Basementbias

I'd say those 3 minus SW only due to the numbers recently. They've had a rough patch the past few years.

Look at the ACAC in 2019 in what looks to be a possible 2 team race, but could have some wild cards in the fold. My beloved Flying Jets took home the crown for the 2nd year in a row in 2018, but they will have an uphill battle in 2019 with many key players graduating. So here is the run down: Adams Central- It will be a challenging year or two for the Flying Jets. Replacing many key contributors on both sides of the ball this season. Gone are the electric Macklin, along with Bates, Hammond, and Yergler. Someone will have to fill the void of Berlanga on the defensive side of the ball. There is much pride and tradition in the program and the kids will fight all year long. Bluffton- Can the Tigers build off of last season is the big question? They have some offensive production that will need to be replaced. I see them possibly fighting for position with AC & JC. Heritage- It's been a rough few years for the Patriots. They seem to have a few great players lately that end up injured. Could they be a pleasant surprise or will the trend continue? It's been awhile since they have been fighting & winning the conference with Woodlan, AC, & SW days of old. Jay County- the largest school in the conference, the Patriots have yet to exert their dominance on the gridiron. If the trend holds, I see them battling AC and Bluffton for the 3rd spot if not higher if they improve on past performances. South Adams- the youth of the last 2 to 3 years should now be the experienced group. The Starfires are contenders for the crown this year if not the favorite, and could make some noise in the playoffs. No longer stuck with AC in Sectional (though they would be favored this year), could make for a deep playoff run if healthy. Southern Wells- like Heritage, the Raiders in Wells County have had some difficult years. Like Bellmont, this position was a late hire which may not bode well. I believe the culture is coming back, it will just be a numbers game. Hopefully the numbers get better and the Raiders can be contenders once again. Woodlan- the Warriors had a setback last year. I don't see them staying down for long, and actually think they will be the 2nd contender of the crown in this conference. I could be way off, but they tend to find talented players the past few years under Coach Haydock. They have a tough 3 game stretch playing out of state LCC who is usually good year in and out, then playing SA in what could be for the conference title, and then an always tough road trip to Monroe to face the Flying Jets getting into playoff mode.

I know we have some New Haven people on here that could give us some (and probably better) insight into the league for this season. I take a stab in the dark looking at the members as some I have an idea and others not much. Bellmont- late hire of Coach Davis will bring an uphill battle from a winless regular season in 2018 but 2 wins in the postseason. I see them struggling again this season learning new offense and defense philosophies. Columbia City- Not sure what they lost, but they were a pleasant surprise last year as they went .500 again. Will they be able to grow that this year? DeKalb- Can copy and paste Columbia City's notes here East Noble- expectations that they will be strong year in and year out and competing for the conference crown. Huntington North- new coach and similar to Bellmont in "SOME" regards. Looking at 2018 results, it seems to be what team comes out of the locker room Leo- can they get over the 7 win mark that they've had the last 3 seasons. What do they lose from last year? Like East Noble expected to compete for the crown most years New Haven- usually in regards with Leo & EN but last year was under new leadership and learning of new systems. Can they get back to challenge the crown? The results remind me of HN as it may come down to which NH team comes out of the locker room Norwell- it has been some lean years lately for the Knights. It seems that they were beginning to close the gap last season. Will they be able to win some of the close games they dropped in 2018?

Specifically the big 20 county area of: Elkhart, LaGrange, Steuben, Kosciusko, Noble, DeKalb, Wabash, Whitley, Allen, Huntington, Wells, Adams, Grant, Blackford, Jay, Madison, Delaware, Randolph, Henry, and Wayne Counties. Anyone with insights on the their team and conference? Thanks!

Just thinking the same thing. My outlook is: 5 weeks until Wiffleball, 6 weeks until IN HS football & week 0 of college football, 7 weeks until OH HS football & week 1 of college football, and 8 weeks until NFL football.

