FridayNightLights

Just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on what their potential matchups might be for Thanksgiving weekend after getting a look at teams through the halfway point.

6A: CG vs HSE. CG takes the title this year and probably goes down as one of the best hs football teams the state has ever seen. The north will be a toss up. Honorable Mention: Brownsburg, Merrillville, Westfield and Laff Jeff. 

5A: Cathedral vs Valpo. Cathedral also runs away with the title this year. The Cathedral vs CG game at the end of the year has the potential to be a top 25 national matchup. Honorable Mention: DC, Dwenger 

4A: Mooresville vs Hobart. Probably the most unpredictable of the different classes. Mooresville state title would be a nice resume booster for one of the best Indiana HS football coaches ever. Honorable mention: Roncalli, Mt. Vernon, East Central, Leo, Evansville Central

3A: Chatard vs Danville. Chatard gets another title. HM: Mishawka Marian, Southridge, West Laff, Lawrenceburg

2A: Not going to speak much on a class I do not know much about. Interested to get the GID's thoughts. 

1A: Lutheran v South Adams. Lutheran wins it. HM: South Putnam, Covenant Christian, LCC, Adams Central, North Judson

Carmel at North Central - NC 24-21

Lawrence Central at Center Grove - CG 63-0

Lawrence North at Ben Davis- LN 31-24

Warren Central at Pike -Warren 24-21

9 minutes ago, BTF said:

I guess I got so caught up thinking about actual "north" programs that I forgot all about Sectional 4. So yeah, I think there are 7 pretty good teams that it will come down to. Can't forget about Lafayette Jeff either. 

6A 1 Center Grove 6A = 113.95 5-0

6A 3 Brownsburg 6A = 103.47 5-0 

6A 5 N.Cent.(Indpls)6A = 96.23 4-1

6A 6 Carmel 6A = 93.35 3-2

Merrillville 6A = 93.11 4-0

Westfield 6A = 92.40 4-1

Lawr. North 6A = 92.08 3-2

Hamilton SE 6A = 90.02 3-2

Ben Davis 6A = 89.88 2-3

Avon 6A = 87.42 2-3

Sure is a nice time to be coming out of the north 🤣. I only see those ratings separating more as the season progresses. Winner of the north gets the opportunity to not have a gauntlet of the south and to say they've made it to a state championship.

21-6 on my picks for the year.

Martinsville vs Whiteland- Whiteland 31-14

DC vs Plainfield- DC 35-21

Greenwood vs Perry- Greenwood 42-7

Franklin vs Mooresville- Could be a trap game for Mooresville coming off a big win vs DC but I will take Mooresville 35-21

Power Rankings Week 6

1. Mooresville 

2. DC

3. Whiteland 

T4. Plainfield 

T4. Franklin

6. Martinsville

7. Greenwood

8. Perry

4 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

Hmm, looks good.  But how many other states have yet to even start playing high school football, or are as far along in their season?

 

Looks like UT is 5 games in. Most of TX, MO, NE, AL and OH are 3 games in. TN is same schedule as us 4 games in. Just thought it was pretty cool. There are some Indiana kids putting up insane stats regardless.

The state of Indiana currently has 5 of the top 10 national rushing yard leaders. 

5 & 7

19-4 on my picks for the year

4A #2 Mooresville @ 5A #3 DC- Game of the year for conference. Winner should take home at least of a share of the Mid-State. Mooresville will have the advantage up front and DC with have the speed. I'll take Mville 35-31.

Plainfield @ Greenwood- Greenwood 28-21

Perry@ Whiteland- Whiteland 42-0

Martinsville @ Franklin- Martinsville 31-24

Center Grove 42, Ben Davis 7

Warren Central 17, Lawrence Central 7

LN 35, North Central 21

Carmel 28, Pike 21

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/highschool/2020/09/08/high-school-football-rankings-super-25-sept-8-2020/5743394002/

CG Listed at #13

Week 4 is here-

Greenwood @ Mooresville- Mooresville keeps the train rolling. Pioneers  42-20. 

