SEAL_63

Bosse/VL should be a fun watch in Week 1. Both programs have much to prove. Both are on the upswing the past few seasons. The Alices return strong offensive and defensive fronts.

Foot in my mouth...I knew this. Thanks I guess when I get to rambling brain lapses like these happen lol.

VL’s additions of Harrison (scrimmage) and Bosse to the schedule (as well as Floyd Central) were made well before trouble was brewing in the Big 8. Now those changes prove to be more valuable than originally thought. Hopefully, this will serve as a stepping stone for Lincoln as they move to an all Eville schedule in 2020. And you can bet that last October’s beatdown at Enlow against Memorial was a popular film for Coach Salters and Co. this spring and summer on where they have to get better fundamentally in order to compete in the SIAC.

As long as I can remember, in my 30 plus years of watching Lincoln sports, the Big 8 conference is all I’ve ever known to be home. And “home” seemed the most suitable of a word I could think of. I credit this conference for so many memories of my youth, whether as a player or a fan. The rivalries, the classic games, the great players that have come and gone, the many short road games to Washington and Princeton that you rarely missed. Even the long trips between Vincennes and Mount Vernon, Boonville, and Tell City (back in the day), the people of these towns gained such familiarity with each other and their respective communities. The layout of each city, where to park, what gate to enter at the stadium/arena, where to grab a bite at the local’s favorite spot(s), where to maybe grab a beer afterward, what fans you liked, what fans you couldn’t stand...for many of us we’ve learned like the back of our hands through the years. So in a sense, it’s saddening to watch it end, but also incredibly exciting for what this final season will hold in all sports, football in particular. Because for football, 2019 really is the end of the road. No more guaranteed annual meetings that you might still see with basketball or baseball. Each team, whether SIAC or PAC bound, will have a full (or near full) conference schedule beginning in 2020 leaving little to no room for potential rematches. For this reason, I feel we could see the most competitive conference season in recent memory. Teams who are normally competing for a title will be vying harder than ever for the final Big 8 championship. Even teams in the bottom half will have something extra to play for. And I fully expect Mount Carmel to play with the biggest chip on their shoulder. Their break-up with the conference wasn’t exactly smooth. But it should be the usual suspects in the upper tier...Boonville, Jasper, VL. I’m going to call Boonville the slight favorite again with the return of their senior QB Phillips, WR Scarborough, and several key linemen, plus the momentum of a 10-1 season a year ago. It’s hard to see much of a drop off from the Pioneers. Jasper, meanwhile, has a new head coach and VL a new young QB. Both are fully capable of unseating Boonville at the top though. 1. Boonville 2. Jasper 3. Vincennes 4. Princeton 5. Mt Vernon 6. Mt Carmel 7. Washington

I’m just kind of blown away with how Boonville has handled this whole thing. And this article is the cherry on top. They were in the same boat as Jasper. Both 4A schools with similar enrollments playing in the same sectional with Evansville schools as their competition. They were given a golden opportunity to prepare for said sectional on a yearly basis and declined because of one single contest against a Bosse team who was capable catching anyone(outside the SIAC top tier)off guard in 2018. And surely they knew that had they joined with GS, it would have forced the conference to split into divisions and that they would’ve ended up in the small division?

Wow...knew it was coming, but still hard to believe. Let’s make the 40th and final season of the Big 8 a good one.

Not technically in Fort Branch...but Stolls fried chicken might be the best there is...the only competition to the Gastoff.

Pretty much any pizza place in Vincennes. Both Bobes, Procopios, Old Chicago’s. For Mexican cuisine, El Corral is the full package. A wonderful atmosphere with margaritas to die for.

There’s so many great places to eat in Gibson County already...can’t we just have the nod for best pizza at least?? Lol. I have had Sandy’s once and it was delicious.

Amen. This isn’t so much about who deserves it more than the other. But who needed a new conference home more. And it’s not like anyone from Vincennes is expecting the red carpet rolled out. But a chance to prove ourselves would be nice.

Well apparently the SIAC considered more than just football when making their decision and also looked at the athletic traditions of both schools. VL and Jasper, more often than not, field strong football, basketball (boys and girls), and baseball teams. Ah yes..but Nick Hart’s arrival to GS just so happened to coincide with probably the worst stretch of Lincoln football in the last 40 years. GS and VL programs went in opposite directions almost simultaneously.

Can’t argue with that logic. If any VL sports program has question marks right now though, it’s the basketball program surprisingly. The pep band will remain strong though! Especially for conference games!

