slicer28

Griffith has had turf for a while...(I think 2014)

Wheeler HS added turf in 2023

Hanover Central got turf in 2022

On 11/15/2021 at 5:52 AM, Bobref said:

2006 Regional, Norwell @ New Prairie. We showed up for the game, went into the locker room, had our pregame, walked out and the temperature had dropped 20 degrees into the 30s, and it was raining. We turned around, went back to the locker room and put on every stitch of clothing we had. The rain turned to sleet, and then ice pellets. The first half was an absolute mud bath. By early in the 2nd half, the temperature had dropped even further, and the mud ruts began to freeze. Footing was horrible. One player dominated the game: Norwell QB Chandler Harnish, who went on to star at Northern Illinois. He must have rushed for over 200 yds. in Norwell’s 49-20 win. After the game, I took off my knickers and socks and threw them in the trash. That was the most uncomfortable I have ever been on a football field, and the worst field conditions I’ve ever seen. 

Same night, same county.  2006 Regional, Crown Point @ LaPorte.  Game was delayed by lightning late in the 2nd quarter.  I went home and completely changed clothes and came back.  LP dominated the 1st half, CP dominated after the lightning delay (when the wind and rain stopped).  LP dominated in OT for the win.  Most miserable and memorable game I've ever been to.

6 hours ago, Bobref said:

I understand the desire to reduce the number of kickoff returns as part of.a risk minimization strategy. But why do that using arbitrary requirements like whether the kick has been grounded, before or after crossing the plane? If that’s what you’re trying to accomplish, just change the rule to allow each team to elect to make 1 kickoff return per game. Every other time they just get the ball 1st down on the 25.

I get that you are trying to remove what could become a judgement call for an official, but there is already an arbitrary requirement of a ball going out of bounds on a kickoff and a penalty being assessed.  It's basically the same premise, if the ball touches the ground in the endzone it's dead and a touchback is called.  

Either way, it's just a suggestion to maintain the kickoff as part of the game.

On 5/11/2021 at 9:22 AM, JustRules said:

 I've never seen any actual evidence of a larger number or more serious injuries happening on kick returns compared to other plays, but it does make sense. Real data would be helpful though.

Kickoffs are more dangerous from a concussion standpoint and rule changes at other levels have reduced the prevalence of concussions.  There is research and data to back this up.

https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2018/october/preventing-concussions-football

I'm all in favor of rule changes that make kickoffs (and the game in general) safer, but still allow the ability of a receiving team to attempt a return or a kicking team to attempt an onside kick. 

I would suggest one tweak to the automatic touchback rule.  If the receiving team catches the ball in the endzone on a kickoff they can return the kick (this at least preserves the ability to return in a late game situation).  However, if the kicked ball touches the ground either in the endzone or it bounces into the endzone it is immediately a touchback.  Just a thought.

55 minutes ago, 1st_and_10 said:

The Saturday JV games have killed Youth leagues trying to get licensed officials.  It's extremely difficult.  Even paying $50 or $60 a game to ref a 2nd/3rd grade game. And we typically don't have our schedule finalized until mid-late July and most IHSAA licensed officials already have a schedule or most Saturdays booked.  

One of the reasons most NW Indiana Pop Warner games are on Sundays.

22 hours ago, DE said:

It may just be up here (NWI).

Some schools will do "C-Teams" to ensure all their players are getting playing time.  I think it is a great idea.

I teach at KV and they had a freshman team last year.  IMSC, about 13 players or so.

Lowell had a freshman team last year.  I do not recall their total #'s.

Lake Central had a freshman team, as did Chesterton and Munster.

I am going off the teams I officiated for.

LaPorte had a freshman team, as did all the DAC teams.  LP's freshmen followed the same schedule as varsity did.

29 minutes ago, BigBH said:

No he's not wrong because his system had them competitive in every game it appears.  And yes different works also, but in the case of Noblesville most games they were not competitive and system did not allow them to be.  Call me crazy but when most teams are down by a large amount coming out of halftime they usually go to something different in the playbook to chip away...Not Noblesville they played rugby...ground and pound..maybe the defense relaxes and sure they put a TD on the board.............but then the clock is just rolling and the winning team subs out starters and we all go home.  Successful....the HCC will take step back so maybe they can go 4-6?  I mentioned earlier they will lose kids to transfer to other Hamilton County schools...I heard there biggest stat leader from last year has already transferred so they lose 700 rushing yards right there.  Coach needs to find and develop a QB....plenty of families paying big bucks for Johnny QB prodigy in that area

I'm not going to defend every aspect of Sharpe's power T.  There are certainly valid criticisms of the system.  However, his years at LaPorte were not "average".  They were honestly pretty damn good apart from his last year there (which was a very tough year for him and the team for a number of reasons I'm not going to belabor here).  If he called 52 passes last year that's probably double what he typically called at LaPorte, and the teams at LaPorte averaged nearly 30 points per game on offense (and there were lots of games where a pass was never attempted...).  Everyone knew what was coming and they couldn't stop it.  Run properly it is not a "grind it out offense" it can be high scoring and dynamic.  Go look at the numbers.  Those offenses at LaPorte were prolific scoring offenses.  The 2016 team was the smallest school in 6A and I truly believe that they would have had a chance to make it to LOS had they been in 5A that year.  They had good players who believed in the system and they were successful because of it.  That "rugby" offense at LaPorte was often problematic in LaPorte because it scored too fast and kept putting the defense back on the field.

