Frozen Tundra

Completely agree

I just saw Ironton only has 418 students. That seems like a lopsided matchup.

Only 1 hour and 15 minutes for us.

Good to see they want to keep Columbus North on the football schedule. Those schools had a nice rivalry in all sports back in the days when they were Bloomington High School and Columbus High School. I would hate to see their long history on the gridiron end or be put on hold.

Good to know. I don’t have as much knowledge on that part of the state so it’s good to get that perspective from you. I just know one conference change can impact other schools and conferences way down the line.

Just to clarify here. Let me give you an example and it’s probably a bad one. However, I just want to illustrate a point. The SAC splits. The small school five want to expand. They add East Noble and Leo. In response, the NE8 grabs Angola and maybe Garrett or Bluffton to get back to 8 teams. The NECC and ACAC respond by trying to replace their losses. Do you feel confident if a similar scenario took place that Wabash, Northfield, Manchester, Southwood, and Whitko would stay put?

That would be a shame. I already don’t like the divisional format they have but I get why they did it. Apparently that still isn’t appeasing everyone. If it happens, I’ll be interested to see how an SAC split affects the surrounding conferences. Would it cause a domino effect that sees changes within the NE8, NLC, TRC, NECC, ACAC and beyond? I guess we’ll have to stay tuned.

They’ll be ok. They had various Louisville metro schools on their schedule for nine different sports this school year. They play many of those schools annually in basketball, baseball, softball, and boys soccer. If it was going to be an issue then they wouldn’t have joined. In all actuality, it probably would’ve been worse for them if they had stayed independent. 2025-2026 Bloomington South sports schedules Boys Basketball: New Albany, Floyd Central, Silver Creek Girls Basketball: New Albany Baseball: Jeffersonville, New Albany, Floyd Central, Silver Creek Softball: Floyd Central, Silver Creek Boys Soccer: New Albany, Floyd Central Boys Volleyball: New Albany Boys Wrestling: Jeffersonville, Floyd Central Girls Wrestling: Floyd Central Girls Tennis: Silver Creek

I want to welcome @ptr and @MuleDriver to the conference. We’re a little more lively here than what you had in your Conference Indiana threads so it should make for better company.

Wait. What? Corydon Central?

https://www.wbiw.com/2026/04/22/bloomington-south-to-join-hoosier-hills-conference/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwRVtoFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeNVlzvTPuljrzVsUX7MMnkiSANM5qG6x-hCqRM4mOpDxew2vpcdvKuXSYnKY_aem_6c9hTE_3LClqzBGOjy15wA There it is. Justin Sokeland is the first to break the official news that Bloomington South will join the HHC.

Yeah I noticed that. Seems like they could easily just schedule all those teams. I wonder what the hold up is.

I can’t say with any certainty what each sport looks like but top 3 in each sport seems accurate. Columbus North held an invitational track meet on Saturday. The boys event had ten schools and the girls had nine. Columbus East and Floyd Central participated. If the results of the event mean anything then Bloomington South probably wins both the boys and girls HHC championships. South was really good at track even back when I was in high school. Regardless, South will definitely challenge Floyd Central for the all-sports title. Is Jennings County looking for a new conference home? Yes. However, they haven’t had any success in finding suitors. Therefore, to ensure a more hopeful future for the football program, they had to bite the bullet and go independent in football. They couldn’t wait any longer. If Bloomington South is accepted in the HHC, will they be in it for the longterm? I doubt it. The HHC is just a temporary solution until they find something more competitive. As far as basketball, maybe baseball, and wrestling are concerned, I think they will find it sufficiently competitive. Outside of that, it should be a cakewalk. Correct me if I’m wrong. As to whether the HHC is looking for other potential candidates for expansion, I don’t know for sure but there have been rumors to suggest it’s possible. I have multiple sources telling me completely opposite things so it’s hard to decipher what’s fact and what’s fiction. I’ve heard Columbus North wanted in but Columbus East blocked it, and I’ve heard Columbus North wants nothing to do with the HHC. I’ve heard Silver Creek and Charlestown want in, and I’ve heard Silver Creek and Charlestown want nothing to do with the HHC and are more than happy being in the Mid-Southern Conference. Considering his connections to all of it, @btownqbcoach would have a better idea than I would although I don’t know if he would be allowed to confirm anything.

