Bobref

I need to tread lightly here, since I love my job as an observer, and the IHSAA is my boss. So, be clear about this. This is my personal opinion. I have no influence with the IHSAA on this issue, and am speaking purely as someone who existed within the system for many, many years ... and enjoyed great success under that system. My crew was together for 25 years, and we never worked lower than a Regional in any year we were eligible. The single greatest change that would result in instant improvement in the caliber of officiating in Indiana, and in the perception of the fairness and accuracy of the system, would be the abolition of the coaches’ vote as the primary determinant in tournament officiating advancement. Don’t get me wrong, coaches are important stakeholders in the process. Give them the opportunity to “scratch” X number of crews so they won’t feel disenfranchised. But leave the evaluation of officiating proficiency to the people who have had the training and experience to know what they should be looking for, and what’s really important. And who are unbiased, i.e., unaffected by the outcome of the game. If coaches sincerely wanted to make a contribution to increase the quality of the officials they see, they’d sponsor a resolution at the next IFCA meeting to tell the IHSAA to find another way to select tournament officials.

I am on board with liberal use of the power of the pardon to protect people from reprisals when there’s a shift in the political winds. And you had better believe there are going to be a bunch of new US Attorneys chomping at the bit. The rest of it is bordering on silly. Amounts to a kid smashing the checker when he realizes he isn’t going to win the game.

I guess we’ll never know. I just hope we get the chance to do it again on a big stage. We’ll either silence the doubters then, or we won’t. I’m good with that.

I’m wondering exactly how many of these types of decisions have to be made in a typical tournament season. Surely less than a dozen. Why doesn’t the IHSAA just set the day and time, after receiving all available input from the schools involved?

There has been some erroneous information circulating about the application of the Mercy Rule going forward in the playoffs. As of 1 hr. ago, per Asst. Commissioner Faulkens, the rule remains in effect through the semistate.

Higher.

My information comes from the very highest level.

The Mercy Rule remains in effect at all levels except the Finals.

No team in the history of the NFL has ever “tanked” with a winning record. Change my mind.

No doubt about it. I’m just playing the odds. That's why I said “unlikely” and not “impossible.”

The #1 way for a GM to get fired is to swing & miss on a franchise QB drafted early in the first round. Trubisky is Exhibit A. I know @DT believes Trubisky can succeed in the NFL, and maybe he will. But it clearly won’t be with Chicago. And it probably won’t be to the level of a top-5 draft pick.

Financial considerations are definitely a factor, especially since there was no revenue from the boy’s basketball tournament. But to say that’s the only reason they went forward with the season is a gross overstatement, and does a disservice to the people at the IHSAA, who are working hard to give the kids some aspect of normalcy in these goofy times.

Pretty unlikely. The crew on this game was a multiple state championship crew, last appearing in LOS in 2018. Such officials ordinarily do not feel like they have to “call something.”

And his father, an NFL official and long-time supervisor of B1G officiating, was the AD at Rogers for many years.

Notre Dame response to students storming the field after the Clemson win.https://www.tigernet.com/update/ND-students-sent-letter-after-rushing-field-after-win-over-Clemson-36754

Sssshhhhhhh! It’s been a welcome respite.

They have announced he will not play in the tournament.

No argument with any of that ... except it doesn’t qualify as long term ... yet.

Your initial premise is, if not flawed, at least premature. Pretty hard to design a fix to address “long term impact” when we are not even through the season. Describe the “long term impact” ... and the crystal ball you used to foresee it.

I was surprised to see that, too. No disrespect to Whiteland.

Calpreps Project a Matchup says Whiteland would beat Elder by 3 pts. on a neutral field.

If they both win out, then the winner of the ACC championship game goes to the playoff, and that’s the end of it. So, this game won’t matter, then. The chief accomplishment here is that the Irish now know that they can go toe to toe with them. That will stand them in good stead. It also is the first really big game Kelly has won in quite a while. So, it gets that monkey off his back. No doubt a really big win for the Irish. But it merely puts them in position to cash in. They have to finish the season now.

I’ve seen Merrillville twice this year. They have major size, speed and athleticism. You’re probably not going to out-athlete them. Their vulnerability was shown by Chatard: play a disciplined, mistake-free, ball control game, and force them to make some mistakes. Stay away from the big play and force them to drive the ball.

As the 3rd period draws to a close, the Titans defense has outscored the Bears’ offense, 7-0.