It's not like Noblesville was a juggernaut when Sharpe showed up.  They averaged 15.3 ppg last year.  That was the highest ppg Noblesville has had since 2016.  What did you expect?  A messed up off season with a new coach and system would somehow take a program that has struggled offensively for the past 4 years and make them a prolific scoring machine?  Give the guy a chance.

21 hours ago, Tommy said:

Look more long term this time.  I don’t want La Porte to become another program that has the seek a new head coach every 3 or 4 seasons.  Maybe get one of the players dads to volunteer to do it, when son graduates, get another volunteer dad.

In defense of the process last time, I'm pretty confident that a long term solution was the goal.  Coach Lowery was hired with that in mind, and I believe he felt the same way.  2020 has been a tough year on everyone for a lot of different reasons, and I take Coach Lowery at his word.  This was a family decision for him and his family.  There is no ill will from this Slicer fan or anyone else I've talked to.  Disappointed?  Of course.  There are good people here and good players in the system.  Over the past few years we have developed one of the largest and best performing youth programs in NW Indiana.  I truly believe that the next coach here will have plenty of good things to work with.  I believe Coach Lowery felt the same way.  Circumstances just change sometimes.

55 minutes ago, Staxawax said:

Warren made annual trips to Cincy from 2014-16 and played Trinity in Louisville in 2018.  What travel restrictions?

"Mason said he has already spoken with Warren Central coach Jayson West about playing since the Warriors also have a week nine opening. While West expressed a definite interest, Warren Central can’t travel due to school corporation restrictions."  This is directly from an article in the LaPorte County Herald Dispatch from this past Friday.

My understanding is that Warren Central cannot travel to Michigan City due to travel restrictions within the school district.  Michigan City really want's another home game, and they aren't too thrilled about the idea of a long bus ride down to Indianapolis.  Given those parameters I just don't see how it gets done.  MC will still play their JV game next Saturday against Crown Point as I understand it so I would assume they will try to play everyone they can in that game to give them some action.

LaPorte has it.  They've used it for about 5 years now for gameday replay/filming.  We've had some issues here and there but those are mostly due to problems with cables.  I just do the gameday stuff with the ipad from the press box (start/stop plays and tagging) so I don't know how the back end works, but the coaches seem to be happy with it.  It is not used to live stream or broadcast games.  I see that Edge is now selling a kit for live streaming.  Looks like that kit would be a completely separate system from the gameday setup we've been using.

58 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Strong sure, big not necessarily 

Game of football is about leverage and pad levels.

Size helps if you are running RPO/ZONE Schemes 

 POWER T is scheme relies on great pullers, leverage, double teams and great action in the back field. 

That is why NAVY can go against some teams that are bigger than themselves and have success, pad level 

 

This 100%.  Big tackles help, but the guards need to have good feet an be able to move.  They also need to be smart.  

10 hours ago, Proud Papa said:

I disagree with the idea that this will be a huge advantage for the Millers. Good luck running this offense in the HCC without 7 down lineman/te's that are absolute a$$ kickers. Being Noblesville doesn't have that now (or in the foreseeable future) I don't see how this is an advantage. Line up like that with inferior lineman/athletes and they'll lose by 30 week in and week out. I've never been a fan of coaches that run, "their system" no matter what personnel they have. What happens when Noblesville has 2-3 talented WR's, a QB that can throw it and no blocking TE's? You still line up in the double tight full house and try to ram it down people's throats? Maybe that works in the rural leagues but I don't think he's got a shot versus HCC/MIC teams with this mentality. I know, what about Center Grove? Cannot compare Noblesville football to GC. I also think you'll see a change in their offense the next couple years with the dual threat Jackson taking the snaps. Already saw a little but of a change this year because Coach knew he needed to play to his teams strength's and not just, "his scheme". Anyway, I know Noblesville football and the personnel well and I don't see this as any type of advantage for them. 

Coach Sharpe was pretty darn successful in a pretty physical conference (DAC).  I certainly wouldn't call the DAC the "rural leagues".  The players here in LP loved him and the community did too.  Give the guy a chance.  

Best of luck to Coach Sharpe.  You have a bunch of fans in LaPorte who will be cheering you on from up north.