The big issue for Center Grove was how independence trickled down and drastically had a negative effect on their middle school scheduling. If I remember correctly, their football teams had to rack up some crazy mileage just to find games. I never realized independence could affect middle school sports as well so that was eye-opening. I think they could make most sports schedules work but, with football only being played once a week, it’s like a jigsaw puzzle trying to find what opponents fit where. Bloomington South’s rivals, Bloomington North and Martinsville, only have open weeks the first two weeks. BHSN has to be played week 1 because they have their annual BNL game in week 2. Likewise, Martinsville has to be played in week 2 because they have their annual BNL game in week 1. Most teams play conference schedules from weeks 3 through 9 so now your number of potential opponents becomes very limited. Unless John Harrell’s site hasn’t been updated, this is why South still has no opponents for weeks 4, 5, and 7.

I know what you’re saying but I also know Center Grove had a hard enough time scheduling as an independent for the three or four years they’ve been one. That’s why they had to tuck their tail between their legs and ask the old girlfriend (the MIC) to take them back.

1. Were you aware Bloomington North was once in the HHC? 2. If Bloomington South had better options out there then they would take them. Joining a conference helps alleviate a scheduling nightmare and if the HHC is their best option then they’d be dumb not to take it.

What the heck does that mean?

I hadn’t even considered the teams that would’ve moved back down had the three-to-stay-up rule been in place. Definitely adds another wrinkle to list of alternate timelines. Thanks for mentioning this and providing your research!

This gave me a really good idea for a new topic. Just posted it if you’re interested.

We could play the “what-if” game all day long as it pertains to how state championships and tournaments would be affected if the success factor was never put into place. How many state titles do New Palestine and Cathedral have if they never had to be bumped up from 4A? Or Bishop Luers from 2A? Or Indy Lutheran and LCC from 1A? I could go on. However, the “what-if” game I like to play now is “What if the rolling success factor had been instituted from the get-go?” We would’ve gotten the following: -New Palestine in 6A in 2020 and 2021 due to their 2018 and 2019 5A state titles. -Western Boone doesn’t get to win three straight 2A titles from 2018-2020. Who then wins 2A in 2020? It wouldn’t have been Eastbrook because their back-to-back losses to Western Boone in the 2018 and 2019 state championships would’ve bumped them up to 3A as well in 2020 and 2021. -Pioneer doesn’t get to win the 1A state title in 2018. Their runner-up finish in 2016 and state title in 2017 would’ve bumped them up to 2A in 2018 and 2019. -Who plays for the 2023 1A state title? 2023 was the third straight year Indy Lutheran defeated Adams Central for the 1A title. Both schools would’ve been bumped up to 2A in 2023 and 2024 if the rolling success factor had already been instituted. Any other scenarios I’m missing? We talk about teams that wouldn’t have won state titles if certain teams didn’t have to be bumped up due to the success factor. How about the teams that would likely have won or played for a state title if the rolling success factor was used from the beginning in 2013?

Yeah I’m in that area at least once a month. The growth over the last 10-20 years has been noticeable.

I’m really intrigued by some of the teams that were bumped up a classification. How does Providence handle 2A? How does Adams Central handle 3A? How does Bishop Luers handle 4A? How does Whiteland handle 6A?

You’d have to ask someone from Lawrence County that question. Unfortunately, the BNL fans that used to be on here are nowhere to be found these days.

Retracting my prediction about BNL being in 4A sectional 23. Sectional 21 will need to be the lone 4A sectional with seven teams in the event Cathedral falls back to 4A in 2027 (which is probably likely as they need to advance to state in order to remain in 5A). Therefore, I predict BNL gets sent to sectional 24 to fill the spot vacated by Washington now that they’re moving down to 3A. BNL will join Boonville, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Reitz, Heritage Hills, and Jasper. It should be noted that BNL played in this sectional back in 2023.

