TigerFan20

IFCA Poll: 5A: 7. Castle 4A: 3. Reitz 22. Jasper 3A: 3. Memorial 12. Mater Dei 20. Lincoln

Picks: Memorial at Jasper Always a classic matchup between these 2 teams. Memorial is on a 3-game winning streak against the Wildcats, which includes them ending Jasper’s season twice. Memorial returns a bunch of players from last season’s 9-4 squad and will be a contender/favorite in the SIAC. They also return their QB from injury back in Week 4 against MD. Jasper took some hits in their offensive backfield losing their FB, but the Wildcats have been eyeing this game since last season. Jasper also opens up the season in a brand new stadium and aspirations for the SIAC crown/deeper postseason run. I have a feeling this game will go back and forth, I’m biased, so give me the Tigers by 6. Lincoln at Bosse Both teams lost their valuable QBs to graduation and some key players too. Last season, the Alices were highly underrated in their 8-4 campaign and finally broke out from the bottom of the conference. Bosse also surprised many with their speed and offensive power being the top Offense in the Conference for nearly all the season. However, the Dawgs lost Wagner to graduation, who made up most of their offensive numbers. I think I’m going with the Alices by 2 scores in the game. Mater Dei at Central Mater Dei was in some unfamiliar territory last season going 3-7, although a couple games could have gone their way. Central, on the other hand, is still looking for their first win since 2021. Can the Bears see some improvement? Mater Dei should see some improvement this season, but some questions on the offense. However, I’ll take the Wildcats by 2-3 scores. Harrison at Reitz Reitz is eyeing for a 3 peat in the Conference and eyeing to win the sectional for the first time since 2016. But took some heavy hits to graduation from last season. Harrison is trying to improve over the years, but returning 16 starters is a start for them. But, give me the Panthers in a running clock. Game of the Week: Castle at North Definitely the best matchup this week is the Knights vs the Huskies. Last year, the Huskies swept the Knights by beating them in the Sectional Championship. However, Castle has been eyeing this game since bowing out last season and wants to make a statement. As Castle enters the season being one of the early SIAC favorites returning a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball. North did take some graduation hits losing valuable players. However, the Huskies returned a majority of their college-sized line and a few other starters. Both teams will be highly energized for their matchup due to a lot at stake and will be a preview for the Sectional. I’ll take the Knights by 12.

I believe he had a pretty bad knee injury over the summer, probably an ACL Tear if I had to guess.

14news Memorial Preview: https://www.14news.com/2024/08/22/matthew-fishers-return-headlines-memorial-football-season/ 14news North Preview: https://www.14news.com/2024/08/22/north-huskies-return-strong-weapons-offense/

It appears he is out for the season according to the North HC. That is awful, since he is a senior…

HTF Reitz preview: https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/reitz-panthers-eager-for-kickoff-in-upcoming-season/ 14 News: Castle, Harrison, and Central Previews https://www.14news.com/2024/08/21/central-bears-bring-positivity-into-2024-season/ https://www.14news.com/2024/08/21/castle-football-wants-get-back-defensive-roots/ https://www.14news.com/2024/08/20/harrison-football-continuing-rebuild-year-5-under-coach-sutton/

Majority of their Trenches, Top receiver, RB2 with 700+ yards last season, and their LB Core. But based on my returning production numbers, they overall returned 8-9 starters. I know North likes to use their linemen as 2-way starters for their DTs. Since they did that last year against us in Week 2.

Castle at North is going to be a fun one to listen into. North’s OL vs Castle’s DL will be one of the key stories in the matchup.

Final preseason rankings; 1. Castle 2. Memorial 3. Jasper 4. Reitz 5. North 6. Lincoln 7. Mater Dei 8. Bosse 9. Harrison 10. Central We already saw a sneak peak of Memorial and Castle last in their scrimmage. Rankings 3-6 are somewhat difficult to rank by, I saw Reitz did well with their scrimmage and Jasper is always Jasper. Going to be interesting to see who the new QB at North is, but having Rucker as RB1 will relieve some of the pressure. I have no clue who is replacing Hunt at Lincoln, but they do return some guys. I see Mater Dei improving this year, but it sounded like they were disappointed last week in their scrimmage. Bosse replacing Wagner will be a difficult task, although they have their QB for this season. Harrison returns a lot of starters from last year, but having TE Brooks being out is devastating. Can the Bears finally win this first game since 2021? The bears have a good amount of returning starters

Massey Ratings: Memorial (-1) at Jasper, 51% chance of winning for the Tigers Castle at North (-6), 58% chance of winning for the Huskies Lincoln (-9) at Bosse, 65% chance of winning for the Alices Mater Dei (-29) at Central, 94% chance of winning for the Wildcats Harrison at Reitz (-37), 99% chance of winning for the Panthers

It appears you are correct

Sagarin Opening Season Rankings 1. Reitz 81.65, 5th in 4A, 26th overall 2. North 78.23, 6th in 5A, 34th overall 3. Jasper 71.49, 12th in 4A, 52nd overall 4. Memorial 70.55, 9th in 3A, 56th overall 5. Castle 69.61, 12th in 5A, 62nd overall 6. Lincoln 69.07, 11th in 3A, 65th overall 7. Bosse 59.69, 26th in 4A, 105th overall 8. Mater Dei 59.32, 21st in 3A, 107th overall 9. Harrison 34.59, 52nd in 4A, 212th overall 10. Central 26.3, 60th in 4A, 247th overall

