BTF

Late 70's, into the 80's. Dwenger beat Penn in 1978, I want to say 22-18.

Just some random thoughts from a fan’s perspective entering the 2024 season. Carroll: Dinan seems determined to make Carroll a household name. He wants to be the team people think of when they think of Northeast Indiana football. I think we can officially predict that Carroll will just reload from this moment forward. You add a good football coach to a growing community that loves football, and you get a potential state powerhouse. This year’s team is lead by a D1 quarterback and a D1 tight end. That could be a lethal combination. Carroll’s defenses have been stout in recent seasons and should probably continue that trend this year. Potential looms for this team, but it won’t be easy. Every sectional boasts a team or two capable of making it to the state finals. Concordia: Can state champion coach Tim Mannigel get the Cadets back to where he had them a few years ago? The team that wasted everyone on the way to the 3A title in 2016? The team that almost took out one of Chatard’s all time best teams in 2019? I’m betting on this team being better than last year, but that’s about it. Then I’ll bet again that they’ll be better in 2025. For now, I see the SAC being too good to see Concordia in the top half of the pack. But they WILL be an improved team that teams probably shouldn’t fall asleep on. Dwenger: Some might consider this a make or break season for Jason Garrett. The Dwenger faithful won’t accept mediocrity forever. It could be that they just had a downward trend in talent in recent years. After all, Garrett’s teams were pretty good the first few years he took over. But this trend they are going through now? The last time the Saints were this “average” was the final four years of the Andy Johns era from 1998-2001. Since then, Dwenger never went more than two years without posting a double digit season. I’m not sure what’s in store for this years team, but I’m rooting for them Saints to get back to Blue Blood form. The first two weeks should be telling. Last year they were outscored 108-7 and have the same two opponents to open this season. Good luck and God speed. Homestead: Like the Saints, Homestead has been stuck in a mediocre stage for a few years now. I think it’s safe to chalk it up as a downtrend in talent. Losing Jimmy Sullivan to the Chargers didn’t help matters any. Zolman has had some pretty stout teams during his run as head coach, including two one loss seasons in the SAC and one undefeated season. Those are the teams that Fort Wayne grew to know under Chad’s leadership. But I’ve got to bring up the elephant in the room. No matter how good the Spartan’s tend to do in the regular season, they always seem to plateau at the regional level. In 20 seasons as the team’s head, they are 0-5 at the regional level where Indy teams (Carmel four times) have had their way with Homestead by an average score of 35-6. That doesn’t mean the Spartan’s don’t know how to handle SAC foes though. Over the past five years, they are 4-2 vs Snider and 3-3 vs Carroll. All bets are off this season. Luers: Kyle Lindsay enters his 12th season and finally got the state champion monkey off his back last year. He would probably argue that he had 2A’s best team in 2020 & 2021, and a good argument he’d have. But hoisting that trophy is a weight off the programs shoulders in my opinion. There will be more, but will any come at the 3A level? Can he do something his father never did and win the 3A title? Honestly, I have no idea. Certainly possible with Chatard out of the way. I do know that you have to be ready to go anytime Luers takes the field. I want to say this years team returns plenty on defense, but little on offense. Probably enough to take care of business in the SAC small division. I see this team falling somewhere between 7-2 & 4-5 in SAC play. They could actually go 4-5 and still be considered a top contender in 3A. North Side: There’s still a lot of excitement within this program for the kids who have bought in. The last two years were a yoyo. In 2022, they were as good as anyone in 5A. It was a different story in 2023. They weren’t a bad team, but not very good either. This year’s team has some talent for sure. It’s up to Ben Johnson to put it all together. The first three weeks against Northridge, Lawrence North, and Dwenger will tell us if they are a contender or a pretender. With Snider out of the way in 5A, a deep playoff run is possible. A share of the SAC title is also possible for this club……….no Snider or Homestead on the schedule. Northrop: Quentin Bowen’s teams have been roughed up pretty bad in his first two seasons as a head coach. But to his defense, there’s never really been a football culture at Northrop. His predecessor was able to take the Bruins to a respectable level as an opponent, but ended up at a program with more of a football culture. I’m not optimistic at all about the direction of the Northrop program. With some of the other bottom teams trending up, a last place finish wouldn’t surprise me at all. But like the rest of the programs in the SAC, I wish Bowen and the Bruins a prosperous season. Snider: Snider will be good………..or really, really good depending on how the offense comes together. Another SAC title is within grasp. But what are their capabilities now that they enter 6A? Every sectional is home to at least two, in some cases three, state title contenders. They’ll probably bring a state title caliber defense to the field, but again, it’s all going to come down to how the offense comes together. Week 1 against Warren Central will provide some answers as many are predicting the Warriors to be one of the teams to beat in 6A. South Side: For the second year in a row, the Archers put forth a very solid performance at the most recent 7 on 7 tournament. And as we saw last year, things change a whole lot when you add an offensive and defensive line. There does seem to be a different vibe with Andre Goodwell at the helm. Although they only won one game last season, they did seem to be more competitive than they have been in the past. I think they’ll be an improved team this year, but not enough to compete with the SAC’s best. Maybe a win or two in the sectionals. Wayne: The Generals are a formidable program under Sherwood Haydock, still waiting for that breakout season though. Replicating the 9-3 season his predecessor had in 2018 won’t be an easy task in the SAC, and quite frankly, is HIGHLY unlikely. But we all know Haydock is capable of producing state championship caliber football teams based on his last endeavors with Harding and Woodlan. A share of the SAC title is probably out of reach based on them receiving a nasty draw against Snider, Carroll, and Homestead. But that type of preparation could make them a dangerous team at the 4A level. Sectional 19 is an absolute beast though.