I've seen Valpo personally twice this year and watched a couple games via stream.  They are the real deal.  Personally I think they would have been a legitimate threat for the 6A title this year just like they were last year.  They are loaded with talent and size on both sides of the ball.  It will be quite the atmosphere in Valpo on Friday night.

I honestly don't think it's going to matter.  Valpo by 14.

I could certainly be wrong.  Mishawaka is always a tough place to play, but Valpo is really, really good folks.

3 hours ago, Bobref said:

Sagarin has the Vikings a 7 pt. favorite, including the home field advantage.

I'll give the points and take the Vikings.

5 hours ago, Indian72 said:

From a gate stand point Penn-Mishawaka is much attractive then Penn - Laporte.

Does the fact Laporte coach played for Penn enter into the equation?

The Penn-LaPorte deal is only for 2 years as I understand it.  The games were scheduled while Dave Sharpe was still the head coach at LaPorte and it had nothing to do with Jeremy Lowery taking over.  I wouldn't be surprised if the series ends after next year.

3 hours ago, Tanka Jahari said:

Can you guys imagine the footage that could be gathered by using a drone to film a football game from above? It would be so awesome. I'm surprised more high school teams don't use drones to gather practice footage to review later. 

 

Some do...

2 hours ago, Tommy said:

Markice Hurt Jr. and Marquan Hurt are brothers.  They are also Aryuan “Buck” Cain-Veasey’s cousin who absolutely lit it up Saturday in his game for Grand Valley State University on Saturday rushing for 200 yards on 11 carries and scored 3 touchdowns including the 3rd longest run in school history from 94 yards.  He was named the Great Lakes Intercolligiate Conference (GLIAC) player of the week.

 

https://www.facebook.com/100000466601769/posts/3598591256833059/

Still one more Hurt on the way, correct?

1 minute ago, DannEllenwood said:

I am well aware of who Coach James is.  Coached against him many times.  Very good coach and person.  That is not the person I was speaking about.

"La Porte had a search committee to replace Dave Sharpe.  The position was first offered to Bob James who turned it down. Then the committee consulted with Paul Condry and asked him for a list of 5 coaches they should reach out to and Jeremy Lowery was at the top of the list."

I hope this clears it up.  Have a great day.

Ahhh, misunderstood where you were going.

I can tell you this.  There was an official posting for the job.  There were a lot of applicants.  I'm sure Paul Condry was consulted in that process due to relationships that people who were on the committee have with him, but I'm sure they didn't just go from a short list provided by him. 

I was sad to see Coach Sharpe go, and I couldn't imagine going through what he and his family did over the past few years.  However, Coach Lowery is the real deal.  These first few games have been challenging, but I'm confident that the program is in good hands.

11 minutes ago, DannEllenwood said:

They asked a media member?  Seriously?

Bob James is not a media member.  He's the offensive line coach hand has been with the program for almost 20 years.

1 hour ago, BTF said:

Valparaiso is my team of the week. When was the last time Penn got thumped by 20 from a team similar or smaller in enrollment? It looks like you have to go back to 2009 when they lost to Mishawaka by 16. Valpo is the real deal!

The answer is the last time they played.  Valpo knocked Penn out in the sectional championship game last year 21-0 at Penn.  In back to back games Valpo has beat Penn by a combined score of 55-14!

The game of the regular season will be in week 4 when Michigan City visits Valparaiso.

For DAC fans, here are some short interviews from the 2019 RRSN/IFD Region Kickoff Show:

Portage - Head Coach Darren Rodriguez - https://youtu.be/D_xMYd6raX4

Merrillville - Head Coach Brad Seiss - https://youtu.be/ZNdwSstRh64

LaPorte - Head Coach Jeremy Lowery - https://youtu.be/TjOZ-D65Zjk

Crown Point - Head Coach Kevin Enright - https://youtu.be/jYr8qywY_Yg

Chesterton - Head Coach Mark Peterson - https://youtu.be/JSFlO-y6bc8

Valparaiso - Head Coach Bill Marshall - https://youtu.be/2YCx0R4MJjo

2 hours ago, WolvesOnTheProwl said:

Mishawaka still scrimmage Concord? I wonder if they'll continue that scrimmage when the Cavemen move to the NLC? 

Penn vs Crown Point used to scrimmage but not sure 

Yep, both of these scrimmages are happening tonight.  Penn @ Crown Point and Concord @ Mishawaka

2 hours ago, psaboy said:

So, I'm trying to understand why Valpo moved down to 5A after having enough success points to stay in 6A after winning regional??

The "stay up" points are only for those teams that were bumped up based on success points.  The criteria starts with enrollment.  Valpo dropped to 5A based on enrollment (and other success factor movements) first.  They do not have the required 6 points over the past 2 seasons to force a move up in classification.  Trust me, I would prefer Valpo stayed in 6A, but it is what it is.