DC @ Martinsville- DC and Mooresville set to square off next week in what appears to be will be for the conference championship. DC 35-14

Franklin @ Whiteland- First test for Franklin since getting beat week 1 by Danville. Whiteland 28-21

Plainfield @ Perry- Plainfield 35-0.

Power Rankings Week 4

1. Mooresville 

2. DC

3. Whiteland

4. Franklin

5. Greenwood

6. Martinsville

7. Plainfield

8. Perry

2 hours ago, DT said:

Thumbs Down 

1. Ben Davis - horrific 0-2 start for the once mighty Giants with two mercy rule blowouts to boot.  Who would have ever thunk it?  Big problems on the west side.  They claim Covis has impacted lower socio economic groups than higher.  Perhaps that is so.  Maybe its time for the Giants to ease up on the non conference schedule.  The MIC is a meat grinder, and Brownsburg and Avon dont make it any easier in the oipening non con weeks.  Thinking maybe Cascade and Beech Grove as two possible replacements.

2. Knox - 0-2    With Russ Radtke taking over, expectations for a deep state run and a possible blue ring are all the rage in Redskin Country.  But an 0-2 start has certainly taken some of the wind out of the Skins sails.  Coach radtke will get it right, probably starting this week against visiting 1A Culver.  

3. FW Snider  0-2    The Panthers are winless and on the opposite end of blowout losses to FW North and Carroll.  Snider has been outscored 89-29 in those two defeats.  This one might be even uglier than the Ben Davis start.  Concordia is up next for the Panthers, and the Cadets played always tough Homestead very close in a 7-0 loss last week.  FWS could be looking at its first 0-3 start in forever.  

4. Chesterton  0-2   Expectations have been growing for CHS football over the past several seasons, and the Trojans entered the 2020 season with some momentum.  A season opening loss to former DAC Rival 4A Hobart and a shocking 20-16 loss to 2A stalwart Pioneer have The Cheese looking for redemption, which will be difficult to find with aggressive Michigan City coming to town this Friday night.

5. South Bend St Joe  0-2   Been a rough go for St Joe now for a while.  The Indians took a 42-0 whipping at home last week against Northridge, their 12th loss in their last 14 games.  very un St Joe like.  The next two weeks are an opportunity to right the ship against NIC foes John Glenn and SB Adams, before the annual dogfight against New Prairie.

6. Western Boone  0-2    The two time defending state champions are winless after season opening losses to Sheridan and Western.  The Stars will get things cleaned up this week against contraction candidate Crawfordsville.  

 

Thumbs Up

 

1. Kankakee Valley  2-0   The Kougars (with a K) generally stumble out of the gate by losing to smaller schools, but 3rd year HC James Broyles appear to have his 2020 edition in gear early after impressive and dominating wins over rival Rensselaer and Wheeler.  KV has 3 very winnable games just ahead against SB Washington, North Newton and Munster, and could be 5-0 heading into a matchup with NCC rival Lowell in week 6.  Certainly, Broyles will not allow his boys to be looking ahead, but things are looking up in the Twin Cities of Demotte (Day-Mo-Tay) and Winfield.

2. Terre Haute North  2-0  Despite some pretty good teams over the years, Terre Haute high school football just gets nbo respect.  Booted from the MIC,  rejected by the SIAC, and generally neglected in Conference Indiana due to their remote location, the Terre Haute's have lived a nomadic high school football life, always looking for a long term and secure home.  Chris Barrett's 2020 THN Patriots are 2-0 so there is some to be celebrated in the Land of the Sycamore.  Bloomington South will give the Pats their first big test this week.

3. Center Grove  2-0    Not always does a team do exactly what it is expected to do, but the Trojans are doing just that.  Completely dominating.  This might be the most talented team in the history of Indiana High School football.  Expect to see a few NFL players emerge from this roster one day in the not too distant future.  CG shut out MIC Rival Warren Central last week, and the 3 week juggernaut that includes Carmel and Ben Davis over the next two weeks looks like a walk in the park for the stout Trojans.  Look for CG to run the table and finish in the Top 15 of the National Rankings by season end.