Good call. I really do wish them the best. They are an iconic program.

I really don't have any information on returning players. All I have are a few intangibles. Head coach is going into his seventh year. He took over a well oiled machine and prospered in his first three years. Those teams were really good. The last three seasons have seen a stretch that Dwenger hasn't seen in about 20 years. You can chaulk that up one of two ways. A downtrend in talent or a coach that was given a gold mine but failed to keep the train going. Not knowing much about the man now in charge, I'll roll with a little bit of each. Dwenger has always had good feeder programs and an alumni that loves football. So this may have just been a downtrend in talent. We've seen it with Homestead the last few seasons and we've seen it with Snider during the covid years. So no school is really exempt from that sort of thing. I've got Dwenger finishing fourth in the SAC this season, which is a compliment considering the last three seasons. Last years games against Brownsburg and Moeller were unsettling to say the least. A Svarczkopf team would have never let that happen. Conclusion: I have no idea what this years team brings back as I've yet to do the research on a program I have tons of respect for. A Top 25 finish isn't in the cards though.

Well, not unless you done want to piss off Rodney. If memory serves me correctly, you had them at #25 year end.

Definitely Decatur Central. Probably Bloomington South. Northwood, Reitz, and Leo. I would insert Mishawaka over Lutheran even with the two major defections.

Off the top of my head.............Chatard, East Central, and New Pal. Something tells me you're going to slap Lutheran in there, which I think is a mistake. Give me a few minutes to come up with the other five.

I thought I was bold. Normally when I'm bold though, it's more for the fun of it. Center Grove hasn't skipped a beat for five seasons, and I really don't think they will at home in their opening game. We're talking about a program that was an overtime away from their fifth straight title. My brain says Center Grove by 14, but I'm taking the bet Temp.

Looking forward to it.

The Kingsmen had their struggles with Fort Wayne schools all through the 80's and the first half of the 90's. It was '95-97' where they really made their mark on the championship landscape. I would agree that they dominated their general area for decades. I'm not sure how they did against region teams, but Snider, North Side, and Dwenger accumulated a good amount of victories over the Kingsmen. Much respect to their program. Even up? Probably not double digits now I'm guessing.

Temp is right, game is at Center Grove.

Can I see how they do against HSE first? If they beat HSE, I'm all in at 10.5. If they lose to HSE, I'm thinking 17.

We played this game last year and I failed miserably.

Would 10 cans out of a case suffice?

The north has four wins over the past two seasons vs high profile Indy teams. And one more against a pretty darn good one. It's a start. Looking forward to Carroll defeating Center Grove in Week 2. That'll shake things up a bit.

Furthermore, Merrillville was in 6A since it's inception up until a couple of years ago. They had their opportunity to win at that level, but didn't. I don't see that changing if they were bump back up. That's not a slight on them, programs of their enrollment have too much going against them to win the state title. Sure, there are years where Snider, New Pal, and East Central want to be part of the conversation. But Merrillville hasn't shown that they've had such a year yet.

Unless I'm losing my mind, isn't Crown Point part of 'da region'?

Split three ways?

Well, given that the "stone's throw" is zero for the last two years, I'd say "true north" has every bit of a chance as the "stone throws." But no, I said someone from the northern bracket will buck the trend. Temp, you've been asking for victory from the north over Indy for several years. We've given you several victories over the last two seasons. That gap is almost shut.

I can't debate that. But like you, I'm rooting for parity in 6A. It's coming. Someone's going to buck the trend soon.............within the next three years. Take it to the bank.

I guess the gap between Cathedral/Center Grove and the Northern Indy teams (Carmel, Fishers, HSE, and Westfield) was pretty wide last year. All one can hope for is for the north the close the gap this year, even by a little bit.

So five Indy suburb teams and none from the north? Don't forget that the north has represented two years running now. You can't narrow that Indy group down to two? I know HSE has a couple of D1 guys. It's a hard question, I get it. I think there are nine teams in the northern bracket that could make a case. Special teams is a killer. I think WC will need them in Week 1.

The 16th ranked team almost did it. You can't let your guard down against anyone in the top half 6A. Now, last years BD team putting their best foot forward? Only one team was capable of beating them in my opinion. I can roll with Carmel and Warren. What are the chances someone outside of those four can take the title? I think earlier Temp and I concluded that number to be 15%. I'm bumping it up to 22%.

I said "capable" if said teams don't put their best foot forward. I'm not sure Ben Davis put their best foot forward when they almost lost to Warren Central (16th best in the state according to Sagarin) last year. But yes, ten teams could have beaten Ben Davis last year if they let their guard down. Which begs the question. Which teams other than Center Grove and Ben Davis are capable of winning this year? Give me two teams. You too Temp.

I've always been intrigued by that. Makes me wonder how many current high school coaches in Indiana are more than capable of leading a Power Five program.