Frozen Tundra

While I get they have eight weeks to get ready for sectionals, they’re also having to gameplan for their upcoming weekly opponents. I’ve never coached so I don’t have this insight but I wonder if coaches scout and prepare for sectional opponents in the offseason. Obviously teams and players change year to year but I get the sense that schemes are generally the same. Maybe that’s what BNL is alluding to here. I agree that there still would’ve been an outcry but I, and many others, think it looks worse by waiting to do this in the middle of the season. The IHSAA had known for awhile that they needed to make a decision on the matter. Why wait until now? Dwenger had literally been getting votes in the 5A polls the last two weeks. And as far as the decision itself is concerned, making a change in the middle of a classification period, rather than during the reclassification, opens the door to criticism. Again, I get what they were thinking but the consequences of this are a three-team sectional. That’s not ideal for anyone. If it can be helped, no team should have to sit out two straight weeks in the postseason. This could’ve been helped.

I know those guys played 10+ years ago. Just saying it’s strange to me that North hasn’t had any stud football players based on the amount of college football players they produce. That’s not a knock either. When you rattle off big name Columbus football players, the top names are always East kids. It’s just surprising to me when you consider the situation.

Per the article, BNL has prepared themselves for sectional 23 opponents. All of a sudden, in week 2 of the season, they’re now in sectional 24. This decision affected a bunch of teams and probably no team will be affected more than whoever gets the bye in 5A sectional 12. It becomes a three team sectional with one of them having two weeks off before finally playing a postseason game. Ask Bart Curtis and Warsaw how they liked being put in that position back in 2021. Having talked to several of their fans, they weren’t happy about it and felt it ruined their momentum. This decision-making by the IHSAA was amateur. Why did they wait so late to make this decision? Can you imagine the outcry if something like this happened at the collegiate or professional levels? Many people are confused as to why the decision was made so late, including those in the Fort Wayne area.

Agreed. I understand what the IHSAA was trying to do. However, I just don’t understand why they waited so late to make a decision. This should’ve been decided in June or July at the latest.

Still need week 2 picks from @Owls2005 and @billybob if you want to remain in the main competition.

North definitely has more kids that go on to play college football. Ironically, though, East always seems to get the premiere players that draw statewide attention. Blair Kiel, Stevie Brown, Gunner Kiel, Markell Jones, etc. It’s funny how it works out because you’d think North would get one of those players just by the large number of college football players they produce.

Week 2 Picks BNL at 5A #9/#10 Bloomington North Brown County at Jennings County 3A #1 Christian Academy of Louisville at New Albany Columbus North at Columbus East Seymour at Jeffersonville Terre Haute South at Floyd Central

Yep and that’s the worst part about all this. Getting the bye to the championship means you have two weeks off. Not ideal. Just ask Warsaw about that.

https://www.wbiw.com/2023/08/24/ihsaa-switches-bnl-to-sectional-24-for-upcoming-postseason-tournament-in-class-4a/?fbclid=IwAR0F1cFMSBtk8xOfJsy7aHTKkG5SOFCxY1d7lPYOAfpvA03L5WTLmEK12uk_aem_AePcFicbbSWbiJ0uShZskHsaEQo_T2PHmnUe87-2W6Zl6Z1f1n1q6I052LP0G0_9nYk Not sure if you guys saw this but it looks like the IHSAA’s late decision to move Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger down to 4A for this postseason is affecting the sectional assignments for several other 4A teams. Connersville will now get bumped to sectional 23 which bumps BNL over to sectional 24 with the Evansville area schools.

Thank you very much. I thought the 2021 reclassification was for two years for everybody regardless of the situation. I really appreciate you clearing it up for me.

Holy crap! That’s a thing! How did I not know about this?

Boy I sure hope so. The previous guy was a real nice guy but he really killed the school spirit by not letting the student section ever do anything. I got sick and tired of other student sections showing ours up. Ours was quieter than a funeral parlor.

North just has a better reputation and feels like they’re the preferred school in the city because it’s direct descendant of the original Columbus High School. Also, North seems like they take sports more seriously across the board. Everything is nicer and they have so much more success than East. In regards to football, I think the loss of Gaddis really hurt East’s reputation as a “football school”.

Sorry. Usually I’m on top of stuff like this but this one slipped under my radar. What do you mean by they were “missed”?

Can someone explain to me why Dwenger is getting dropped down to 4A when it’s not a reclassification year?

You’re not joking. It’s a shame.

Thank God!

Am I missing something here? It’s week 2

As someone who doesn’t know much about East Central aside from their football program, do all sports generally dominate the EIAC or is it a little more even across the board?

Bedford NL at Bloomington North Columbus North at Columbus East Martinsville at Bloomington South Perry Meridian at Southport Terre Haute North at Crispus Attucks Terre Haute South at Floyd Central

Doing a Conference Indiana pick ‘em?

No joke. When Cincinnati is a closer drive then you know it’s too far.

I love the HHC but I feel like things have changed since it formed 50 years ago. Madison was getting smaller and had to leave because they couldn’t keep up. I fear Jennings County is getting that way too. Columbus East fit in well for the longest time but I feel like we now fit in better with the cities and Indy suburban schools in south-central Indiana. And with the way Seymour is growing, I feel like they’re on their way as well. I’m iffy on BNL. They’re shrinking quickly. Not sure if they should stay or go. Problem is, they’re on the outskirts of HHC territory and losing Seymour would hurt them.

My understanding is the Terre Haute schools are the reason for why Columbus East turned down a Conference Indiana invite.

I think I’d consider any Mid-State Conference schools and Franklin Central as well. Pretty much any 4A school or bigger (sans Center Grove and private/parochial schools) south of I-465, north of US 50, and with Bloomington and Columbus as the west and east boundaries. That’s a nice rectangle encompassing 16 eligible schools.