It was definitely a cruel fate that Southridge suffered. Props to Alexandria-Monroe for playing through everything and just doing what they're supposed to do. With the Tigers win, it was a cool happening for my stepdaughters' friend's family. Their friend attends school in Ohio were the team won the D4 basketball championship and her older half brother attends Alexandria-Monroe who are now 2A baseball champions.

This sounds like a Kentucky problem to me. I say just draw the line from the IN/OH line north of Lawrenceburg straight west to the IN/IL line north of Sullivan and problem solved. JK 😄

Definitely. Shelby (mom's cousin) and Joe are relation of mine. I believe Joe's business partner is a distant cousin to my wife as well.

Made the long drive down to your field in 2016 when we played. Ended up hitting McDonald's in Anderson I believe on the way back. That was a long night. Edit: It was Alexandria not Anderson that night.

Let's hear what places your area has to offer before or after a Friday night. I'm guessing some will say the following for the Decatur/Monroe area: West End, Galley, & Back 40.

Definitely as of late. It is still weird that AC's enrollment has surpassed SA's. I'm used to SA being a 2A in the past. I'm sure it probably won't be too long until AC becomes a 2A based on enrollment if trends continue with the open enrollment throughout the state.

Felt like that in our 2016 year. Traveling around Muncie area when everyone else was playing nearby. Believe we went to Wes-Del and Shenandoah for the first 2 rds and then won a close one at home against Monroe Central. Then won regional at Southwood which was a normal sectional foe.

Whoa we aren't with South Adams & Southern Wells!! That was shocking.

Based on my observations in Indiana and Ohio, it just allows certain programs to have longer periods of dominance. Especially in the smaller classes. It's interesting as Ohio members would like something close to the Success Factor to replace their new Competitive Balance fiasco. They'd like to re-classify their divisions every year and would maybe consider 2 years as the longest, but not preferred.

That's awesome! I'm a big Michigan fan, but Wazzou is my #2. Cool to see someone from the Hoosier state committing to the Palouse.

I should expand to mention that if the team moved up after 1 year doesn't earn say at least a regional, then they move back down to enrollment class. It just seems that in some cases, you know a certain team will walk through the field that year or for a second year in a row. I think the success factor is working for the most part, just think that maybe something could be done in those cases.

Any thoughts on tweaking this just a tad by having a 1 year point total within the 2 year time frame automatically moving a team up before the cycle ends? Maybe winning state automatically would move a team up to a higher class?

I hope to be able to work with him on continuing to develop the youth program. Our youth league consists of Adams Central and Bellmont. I will say it has been an uphill battle for our league to get enough kids out for the Bellmont teams the last couple of years. Our league used to mix the kids together until we partnered with Coach Mosser and Coach Ballard. I can tell you that it isn't just football that Bellmont has had the number problem with either. Coach Ballard did a great job trying to get more youth players to play and was very accommodating in hopes to grow our league and respective programs. Hopefully Coach Davis can generate some enthusiasm and maybe change the culture in the community to match what we have at Adams Central and what South Adams has as well.

I was told it's "Da Region" not "The Region" on another Indiana athletics board.

Word must have spread fast 😂

I don't think you two are representing the values of your denomination. Hope the archdiocese in SB doesn't see this or you two will be in confession booths pronto.

I'd say put Spuller in the end zones or have nothing in them (which looks weird on turf). Maybe a Black & Yellow cat paw and an orange & brown bear paw on each 25?

If it is true that a donor was going to pay for it and they turned it down, then this is a fail. Yes it was needed, but FWCS isn't in a great position in any of its standings from what I have heard. Only having the Bruin at midfield is a bad choice imo. Just put a football at the 50 and put each school in the end zones and be done with it.

Fremont to Knightstown would be one heck of a drive for a Sectional opener. I can see North Miami coming back into the area like they used to be.

Seems to work very well that way. Maybe create a formula to base it off the rankings. Honestly I'd be fine with the top 2 or top 4 of 8 team sectionals being seeded and the rest randomly drawn.