4. Merrillville  2-0   Brad Seiss is in his 6th season at Merrillville and has the program back to the elite status it enjoyed under previous Head Coaches Ken Haupt, Rick Wimmer, Jeff Yelton and Zac Wells.  The Pirates are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and have speed to burn , which showed clearly in season opening wins over rival Andrean and 4A top ranked Hobart.  The Pirates open Duneland play this week against neighborhood rival Crown Point.  Merrillville and Center Grove could well be on a collision course that leads the two to a Class 6A state championship matchup.

5. Wawasee  2-0   Been a long time coming for the Warriors,   Its been pretty much downhill riding for WHS since that glorious 13-2 state runnerup season in 2004.  This program needs some positive mojo and now has it after shutout wins over Lakeland and West Noble to open the 2020 season.  Now it gets real.  A very solid Northridge team comes for a visit this Friday night.  Lets see how much the Wawasee program has progressed.  Good luck Warriors.  

6. Jasper  2-0  and Vincennes  1-1  The two new entrants into the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference have made their presence felt with impressive outings over the first two weeks.  The Wildcats opened at home with wins over Memorial and Harrison, while the Alices took out Bosse in Week One before dropping a 22-21 thriller to Reitz last week.  These two schools are a great addition to the SIAC and make a very strong and dynamic conference even stronger and more dynamic.  Should be another very fun week for SIAC fans as Jasper tangles with Reitz and Vincennes takes on Mater Dei.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/highschool/2020/09/01/high-school-football-rankings-national-super-25/5672196002/ #17 currently on USA Today 

3 hours ago, Indiana Fan said:

Conference play begins for all teams of the MIC this week.

 

CG 28 Carmel 17

Pike 23 BD 20

Warren 14 North Central 13

LN 45 LC 21

 

Thoughts? 

CG 35- Carmel 14

Pike 28- BD 21

Warren 17-NC 21

LN 45- LC 28

12-3 for my picks on the year. Week 3 Picks: 

Whiteland @ DC- Game of the week for the Mid-State. Winner sets it's own path to win the conference. I'll give a slight edge to DC because it is at their place. DC 28-24

Mooresville @ Plainfield- Plainfield had to hit a 50 yard FG as time expired to beat Tri-West. Mooresville 31-14

Martinsville @ Greenwood- Greenwood has looked impressive this year. Greenwood 28-21

Perry @ Franklin- Might be the best chance for PM to get a conference win. Franklin 21-14

3 hours ago, Grover said:

If that is the tall receiver I believe he is going to Penn State.

It’s the old QB for Penn state Sean Clifford’s little brother. Yes going to Penn State. 

I want a CG vs Bburg matchup 

11 minutes ago, Gipper said:

So you say.  It's unfortunate this match-up will not take place as I am a big fan of games like this. 

lol--what are you basing this on?

lol just an opinion trying to stir the pot honestly. But thinking of it Ft. Wayne would be #2 and Evansville #3. Done trolling lol

9 hours ago, Whiting89 said:

Source 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-spt-football-notes-st-082820-20200827-euk2gtyqsvcijcxjwjai7f3ubi-story.html

once again region proves its superior to rest of state 

also calumet unlikely to play this year 

I think the ranking for the state goes

1. Central Indy

T2. Ft. Wayne / Evansville 

4. Every other part of the state that is not a big city or "the region"

5. The region

2 hours ago, Mopi11 said:

Mooresville @Leo Friday night !

Don't know much about them. Sagrin (which generally takes about 5 weeks to get accurate) has Mooresville around a 6 point favorite. Good luck to the Pioneers on their long road trip!

On 8/24/2020 at 8:44 AM, FridayNightLights said:

Some great games and surprises week 1 from the Mid-State. 5-3 in my picks last week. 

