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MDAlum82

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Posts posted by MDAlum82

    Calpreps Indiana Playoff Projections

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, FastpacedO said:

    Impressive! Mt. Vernon will be playing 2 games on Friday!! One at Enlow and one at the Reitz Bowl I am assuming! What is the traffic like Friday evening from Bosse to Reitz will they have time to warm up? 🤣😂

    I reached out to Massey a week ago to let them know but nothing has changed.  Guess everyone is busy.

    The real question could be that if Memorial wins state, will "Reitz" try to claim yet another mythical title? 🦄

    • Haha 2

    2A Southern Semi-State: Mater Dei @ Scecina Memorial

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    For Mater Dei to win, they will need to defend the LOS and keep Stennis(?) from getting out in space.  Stennis is hard to bring down once he gets into secondary and he can outrun any DB.  From the games I have watched, teams that have forced Scecina into 3rd & long/passing situations have fared much better.  Scecina is capable of passing the ball but not their strong suit.

     MD may be a bit more balanced on Offense in that they have been able to win games using either option running (TC) or passing (LS).  This could be the key for the Wildcats.  It will be difficult for Scecina to shut down both run & pass (IMO), which gives MD an slight edge, again, just my opinion.

     Both teams have strong Defenses and have allowed few points in the post-season so far.  This is where the game will be decided, IMO.  Whichever D can disrupt the other’s offense enough to get a couple of stops and/or TOs, likely wins. 

     I will pick MD 24 – 21 but only because I am an unabashed homer…  Best of luck to both teams for a well-played game and safe travels to all fans, esp. the MD faithful who will be on the road again for another 7-8 hour Nap Town Turn-around.

    Curious...

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    22 hours ago, Uncle Rico said:

    In year's past, Mater Dei would have been home this week for semi state.  That's not the case this year because of this rule that was added:

    *If regional winner has not hosted either sectional final or regional, that school will be the designated host.

     

    I do not recall seeing this rule before but may have possibly just overlooked it.  Is it new this year or added recently?  I was really excited about MD hosting SS at Bowl.  Seems like something added to appease Indy schools, IMHO 

    2A Southern Semi-State: Mater Dei @ Scecina Memorial

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    32 minutes ago, BACKSIDEBELLY said:

    Eastbrook isn’t playing this week.  They were defeated by Eastside in a very good game.  As far as my Scecina prediction, I just think they have everything clicking and I think they can and will beat MD.  Now, if you don’t mind I’m going to get back to my juice and PlayStation.

    Appreciate the banter, certainly no offense intended.  😎   

    I have been impressed by Scecina in the videos I have watched.  I do not follow them during the season so no way to gauge how well they have played the last few wks vs regular season.  I know they avenged a close, early season loss to HC in the sectionals by 3 TDs, so something went their way in that 2nd game.   They are very fast & certainly capable of defeating MD. 

    However, I think MD is also firing on all cylinders at this point which should make this a very good game!  One thing area where Scecina has looked vulnerable on tape is passing defense.  They have a strong pass rush but when QBs have had time, they have been successful against Scecina D.   MD has a pretty good passing game, better than recent teams Scecina has defeated, IMO.  So that is where I am hanging my hopes for a Wildcat victory this Friday.  I would feel better if Scecina had the 4 hr bus ride but MD has been there, done that 2X already in the playoffs!  Best of luck to both teams.

    2A Southern Semi-State: Mater Dei @ Scecina Memorial

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted · Edited by MDAlum82

    10 hours ago, BACKSIDEBELLY said:

    Scecina by 10+

    Backsidebelly with the hit'n run commentary/prediction 😎...  kinda like dropping off a verbal SBD as you pass through the MD vs Scecina Semi-State chat room.  For those who do not currently have 13 year old boys in their house and thus are unfamiliar with some of their slang, SBD stands for "silent but deadly".  AKA,  the "fart & run"...😅🤣😂

    I could certainly come up with a scenario where Scecina wins by 10 but curious of thoughts behind your prediction?  Who you got in the Eastbrook game this week?     ; -0

     

    2A Southern Semi-State: Mater Dei @ Scecina Memorial

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    17 minutes ago, Wildcat1992 said:

    Watched some scecina highlights vs LCC on max preps.  The RB is small but fast, OL seems undersized but quick and opened some holes that the RB exploited.  Looks like MD will have the size advantage in the trenches, but will need to make some sure tackles or the RB can break some long runs.  Didn't see any of their defensive highlights.  Any insight on what they do defensively?  I see that they have 5 or 6 shutouts on the season.

    They have some size & quickness on the D line and LBs.  They blitz and put a lot of pressure on the QB.  However, they are susceptible to the passing game.  If we can give Wunderlich enough time, we should be able to move the ball through the air enough to help the running game.  