Castle (0-0) at Evansville North (0-0) GAME TIME: 6:30 pm CT, Bondurant Stadium. COACHES: Doug Hurt, 134-74 in 19th year at Castle. Joey Paridaen, 30-33 in 7th year at North, 66-66 in 13th year overall. 2023 SAGARIN RATINGS: North, 78.23, 34th overall, 6th in 5A. Castle, 69.61, 62nd overall, 12th in 5A. SERIES LAST 35 YEARS: Castle, 35-10. LAST MEETING: North, 60-50, Nov. 3, 2023, sectional. Evansville Harrison (0-0) at Evansville Reitz (0-0) GAME TIME: 6:30 pm CT, Reitz Bowl. COACHES: Mo Sutton, 7-33 in 5th year at Harrison. Cory Brunson, 29-16 in 5th year at Reitz, 63-56 in 12th year overall. 2023 SAGARIN RATINGS: Reitz, 81.65, 26th overall, 5th in 4A. Harrison, 34.59, 212th overall, 52nd in 4A. SERIES LAST 35 YEARS: Reitz, 36-8. LAST MEETING: Reitz, 45-0, Aug. 18, 2023. Evansville Mater Dei (0-0) at Evansville Central (0-0) GAME TIME: 6:30 pm CT, Owen Field. COACHES: Mike Goebel, 263-90 in 28th year at Mater Dei. Brandon Artis, 0-10 in 2nd year at Central. 2023 SAGARIN RATINGS: Mater Dei, 59.32, 107th overall, 21st in 3A. Central, 26.3, 247th overall, 60th in 4A. SERIES LAST 35 YEARS: Mater Dei, 21-14. LAST MEETING: Mater Dei, 35-12, Aug. 18, 2023. Evansville Memorial (0-0) at Jasper (0-0) GAME TIME: 7:30 pm ET, Brewer Field. COACHES: John Hurley, 137-70 in 17th year at Memorial. Tony Lewis, 35-16 in 6th year at Jasper, 166-82 in 23rd year overall. 2023 SAGARIN RATINGS: Jasper, 71.49, 52nd overall, 12th in 4A. Memorial, 70.55, 56th overall, 9th in 3A. SERIES LAST 35 YEARS: Jasper, 20-10. LAST MEETING: Memorial, 17-14, Oct. 27, 2023, sectional. Vincennes Lincoln (0-0) at Evansville Bosse (0-0) GAME TIME: 6:30 pm CT, Enlow Field. COACHES: Levi Salters, 44-36 in 8th year at Vincennes. Stephan Mullen, 7-24 in 4th year at Bosse. 2023 SAGARIN RATINGS: Vincennes, 69.07, 65th overall, 11th in 3A. Bosse, 59.69, 105th overall, 26th in 4A. SERIES LAST 35 YEARS: Vincennes, 9-6. LAST MEETING: Vincennes, 49-30, Aug. 18, 2023.

Castle at North Memorial at Jasper Lincoln at Bosse Mater Dei at Central Harrison at Reitz 2 heavy hitter games right off back with Castle at North and Memorial at Jasper

Memorial-Castle Scrimmage went well yesterday, interesting to see how flat the field is now at Castle. How did the other scrimmages go?

Memorial does about the same thing, it makes a lot of sense to avoid injuries and let the younger guys get some reps in.

14news Reitz preview: https://www.14news.com/2024/08/15/reitz-panthers-want-playoff-success-after-undefeated-2023-regular-season/

That’s news to me, I thought they said in the C&P article he will be the QB again this season. Unless something has changed these last 2 weeks

Per 44news, North will be getting a new turf field in the foreseeable future. Likely next summer

HTF North Preview: https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/north-high-school-preach-consistency-for-2024-season/

With the first game just a week away, some preseason questions to ponder about until then: Can Reitz go back to back to back undefeated regular season champs or at least 3 peat in the SIAC Title? Can Castle finally end their SIAC Title drought this season? On paper, the Knights return a plethora of starters and talent to make the case. Castle-North rematch next week, who will win that game? Should be an interesting matchup, as North swept Castle last season at their place. Will the Tigers claim a share of the SIAC crown this season? Seems like they are due for another one since 2019. Who else in the conference do you see in capturing the SIAC Crown or at least sharing it? Who will have the best offense or defense in the conference? Can Mater Dei have a rebound year after going 3-7 last season? With Memorial out of Sectional 24, can either Jasper or Reitz takes the reins of the sectional? A Reitz-Jasper Championship game would be exciting. Sectional Champs winners? Who will have the deepest playoff run this season? What regular season game will be the best one this season? SIAC POTY or COTY predictions? Do we see Bosse continuing to see improvement this season? Can V. Lincoln sustain their trajectory after a nice campaign last year? Will we see any improvements with Central or Harrison this season? Just a few questions to wonder about it for the next week and half until the 23rd.