BTF

The SAC is turning into a yearly crapshoot. What used to be the Snider/Dwenger show has suddenly turned into the Snider/Dwenger/Homestead/Carroll show with a bit of Luers mixed in. And it looks like it might be another one of those years for the Knights. Then you have the new "magnet" school in North Side. Things could get interesting in the SAC, especially 5A sectionals. Alphabetically Carroll: Have the Chargers finally turned the corner? This year will be a good test after losing a D1 caliber, three year starter at the quarterback position. Some of Dinan's teams have severely struggled since joining the SAC in 2015, but they've been no slouch over the past three years. They have the facilities, community support, and student population to become one of the better programs in Northern Indiana. Time will tell how this years team measures up. Concordia: Tim Mannigel is back after a one year absence. His teams were known for giving the upper half of the SAC fits, especially Bishop Luers. He has a victory over Carroll to his credit and a couple of close battles with Homestead. His return only makes the SAC stronger. Look for an increase in production this year after a lackluster 2-8 season a year ago. Dwenger: Poor Dwenger. Dwenger is down. Dwenger lost this guy and that guy. Dwenger didn't lose Jason Garrett. And Dwenger still has a program that continues to reload. Oh, and a D1 transfer from Northrop. Garrett's teams play great defense and are as tough as nails on the whole. And they proved that they are capable of post season success even on a "down" year (last season.) It would be foolish to write these Saints off. Homestead: Homestead's success goes back all the way to the mid-90's. Sometimes they are NHC good, sometimes SAC good, and sometimes state-wide good. But they are always good. I expect that they will reload as usual and plug in a QB that will be among the best in NE Indiana. Count on the Spartans to compete for the SAC title, but don't expect too much when they meet up with Indy........they may still be a few years away from that level of play. But consider this, Homestead is 5-1 against Snider and Dwenger over the last three years. If they run the table on the Panthers and Saints this year, then they'll be the official kingpin of the SAC. Luers: It's my understanding that Luers returns many key elements to a team that should be defending their 2A title. Yes, they were upset in the post season last year........plain and simple. They could have beaten 1/4 of 6A teams last year and 1/2 of 5A. How good will they be this year? I'll leave that to some of the Luers insiders. But then again, most those guys have Lou Holtz Syndrome. North Side: Is this Fort Wayne's new magnet school? They already feature the best player in Indiana and one of the best wide receivers in the country. Now we are hearing of transfers from Dwenger and Luers. This doesn't happen in Fort Wayne. Dwenger and Luers kids don't transfer to North Side. Sorry, they just don't. So how is Ben Johnson getting it done? If he's as good of a coach as he is a recruiter, then the SAC better be on high alert. Last season, Coach Johnson's first at North Side, was pretty rough with only 2 wins. But he only lost to Snider and Dwenger by a combined 5 points. The Legends could be dangerous. Northrop: I've been saying "potential" for years now. I thought the Doerffler's would turn the Bruins into an SAC contender, but that never happened. Why is that? That's a question that may be a little too deep for me to answer. There is talent in the halls at Northrop, just as there is at every other FWCS. But what's it going to take to get them over the hump? Maybe a guy who's been in the Snider system for a couple of decades...........bring in Quenton Bowen. Imagine that....from black/gold to orange/brown. That's comparable to moving from Ohio State to Michigan. Good luck to him. A better Northrop means a better SAC. Snider: The panthers seemingly pulled out of their slump last season and found themselves once again at the top of the SAC. The post season wasn't so kind to them. They squeaked by a 3 win Northrop team, then got waxed by Dwenger after beating them by two touchdowns a few weeks prior. I think the Panthers had their sights set on the likes of Zionsville and Cathedral..........hopefully they don't make that same mistake again this season. They should be in a pretty good position this season with the return of many key positions from last seasons SAC championship run. Look for much of the same this year with a possible deep playoff run. South Side: I'm not sure where to begin here. Again, another school that is rich with talent in the hallway. Bring back Matt Land? Had he stuck around, South Side would have hoisted a couple of state title trophies. They've struggled ever since. Let's hope that Guy Lee is the one to bring this program back to respectability. Wayne: Sherwood Haydock won when he was at Harding and he won when he was at Woodlan. He can win at Wayne too. Others have done it before him, and he will too. Look for the Generals to make a run in 4A regardless of their win/loss record in the SAC.

Things are getting interesting. Maybe time to start an SAC Outlook 2022 thread.

CJ Davis. Committed to Marshall. Plays DB and WR.

This is Dwenger we're talking about, they reload. Jason Garrett is a proven coach and I have no doubt he'll have the Saints ready.

Not sure about the kids transferring to Carroll. Dwenger's quarterback jumped ship to join forces with one of the country's best wide receivers at North Side. But in return, they got a stud D1 transfer from Northrop who plays on both sides of the ball.

Nah, this is the Northwest Indiana show.

Mishawaka would be best served saving some of their starters for Merrillville when they play the Snider/Dwenger/North Side winner......presuming Anderson isn't in the conversation.

Looks good to me.

Don't overlook Dwenger. They were down last year, 5-4 in the SAC, and still managed a sectional championship.

Imagine these programs joining forces with nearby programs, bumping up their enrollment. Those four could argue for being one of the best programs in the state. Too much credit is given to to the mega schools for having the best programs. Best teams for sure. Best programs are debatable.

Minus the two lowest classes.

It appears that this list went solely off of last years Sagarin Ratings.

What makes Westfield a better program than Pioneer? What makes Hamilton Southeastern a better program than Adams Central? Just curious what your criteria was when coming up with a list of "what makes a great program."

I would tune in for sure.

Pretty good chance that neither of them will even win the SAC this year. I just don't see them playing at a high 6A level this year. I hope I'm wrong.

I'm ready for some football.

Warren Central had Kevin Wright in the 2000's, that has to account for something.

Valid point. Not the advantage they once had. But an advantage nonetheless if you couple their enrollment with a good coach. Time will tell.

Like I said in an earlier post, I'll defer to the Indy guys on this topic of Warren Central. However, I have a hard time believing that a few transfers are enough to break a program that resides at a school with a student body of 3500 kids. I have to see it to believe it. They have a state championship to their credit in recent memory.

He had a hell of 2021 with Miami Redhawks. As far as being a P5 player, I think it just depends on which school.

Fair. I just think 25 football teams could make the same claim you are making.

Again, that's a hard claim to make considering you've never spent a day in the life of a football player at Dwenger, Pioneer, or Adams Central.............to name a few.

So one of the three hardest working teams in the state. Not sure how you can prove that. Not sure how any program could claim that. Let's just say they are Top 25. Somewhere between 1 and 25, but who really knows.

Not many? Would you say Cathedral is in the top five percentile?

And some publics to be fair, but most those schools are already 6a. Mebuck took offense to the idea that his Bishop Dwenger Saints is one of those schools that has no boundaries. I've never known Dwenger to actively recruit kids outside of their feeder system. They pretty much do it all from within. So like I say, kudos to them.