    There are a couple of their playoff games available at IHSAAtv.org

     image.png.01cb20091aea237c7757d68577437e86.png

    2A Southern Semi-State: Mater Dei @ Scecina Memorial

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Spitting Llamas said:

    I believe the 5:30 start time is to avoid late night travel. The start time or the weather did not appear to impact the MD crowd Friday night. I would say MD had a larger fan base at the game than Triton Central did. I'm not sure it was all that close either. I'm sure we will travel well again this week. 

    The WREF radio guys commented a couple of time that the MD crowd was larger - and definitely more vocal - than the TC crowd but they are "homers" to some degree😎

    4A East Central at Memorial

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    30 minutes ago, Bobref said:

    Here are my thoughts. They are lengthy and involved, as this is a very, very difficult call. Please read the explanation as well as the conclusion so that everyone understands I have absolutely no problem with this Referee's call. As has been pointed out elsewhere, this is a multiple state finals crew. The R has a stellar reputation, well-deserved.

    I’ve spent a long time looking at the video and going through the rule book and case book, luxuries this Referee didn’t have. I’m still not sure I’ve got it right. But I looked at the play from the standpoint of an observer, who will get the crew together after the game to discuss mechanics, rules, and thought processes on this very difficult play. Here’s my $.02:

    From the video angle (which is not the same angle the R had), it looks like to me the QB is securely holding the ball, he begins his throwing motion, changes his mind, tries to hold onto the ball, but with momentum it comes out of his grasp. It is possible that a different angle shows something else. But from the comments I’ve seen, that seems to be the likeliest explanation for what happened. I saw someone reference the “tuck rule.” That rule doesn’t exist in the NF code. So, forget about that. So, the question I’m going to work through is whether this is an incomplete forward pass, or a fumble recovered by the defense for a TD, as ruled by the R.

    First, let me state categorically, I have no criticism of the R’s performance on this play, or even his final ruling. From what the video shows, R was in the right position, looking at what he was supposed to be looking at. He came in deliberately but decisively with a good signal. His body language displayed confidence in his call. He did everything right from a mechanical standpoint. 

    Second, in order to answer the critical question, we start with the rules. What is a pass? “Passing the ball is throwing a ball that is in player possession. In a pass, the ball travels in flight.” It is also true that “Prior to releasing the ball on a pass, if the potential passer is contacted, and the ball is released, it is a forward pass if his arm was moving forward on contact.” We also have to factor in the “when in doubt” that officials can use to resolve thorny issues like this one: “When in doubt, it is an incomplete forward pass and not a fumble.” 

    Here’s the case for a fumble vs. an incomplete pass:  The rule says a pass is “thrown.” This is not a term that is defined in the rules. To many people, the word “thrown” connotes an intentional act, not an accidental one. If the QB did not intend to release the ball, he didn’t “throw” it, so it cannot be considered a pass. In other words, a pass must be intentional, not accidental. No intent, no pass. And if it’s not a pass, it must be a fumble. This is a reasonable interpretation of the rules. In none of the secondary sources of case plays I looked through was there any play that contradicted this line of reasoning. So, even though I don’t agree with this interpretation of the rule, I can see it is a reasonable one … especially when you take into account that I’ve spent several hours on this play today, and the R had about 2 seconds to process everything that happened. So, I say again, I find no fault with the R on this play. I just don’t agree with him.

    It’s clear that both the language of the rule and the case plays I’ve read illustrating the proper interpretation of the rule use the arm moving forward as the key criterion for pass vs. fumble. Once the arm starts moving forward, if the ball is released while the arm is still moving, it’s going to be a forward pass. This is true if contact causes the ball to come out. This is also true if, for example, the passer is contacted and, as a result, the ball actually goes backward. Once the arm starts moving forward, only two things can happen: Either the ball doesn’t come out, and the QB remains a runner, or the ball comes out, and it’s a forward pass. In other words, if the ball comes out after the arm starts to move forward, it cannot be a fumble. There is also the “when in doubt,” which, in my view, tilts the playing field toward pass vs. fumble. Finally, there is a philosophy at work among officials that we simply don’t want to award cheap turnovers, let alone a fluke TD. So, taking all of these things into account, if I were calling this play, seeing what I saw in the video (which may well not be the same thing the R saw on the field), I would have called this an incomplete forward pass. But as an observer, there is no way I would ever downgrade the R for his call on this play, even though I would have called it differently with the information I have. Ultimately, he made a judgment call, and his judgment was well within the realm of reasonable. Those who think everything on the field is black and white, with no gray areas, should realize through this discussion that sometimes there’s plenty of gray out there.

