MDAlum82

Yes, because I don't know the kids, the families, the school or the situation so I don't assume I know the answer...

So this begs the question as to why these kids went to Andrean in the first place?

Curious what was the impetus for this mass migration away from the program? Do these kids feel they have a better chance to play more often at these other schools or just a better chance for team success after Bowen departure? Seems oddly ironic timing to an outsider.

Heard a comment before the game from a friend of a friend of someone on the MD coaching staff that going in to the game, MD felt they could move the ball on Andrean Defense and put some points on the board but was uncertain about stopping Bowen. They had some ideas but so did all the other teams Bowen ran over during the season. It seemed to me watching from the stands that very little Andrean did on offense surprised Mater Dei. Lots of key defensive stops on 3rd & 4th down kept sending Andrean offense to the sidelines. On offense, MD was able to run enough with Pierre to eat the clock and keep DBs honest on pass routes. Good game plan and near flawless execution by Mater Dei allowed them to come out on top.

Fingers crossed Cam can continue to kick for the football team through his senior season. It would be interesting to see what he can accomplish. The last time MD had a kicker with this kind of leg was probably Travis Wannemuelher, who kicked a 49 yd FG to lead MD to the 17 - 14 win vs an undefeated North Posey team in Sectionals several years ago. Travis received a scholarship to play soccer (NC State?) and one of the stipulations was he could not kick for the football team his senior season.

On a related note, I heard the 47 yd FG by Camden Marx tied a State Championship record. Congratulations, Cam!

No idea on what Coach Goebel's thoughts may/may not be in regards to retirement but curious why so many people in our society assume someone will/should retire once they have reached a certain age or attained a certain level of success? By all accounts, Goebel still enjoys coaching football & teaching so why would he retire? Few of us truly get to do something we love and when you are so fortunate, why would you stop "just because"? My guess is eventually "something" will move the needle towards retirement for him. Possibly something related to his health, he is ~ 70 yrs young, or potentially his political career - he has held various local gov't offices for the past 20 years or so, or maybe, when the right person to take over as head football coach comes along, ala Greg Schaefer for the wrestling program, retirement may seem more attractive to him. Who knows? Time will tell...until then, I hope the players, coaches and fans allow themselves to enjoy this State Championship! I was at the game in 2000, the last time Mater Dei won, and never thought it would be 22 years until the next one came along. You just never know...

That is a larger number than I would expect coming in from out of district. What do you think is the attraction? What percentage of your enrollment does this represent?

Looking for a comprehensive list of all Private & Parochial schools in Indiana. For accuracy purposes, I am looking for a vetted source - IHSAA, etc., not your cousin Bob's list... Thanks in advance.

MD rarely dresses Frosh until they get to the playoffs. This year they added 6-10 frosh to playoff roster, many of whom will need to make a contribution right away next year. It is not lost on me that the sheer number of volunteer coaches Mater Dei has been blessed with makes them unique and provides the players with a great deal more 1 on 1 coaching & attention. I know this is not the case with many/most schools and we are very fortunate.

Families who put a higher value on the service still produce slow, unathletic, 140 lbs WRs & DBs who see the field for 3 plays their entire career or play in the band or are on the Speech & Debate Team Club or who don't do anything extra-curricular in nature - i.e. "dead weight" from a football classification perspective and they produce them in similar numbers as other schools do. Trust me, I have this in my own home where one child was involved with exactly ZERO extra-curricular activities in their 4 years at MD, but had a 4.0 GPA and a close knit group of non-athletic friends. Yes, there may fewer of these at MD with an enrollment of 600 vs a large public school with 1200, 1500 or 2000 kids but some people like to act as if the zombie apocalypse occurred in their school and 50% of the kids are infected and all they do is walk around the halls eating their more athletic classmates.

Unless you are including freshmen, I don't believe MD has ever had "80 - 100" players on the varsity team, even back in the initial years of real success back in the late 1990s & early 2000s when the roster was truly huge because every kid wanted to be on the team. Typical is 60 - 70, not including frosh - still very good numbers but hardly "80 -100" cited. Here are roster numbers for last 5 years from Max Preps. Now, they could fill a Hadi Shrine clown car on Thanksgiving with all their coaches, there is no disputing that!🤡

It's not just a river in Egypt...

Nice attempt at deflection. You don't actually have any "proof" so you try bait & switch. Again, I respect your "opinion" but do not accept it as "fact" or "truth" simply because you fervently believe it. fwiw, here is another Google snippet for you paid for with my private education dollars....it might help you resolve some of your confusion over truth vs fact. Too many people believe truth and fact are the same thing. If something is true, it must also be a fact, right? Wrong. A fact is something that’s indisputable, based on empirical research and quantifiable measures. Facts go beyond theories. They’re proven through calculation and experience, or they’re something that definitively occurred in the past. Truth is entirely different; it may include fact, but it can also include belief. Oftentimes, people will accept things as true because they fall closer to their comfort zones, are assimilated easily into their comfort zones, or reflect their preconceived notions of reality. Fact is indisputable. Truth is acceptable.

So we can establish a baseline for an "Apples to Apples" comparison and an informed discussion, this is what "empirical evidence" means. Please reference the sources for your "provable, irrefutable, empirical evidence". Empirical evidence is the information obtained through observation and documentation of certain behavior and patterns or through an experiment. Empirical evidence is a quintessential part of the scientific method of research that is applicable in many disciplines.