BTF

Lol, Luers 8-1 record this year has nothing to do with the SAC being down. Homestead has three losses this year because Snider, Carroll, and Luers have trended up. If the latter three programs were the same as last year, Homestead would be undefeated again. At the very minimum, the SAC is as good as they were the previous two years. Homestead and Dwenger being down this year doesn't qualify the SAC as being down since the other big three are having up years. The Spartans are "down", but not by very much.

By how much? I might take Merrillville to cover.

If anything, it's last years experience that will propel Merrillville. They know what Westfield brings to the table............no surprises.

Concordia won't just defeat Northwestern. It will be a running clock by halftime. I'm taking the SAC in a sweep. South over Delta

Who said the conference is down? The combined strength of Snider, Dwenger, Homestead, and Carroll is as strong as it's ever been. And after the SAC goes 4-0 tomorrow night against non conference foes, I think we'll see first hand that this conference isn't down at all. Snider, Dwenger, Homestead, and Carroll are all good football teams this year. Luers beat three of them. That speaks VOLUMES for a school of their size.

Lol, what are the odds of that?

All good points for sure. My biggest takeaway from last year was #2. I agree that players thrive on that.

East Noble............the other dark horse!

I wouldn't call it a sham. They had good quarterback play, that was the difference. Isn't that what held Michigan back for several years?

I'm retreating. I don't know enough about 3A to stay engaged. Stating that Gibson Southern is "definitely" the favorite was nothing more than speculation.

Agree. The media has always treated Snider well. Opposing teams, coaches, and fans have always been sportsmanlike. I'll pass on taking "looked down upon" any further. I'm not sure what anyone's beef with Luers is other than some people were calling for a bump up to 3A for several years. I was one of those "fans." Yes, I'm a fan of Luers and what that small school has achieved. I've always felt like they could make a case for best "pound for pound" program in the state. I suggested for a long time, before the success factor was implemented, that Luers voluntarily bumped up to 3A. The Knights play a high caliber brand of football and I would love nothing more for them to get their first 3A title. Unfortunately though, every time they bump up, they seem to be going through a down cycle.

Agree. I was stumped on this class. Gibson Southern is definitely the favorite though.

6A - Homestead. Although I think Carroll will come out of that sectional, don't sleep on the Spartans. They were just on the brink of beating Carroll, Snider, and Luers. We're talking about a total margin of 13pts in those defeats. They also waxed a Dwenger team that is better than most are giving them credit for. With a good balance of offense and defense, don't be surprised to see them tangle with Westfield for the second straight year. 5A - Dwenger. Most people see a 5-4 team and think that the Saints are way down this year. This is probably the best 4 loss team I've ever seen in the SAC. Though they didn't perform well against Homestead and Carroll, they were leading Luers late in the 4th before a last minute score by the Knights. They also gave Snider a scare with a nice comeback late in the game. They have just enough pieces of the puzzle to put together a couple of good games for the right to play Zionsville in a rematch from last year. 4A - Leo. They're undefeated, so why not. Outside of East Noble, they really haven't had a close game this year. And it still would have taken a touchdown and a two point conversion by the Knights to send that game into overtime. Don't be surprised if they grit it out all the way to state. 3A - West Lafayette. Football seems to be pretty hard nosed in Lafayette. I'm kind of out of my league in this class, but I'll roll with the Red Raiders. 2A - Andrean. There was a lot of talk at the beginning of the season about how they were the team to beat in this class. Maybe that team comes together in the playoffs. 1A - Churubusco. I've got three other Fort Wayne area teams on my list, so why not add a fourth. Let's see what the boys of Turtle Town are made of over the next few weeks.

In addition to your #4: Merrillville got a taste last year of what big boy football really is when they played Chatard and Westfield. As you said, they'll be better prepared this time around.

A lot more to deal with like putting turf fields in at schools that don't bring in any revenue? Snider has a legitimate argument based on the program they built which just happens to be a money maker for FWCS. It's no secret Snider is looked down upon for the success that they've achieved. But whatever, they'll keep on winning whether have a stadium or don't . I mean, who cares if Snider's home field has a Bruin in the center of it, right? They still win. Anyway, this was a Luers thread to begin with. I don't know enough about the program to know if they even want turf or not. If that's what they want, I hope they get it. If not, then who cares. Their business is winning state championships regardless of the condition of their field. Kudos to them.