue that #1 can play #2 in the first round or that #316 and #315 played in the first round not that #316 made it to the post season. On the flip side, all-in with proper seeding provides for more weight to the regular season, less "injustice" to higher-ranked teams, more opportunities for "success" measurements for less-than-high ranked teams, more playing opportunities for players, more flexibility for coaching/schedule, less forced impact on conferences/rivalries, etc. A school like Adams Central doesn't need Knightstown shut out from the post-season to make its claim to being a competitive team. Similarly, West Lafayette doesn't consider its sectional title worthless because Princeton made it into the post-season. Again, from a player/coach perspective how do you convince Adams Central that their run this year is any different with or without Knightstown in the mix. Similarly, how do you convince West Lafayette that their year is any different with or without Princeton in the mix? The answer to selling the qualifier lies in answering those kinds of questions from a program perspective. One benefit that you could sell is that it gives 1A-4A a week off before the post-season. Then again, there are plenty of ways to get that and, to get that week off, would folks select a qualifier or starting the season a week early or getting rid of the scrimmage or making 1A-4A an 8-week season or giving up playing in LOS and playing a week later?