BTF

Regardless of how many offers Merrillville kids are receiving, we all know that the talent pool per capita is the same in the Region as it is in Fort Wayne or Indianapolis. However, as DT suggested, the Region isn't producing the same amount of D1 athletes that the other markets are. Fort Wayne has OPS and Traction AP and both are responsible for producing D1 kids. Are there any such facilities in the Region?

This summer sometime? Not really sure of the details. Dabo Swinney says it best: “My transfer portal is right there in that locker room, because if I’m constantly going out every year and adding guys from the transfer portal, I’m telling all those guys in that locker room that I don’t believe in them, that I don’t think they can play,” Swinney said. “We’re also not doing our job as coaches and recruiters if we’re bringing in a bunch of transfers. We’re not going to build our roster on transfers.”

Homestead's starting quarterback goes to Carroll.......................on and on we go.

I understand that. I just like having Indy representation in the north. It doesn't seem right to make it to Lucus without going through a team from the northern Indy burbs.

Would love to see New Pal back in 5A. The more competition the merrier. I'm a little disappointed Zionsville isn't still there.

It's a new era. High school is becoming like college.

Debatable.................Homestead is 6-1 vs Snider and Dwenger over the last three years.......3-0 vs Dwenger and 3-1 vs Snider. But no regional titles for the Spartans.

Penn has to have something left in the tank. They embarrassed Carmel four years ago, but it seems like yesterday. With a large enrollment with lots of resources, I think Penn stays relevant. Munster mystifies me. One would think they would have a better football program. Sounds like Hobart is back for good?

This early in the season Snider has to be considered the front runner to take the SAC if you compare what they have returning compared to their competition. It's still up to the kids though. Games aren't won before they are started anymore. Post 2017, most teams aren't intimidated by the black and yellow anymore. This group has the opportunity to get that reputation back. Make no mistake though, every team in the SAC will line up with Snider with the expectation of winning. North Side to start the season is about as good as it gets to open the season in NE Indiana. This was a fierce rivalry back in the 80's and 90's with some pretty competitive matchups in the last couple of decades. The Legends play with a chip on their shoulder being from the heart of the city. They embarrassed the Panthers two seasons ago and were a matter of inches from beating them last year. With one of the best wideouts in the country the, addition of Dwenger's starting QB, and some key guys in the trenches, North Side should be ready for this one.

Good to know. Good to have that Indy representation.

Wayne. Don't sleep on the Generals. They have a good coach who is entering his third season. Wayne has some history of some very good teams with the right leadership in place. They will be battle tested playing in the SAC. They won't be ranked by season's end because the AP is mostly concerned with record and not SOS. But they very well may be one of the Top 10 teams in 4A.

Might be a first.

Agree. The potential is there. This team could be good. But I've seen teams with "potential" fall flat on their faces. Week 1 will be a good test.

Could very well happen. Different coach this time. North Side is a wild card. Hard to predict. Week 1 will be a good one in the SAC.

Transfer came from Dwenger. Unsure if was the Saints first or second string though. There is a lot of hype surrounding North Side this year. Last year they started strong with a 2pt loss to Snider and ended strong with a 3pt loss to Dwenger, but everything in between was a train wreck as they finished the season 2-7. Are they a contender? I would say yes since they lost to the Panthers and Saints last year by a combined *5pts. *Regular season game was a 26pt whipping delivered by the Saints

I always thought his magic came from getting the most out of his top athletes by having them play both sides of the ball. Think about the math. If your best players are playing on both sides of the ball, then you are probably playing the quality of football that a school double your size plays with............for at least a half anyway. Most teams that do that tend to wear down in the second half, but NP never seemed to. You could be on point regarding a run in talent. A good program remains good if they are playing within their weight class. But if you are playing teams that have clear advantages like enrollment or socioeconomic advantages, then you are probably at the mercy of that talent "run" just to stay towards the top. Case in point: For decades Snider managed to to be a Top 5 program every 4-5 years.........like clockwork. That was due to them playing schools twice their enrollment. Every 4-5 years they had that talent run that could compete with the mega schools.

Zionsville barely survived the North the past two seasons, for sure.

Speaking of rumblings, you'll probably coast through semi-state as well. The consensus seems to be that 2022 will be the Decatur Central/Merrillville show.

Good information. It really didn't affect much though. Cathedral was winning the title those years regardless.

Unfamiliar with the storyline.

Zionsville belongs in 6A based on enrollment. Not sure New Pal "belongs" in 6A. My point was..........the more competition the better in 5A.

I'm just looking at trends. And the trend is at minimum a 10 win season. Mason is 2-1 versus Bishop Luers over the last three seasons. And if the Knights couldn't beat him and his Blazers last season, I'm not sure when they can ever beat them again.

Can't have a discussion about 2A anymore without the mention of Eastside. Todd Mason and the Blazers own Northeast Indiana.

It's a shame New Pal is 4A now. Would love to see them and Zionsville remain in 5A.

I'm not too familiar with Decatur Central. But it's good to know that they are considered "Indy area." I was just thinking the other day how lonely 5A seems to be with no Indy teams represented. It just seems normal that the road to Lucus goes through Zionsville with the right to play Cathedral. Personally? I wish that were still the case.