Based on recent history in football, I get why some might prefer GS over VL. But I really think the best has yet to come for Lincoln under Levi Salters. He’s just getting started. Lots of good football classes coming up the ranks.

Yeah the only place that I heard Jasper was even considering a PAC merger was on this board. Every other source told me the opposite though. Several people I know within the Vincennes School Corp. that I’ve talked to over the last few months all said Jasper was pushing hard for the SIAC. That wasn’t a mystery. What was a mystery is what VL would do, because I’m of the belief they preferred joining the PAC from a competitive stand point. But from a scheduling, logistical, and stability point of view, the SIAC makes perfect sense. Having all sports included is another big plus. And no, I’m not expecting any conference titles in football for some time. But there is zero reason why they can’t be competitive.

Don’t get me started with GoT. Not good for the forum lol..

I’ve refrained from commenting on all the merger talk as of late (although I’ve kept up my reading on the board). I’ve heard too many differing opinions and rumors from different sources. Not sure what to believe. VL principal Steve Combs was quoted by The Courier saying joining the SIAC was “not in the best interest of the football program”, which is true in a lot of ways. Talent wise, Lincoln is better than they were 3 years ago, but would still be towards the bottom of the SIAC at this present time. VL of 10-15 yrs ago would be very competitive in the SIAC. I’m of the belief that Levi Salters (knowing the man he is and how he relates to players), will pull every ounce of football talent that Knox County has to offer and possibly/hopefully field some of those 00’s caliber teams. With that said, I still feel a merger with the PAC is the best choice. The number of quality football programs in the Pocket is an instant upgrade to the schedule, even for Jasper (who btw has yet to defeat a Salters led squad). I wouldn’t be overly upset though if VL joined the SIAC. They’re kind of in a unique position geographically.

Incredible. This would be a good story to post next time someone complains about our current playoff system.

Yeah I almost scheduled an optometry appointment when I saw this. Can't remember the last team any VL sport was put in such an opportunistic situation...especially when it comes to sectional time. You have my stamp of approval IHSAA. 👍

So apparently... VL and Jasper are still entertaining offers from the SIAC. Whether this is for all sports, or just football I'm not sure. It'll be interesting to see where this goes. Vincennes already plays all SIAC schools in basketball (minus Castle) and would like to add more Eville opponents on their football schedule. Jasper is probably pushing harder for this because of the sectional competition they face in both sports. Obviously, this would split the remaining Big 8 teams permanently. I could see VL wanting to keep these schools together in a Big PAC division. Jasper could care less based on what I've heard...shocker.

And the title of the article is a little deceiving, as if the Big 8 had a choice in the matter.

So glad this day has finally come. Always dreaded going across the Wabash to play. No visiting locker rooms, and they have less visitor seating at the football stadium than their basketball arena.

The team to beat, yes. But I don’t see any one team “dominating” on an annual basis. You’re basing this belief on the past, which is understandable. The Big 8 has been mediocre over the past decade, save for a few exceptional teams. Meanwhile, over that same time period, GS has been the model for consistent excellence on the gridiron. So it’s easy to assume that this trend will continue. But based on what I’ve watched over the past two seasons, in particular with VL and Boonville winning conference championships, I expect the Big 8 to return to its 2000’s form in the near future. We’re already seeing the escalation with the aforementioned teams forcing Jasper to move on from Tony Ahrens. The Cats won’t be down for long, I promise you. And with the VL/GS youth programs seemingly an even match, I expect some damn good battles down the road.

The future is bright. The numbers are way up again. The freshmen class was large enough to field their own team, but from my understanding it would’ve hurt the JV numbers, as many underclassmen played varsity in 2018. That JV team, with the two middle school teams lost a total of 2 games combined (middle school plays GS, Jasper, and Castle). So the hope is that there will be a freshman team this fall. I believe the varsity will have the same expectations in 2019 as the previous year, if not higher. They lost some key players to graduation (Corrona, Lane, Malone, Combs), but it was a relatively small senior class overall. Quite a bit of experience returns at all positions other than QB and WR. Sophomore Colten Pfoff, in all likelihood, will take over under center. His development will carry a lot of weight in determining how the season goes. I expect a beast of a defensive front for the Alices.

Congratulations. For a school and community still healing from such a tragedy, it’s good to have a new voice.

Yes. But will there be as many azz whoopins handed out by GS with VL and Jasper on the schedule?