I took a stab at 4A. Let me know where you might disagree. Sectional 17 (8 teams) - East Chicago Central, Gary West, Hammond Morton, Hanover Central, Highland, Hobart, Kankakee Valley, Lowell Sectional 18 (8 teams) - Mishawaka, New Prairie, Northridge, NorthWood, Plymouth, South Bend Riley, South Bend St. Joseph, Wawasee Sectional 19 (8 teams) - Columbia City, DeKalb, East Noble, Fort Wayne Dwenger, Fort Wayne Luers, Fort Wayne North, Leo, New Haven Sectional 20 (8 teams) - Culver Academy, Delta, Frankfort, Jay County, Kokomo, Logansport, Marion, Muncie Central Sectional 21 (7 teams) - Beech Grove, Chatard, Greenwood, Guerin Catholic, Richmond, Roncalli, Yorktown Sectional 22 (8 teams) - Brebeuf, Crispus Attucks, Danville, Lebanon, Martinsville, Mooresville, Northview, Shortridge Sectional 23 (8 teams) - Charlestown, Columbus East, Connersville, East Central, Jennings County, Madison, Shelbyville, Silver Creek Sectional 24 (8 teams) - BNL, Boonville, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Reitz, Heritage Hills, Jasper *Sectional 17 remains almost the exact same. Hammond Morton moving down from 5A boots New Prairie to the east. *Sectional 18 is also almost the exact same as well. New Prairie moves in from sectional 17 at the perfect time as South Bend Washington drops down to 3A. *Sectional 19 also has very few changes. With Fort Wayne Wayne and Fort Wayne South moving up to 5A, Fort Wayne North (moving down from 5A) and Fort Wayne Luers (moving up from 3A due to the success factor) are perfect replacements. It’s important to note that this sectional would become a seven-team sectional in 2027 if Dwenger gets to semi-state in 2026. *Sectional 20 was the toughest to figure out in northern Indiana. This was a seven-team sectional this past season. Culver Academy, Frankfort, Logansport, Marion, and Muncie Central remain. Huntington North had to be replaced due to moving up to 5A. I decided to move Lebanon to the south due to the over-abundance of teams north of Indianapolis (35 to 28). And if Lebanon is going south then Guerin Catholic also has to go south. That left Delta, Jay County, Kokomo, and Yorktown for the final three spots. Jay County and Kokomo are further north than Muncie so I added these two. For the final spot, it was either Delta or Yorktown. Delta is north of the Muncie city limits while Yorktown lies to the west. Also, Yorktown played in a southern sectional last year so I chose Delta as the eighth and final team in sectional 20. *Sectional 21 remains at seven teams. Lots of changes here as Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon, and Pendleton Heights have all moved up to 5A and New Castle has fallen to 3A. Beech Grove, Richmond, and Yorktown remain. Guerin Catholic bumps up from 3A and they fit well here. I then decided to add Chatard, Greenwood, and Roncalli in the final three spots. Attucks and Shortridge were options but they were further west than Chatard, Greenwood, and Roncalli. Therefore, they fit better in sectional 22. I originally considered making this an eight-team sectional and adding Connersville to it due to its proximity to Richmond, but I think it works better to leave it at seven teams in the event Cathedral falls to 4A in 2027. Cathedral needs to reach state in 2026 to remain in 5A, which will be tough given that they’ll have to get through New Palestine to do so. It should also be noted that Roncalli could potentially move up to 5A in 2027 if they return to the 4A state championship game. Therefore, this sectional would have anywhere between six and eight teams in 2027 based on what Cathedral and Roncalli do in 2026. *Sectional 22 retains Attucks, Brebeuf, Danville, Mooresville, Northview, and Shortridge. I had moved Chatard and Roncalli to sectional 21 which left two open spots. This is where Lebanon fits after being moved down to the south. Martinsville also fits well here so I added them. *Sectional 23 retains Charlestown, Connersville, Jennings County, Shelbyville, and Silver Creek. Moving BNL, Greenwood, and Martinsville out leaves three openings. Columbus East and East Central move down from 5A and both fit well here as this is their old long-time sectional from their days in 4A. The same can be said for Madison who has moved up from 3A. *Sectional 24 is pretty much the same. Washington moving down to 3A opens up a spot. BNL is on an island in 4A and could’ve remained in sectional 23 if sectional 21 didn’t need to be a seven-team sectional. It should be noted that BNL played in sectional 24 in 2023 so this move makes sense. If Heritage Hills fails to win this sectional in 2026 then they will fall back to 3A in 2027. Therefore, this would become a seven-team sectional in 2027 unless Gibson Southern wins the 2026 3A state title. They would then take Heritage Hills’ place. Some sectional reshuffling would need to happen if Heritage Hills wins the sectional and Gibson Southern wins the 3A state title but the chances of that all happening are low.