Going into week 2:

Greenwood (1-0) vs Indian Creek(1-0) - Greenwood with a great win at Bloomington North last week. Indian Creek has a very talented running back, but if Greenwood can stop him they win. Greenwood 35-21

Martinsville (1-0) vs Bloomington South (0-1) - If you would've asked me last week I would've said BS big, but I think this one comes down to who turns the ball over less. Bloomington South 28-24

DC (0-1) vs Gueirn Catholic (1-0)- DC will bounce back after playing the #1 team in the state. DC 35-14

Plainfield (0-1) vs Tri-West (1-0)- Plainfield 27-14

Franklin (0-1) vs Shelbyville (0-1)- Tough loss for Franklin last week. Franklin should score at will this week.  49-0

Mooresville (1-0) vs Danville (1-0)- Danville looking to take down back to back Mid-State opponents. Mooresville 35-21

Perry  (0-1) vs Southport (0-0) - Southport 42-21

Whiteland (1-0) vs Gibson Southern (0-1)- GS has a stud of a qb, but I think Whiteland it too much to handle. 49-21

 

Week 1 Power Ranking Mid State

 

 

 

 

Update in schedule. DC will be taking on Perry Friday night due to Gueirn cancelling all sports until 9/7. I'll take DC 42-7.

54 minutes ago, superjay said:

Danville will soon have the enrollment to complete in Mid-State.  They will most likely be 4A next realignment.  Tri-West would struggle in the MidState.   Actually, we need to drop Plainfield and pick up a better matchup.

Tri-West and Danville would both be bottom tier but still compete with the mid to lower tier of the mid state. I don't think either would want to join or feel the need to join the Mid-State with their success in the Sagamore. Unless Danville gets another 400+ kids in their school they are not the size to be considering mid-state. 

10 minutes ago, DT said:

I think the experience with Conference Indiana has proven that a Bloomington-Indianapolis conference partnership does not seem to work.  Not only is distance an issue, therer are significant cultural differences berween the two cities.  

Mt Vernon and New Pal are a part of the Indy metro.

Bloomington is not.  And does not care to be.

Bloomingtons hope for membership in a 10 team conference lies to the south with the Hoosier Hills, their rightful home.

 

I wouldn't consider a conference with Martinsville, Whiteland, Franklin and Mooresville too far off in cultural differences. I don't think any of those schools would consider themselves metro area.

11 minutes ago, DT said:

I think the Jasper people might disagree with you on that point.  

You're right. They'll be competitive.

3 hours ago, DT said:

Danville and Tri West are both solid programs.  I used to be against the 10 team conference and the 9 game all conference round robin schedule.

But Covid has helped change my mind on that front.

Chesterton , a 6A school, this week will play 2 A Pioneer.  Yes, Pioneer is a beast and this will probably be the biggest game in the history of their school, but its still 6A vs 2A.  Thats not what the IHSAA had in mind when it created the class system.

I think ADs and Admins are thinking more loca;lly and conservatively when it comes to travel in this new era.  The certainty of the 9 game round robin takes a lot of potential headaches away from coaches and ADs.  

The SAC is a rock solid 10 team conference.

The SIAC just expanded to 10 with the addition of stellar programs Jasper and Vincennes.

I would not be shocked if at some time, Penn and Elkhart will both join the Duneland.  

Mt Vernon and New Pal fit the competitive and educational profile of the Mid State.  

Covid and its long  term negative impact on select programs around the state could push consoliation and/or expansion at the high school level in the near future.

 

Wouldn't mind seeing Bloomington North and South added in if two were to join. Probably makes more sense logistically than the east side schools for most of the conference. Doubt it happens though. The two added into the SIAC probably will never compete for a conference championship. The SAC has their top tier Ft. Wayne schools. Being in central Indy gives the schools opportunities to branch out a bit. Again, I don't think it's a bad idea, but I don't see them going to a 10 school conference.

2 hours ago, DT said:

Wouldnt you just love to see New Pal and Mt Vernon join the Mid State?

10 team conference with no need for games against schools like Gibson Southern, Indian Creek, Tri West, Shelbyville and Danville.  

This is now a big school conference.  Too many smaller schools on the non con schedule.  

 

I think there are pros and cons to 10 team conferences. I am in favor of the open weeks as long as schools schedule properly. DC has taken the opposite route of most in the conference and scheduled 2 strong out of conference games in New Pal and CG. Perry still gets to play their longtime rivals and close schools in Southport and FC. Both Tri-West and Danville could probably be competitive with the lower half of the mid state this year. Danville beat Franklin last week.