BTF

Reminds me of Snider vs Carroll.......5A vs 6A. Two very good teams.

That doesn't bode well for the South. But hey, they play the game for a reason.

Snider is North Side's Super Bowl. They play on another level when they get a crack at the Panthers.

Is Ian Moore disqualified as a result of being an offensive lineman? Is Braunte Johnson disqualified since North Side isn't as good as expected? They're averaging 54 points per game since moving him from WR to QB. It's hard to overlook something like that when talking "Mr. Football," especially considering he's going to Notre Dame as a DB. Talk about a kid who can do it all. Then you have Indiana's top ranked player and 18th in the nation, Mylan Graham, who's a major role in New Haven's best team ever.

How'd that happen? Lack of teams up North?

Not bad I suppose.

Notre Dame is better than Duke in my opinion. I just think it's a tough game coming off a victory over Ohio State. Similar to Notre Dame beating Florida State, then losing to Boston College the next week (1993 I believe it was).

Agree. No matter what happens though, Valpo is a serious threat to repeat. The answer to your first question: The best team South has to offer. Right now it's looking like Bloomington South and Plainfield? How would you compare the South to last year's Whiteland?

Agree. Agree. Switch Michigan and Florida State. Insert USC at #3. I've got Notre Dame beating Ohio State and losing to USC. Duke scares the hell out of me.

Don't even want to think about it. Valparaiso return 19 starters from last season. And apparently Mishawaka can throw the ball this season. Last year people were practically giving Snider the title while Valpo was quietly coming along. We seem to be on the same path again this year with no one saying much about the Vikings.

You promised us Rodney's Weekly Hot Takes. The suspense is killing me.

I'd never rule Mishawaka out. I still remember Mishawaka 21, Snider 0.......last year's regional. And that was without throwing the football. When they did try to throw, it looked pretty dismal. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised when seeing his name listed among the top QB's in the state during the off season.

Lol, that's good.

I'd argue under certain circumstances that it's more than a game of inches. We'll just have to agree to disagree. But we can both agree that East Central is a heavy favorite.

You're telling me that a handicapper doesn't look at things like that? C'mon. I think you know better, you just crave a good debate.

Lol, not sure how I talked myself in circles. If I'm New Haven, I want to play my opponents on turf. If I'm Penn, I want to play my opponents on grass. Penn vs New Haven would be a perfect example this year. Penn wins on grass, New Haven wins on turf. I sincerely believe that. I guess you'll have to ask Komets if he's downplaying East Central. Personally, I think they have to be in the conversation for best team in the state. But a 6A school will normally get that recognition by default. Comparing two teams by how they played against similar opponents isn't the end all be all, but it's a decent way to start.

I think it's too early to dub New Haven as a great team, they're kind of new to this. They are a "wait and see." I think a great team can be one dimensional offensively. For instance........good pass game, bad run game, good defense. If weather didn't have an impact on great teams, why bother playing the championship under roof? Without doing the research, I'm guessing that the last several Super Bowls and College Football Championships were played in a stadium with a roof option. No one wants to decide an important game in rain or snow. Temp........we're just saying that New Haven would be entertaining to watch in a perfect weather environment. Maybe they'd still lose to East Central by 35. Again, they are a "wait and see."

Would they be wrong? They could make that claim and not one 6A team could make a great case against it. Unfortunately, we'll never find out. However, 6A is a total grind, the winner will ALWAYS be given credit as the best team in the state......fair or not.

He'll answer for himself I'm sure. But I think he's just trying to say that New Haven would be a different team in 70 degree weather, on turf, and no wind. Weather elements in November can have a major impact on whether or not a team even reaches Lucas Oil. If they play a someone with a good defense and good ground game in a rain or snow storm, it's probably all over for the Bulldogs. Some teams are just built for November.............see Valpo 2022. That being said, I have East Central as a heavy favorite win state. But if anyone can make it interesting in a perfect weather environment, I think it could be New Haven. I might evenbet a lunch that New Haven would win (for the fun of it), but that would be about it. But I'm predicting they fall victim to regional or semi-state weather elements since the pass game is a big part of what they do.

I would imagine he can call plays. He's won everywhere he's gone. I have a hard time believing that he's not the smartest coach on that sideline.

I was wondering if ND would come calling after Friday nights performance by Logan. The big issue here will be pulling him away from Vanderbilt baseball. Good luck with that. And I agree, it was a good opportunity for Buchanan to showcase himself. It's hard for a first year starter to burst into the recruiting scene their senior year. I get it, they all wonder why he wasn't starting as a sophomore or a junior. Snider typically has a good pipeline of running backs, and the nod will more times than not go to the senior. Buchanan was good last year, Snider fans knew that, which was why there was so much excitement for that kid coming into this year. He just didn't have eye popping numbers as a junior since he was RB2. I think he has the size to be a power five back. He reads his blocks, finds the hole, and can take a hit. Pretty good speed too. At the absolute minimum, he's 1-AA. He can for sure play at the MAC level of D1.

Should Kevin Wright have a bigger role than tight ends coach in his 4th season with the team? It's hard to ignore that he won everywhere he went when having the support of the community............Noblesville, Warren Central, Carmel, and IMG. The only exception being Tulsa Union where he had absolutely no support. He saw that after one season and got the hell out. His resume is pretty sick. I have a hard time believing he shouldn't be more than just a tight ends coach. He owns an over-all record of 229-65 (.779) Eight Top-10 national rankings, four state championships and two state runner-up finishes as a head coach. He has coached four national players of the year, 39 All-Americans and 150 plus Division I student-athletes. At IMG in Bradenton, Fla., he went 44-2 in five campaigns. The program posted three-straight undefeated seasons (2015-2017), and 5 consecutive Top-6 National rankings. He has coached 25 former NFL players. He guided Carmel High School to a 54-11 record and three state championship appearances with a title and No. 4 national ranking upon conclusion of the 2011 campaign. Kevin became the 5th coach in Indiana High School history to win state titles at two different schools. From 2003-2005, he led Warren Central to three-consecutive state titles. The 2005 team finished the season ranked 5th in the nation, and the warriors were ranked nationally for 4 consecutive years.

Would it be fair to refer to the Bulldogs as Fort Wayne New Haven since half the players are from Fort Wayne?

It's been said all year that Carroll's weakness this year, mainly FW media, is in the trenches. I saw something different last night. I saw a team that's going to make another strong run at Lucas. I like Carroll over Penn, then a very tough game against Crown Point for the right to play HSE/Fishers.

Are they throwing the ball this year or are they still 95% run?