    I think one thing we can all take from this play is that sometimes it’s fairly simple out on the field. But sometimes the guys in stripes are asked to do a virtually impossible job. And this play looks like one of those.


     

    Appreciate the feedback and your willingness to share with - and thus further educate - the high school football community.  

    4A East Central at Memorial

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted · Edited by MDAlum82

    13 minutes ago, MHSTigerFan said:

    I’d be interested to hear @Bobref opinion on this.  It looked to me like he intended to hang onto the ball and run with it - but the ball slipped out of his hand with the forward motion.

    Is all that matters the forward motion of the passer’s arm?

    Cannot know his intent, only what transpired.  But, even if QB intended to pull it down, he was clearly unable to stop the motion of his arm enough to tuck it.  There was enough forward momentum and the QB had sufficient control of the ball to  propel it forward with enough force to bounce off the D lineman and fly into the air, well above the heads of all the players. Seems that reality alone would make it a "forward pass" regardless of intent, but just an engineering based opinion.  However, forward shuttle passes with far less momentum & force are called "incomplete" when they hit the ground...all you need is the forward movement of the arm with the ball.  Do not see how this would be any different.

     

    The saving grace is it did not affect the outcome.  THAT would have been very unfortunate, IMO

    What if .....

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, tango said:

    Will be decided next Saturday. I guess the  IHSAA isn't doing 2/4/6 and 1/3/5 anymore. If things work out for SW Ind, it might be cool to have 2/3/4 on one day...

    Imagine the crowd... & it would be wall to wall traffic on I69!  The one issue could be having enough seats for all the SW Indiana fans. I know Memorial & MD have typically travelled very well to Lucas Oil, unfamiliar with Gibson Southern but no reason to think otherwise.  

    Moving Tournament Games

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted · Edited by MDAlum82

    10 hours ago, HoopsCoach said:

    One more time - hypothetical neutral sites for semi-state.  2 games at each site, played on Saturday, November 20th.  Games at 1 and 6 (not necessarily in the order listed below), which allows time between games to present trophy, clear locker rooms, fans can tailgate or go grab a meal somewhere, and warmups for game 2.  Nobody with a drive more than 2 hours.

    @Elkhart

    New Prairie/Northridge

    Andrean/Eastside

     

    @Warsaw

    Brebeuf/Marian

    North Judson/Adams Central

     

    @Lafayette Jeff

    Merrillville/Westfield

    Michigan City/Zionsville

     

    @Franklin Central

    Center Grove/Ben Davis

    Indy Lutheran/Tri

     

    @Bloomington South

    Mount Vernon/Evansville Memorial

    Scecina/Mater Dei

     

    @Bloomington North

    Cathedral/New Albany

    Tri-West/Gibson Southern

    Hosting both Evansville schools at same B'town site would bring a HUGE combined crowd from EVV.  Many, if not most, would stay for both games.  Easy < 2 hr drive up 69 for Evv teams, under an hour for Scecina and around 2 hrs for MTV.       Stop.  Making. Sense.  smh

    What if .....

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted · Edited by MDAlum82

    2 hours ago, whiteshoes said:

    the IHSAA announced that they are rescheduling next weeks semi-state games for Saturday at the following locations:

    Lafayette –

    Merrillville vs Westfield

    Michigan City vs Zionsville

     

    Indianapolis –

    Center Grove vs Ben Davis

    Indianapolis Lutheran vs Tri High

     

    Bloomington –

    Cathedral vs New Albany

    Mt Vernon (Fortville) vs Evansville Memorial

     

    South Bend –

    New Prairie vs Northridge

    Andrean vs Eastside

     

    Terre Haute –

    Gibson Southern vs Tri-West

    Indianapolis Scecina vs Evansville Mater Dei

     

    Kokomo –

    Indianapolis Brebuf vs Mishawaka Marian

    North Judson vs Adams Central

     

    Oh wait, this is Indiana.     Never mind.

     

    Looks a lot like the "Neutral sites" the IHSAA claims to support... but does nothing to help bring about.  Regional games forward should all be played at Neutral sites within similar driving distances for both teams.  There are enough turf fields located at convenient locations around the state to support this...but the IH$AA will not.  Why$?

    3A SS South Gibson Southern vs Tri-West

    in The Indiana High School Football Forum

    Posted

    The Titans were challenged by L'Burg but found their rhythm late to pull out the victory.  Evv C&P reported this was the first time GS did not have a running clock in victory this year.  Impressive, but could that prove to be the Achilles heal for Titans?   Hopefully this was just a friendly wake up call and they can keep firing on all cylinders for 4 straight qtrs. going forward.  Good luck Titans!

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