NIC...Excited for this season, or no?

[BLACKGOLD2007]

I was just looking over the upcoming schedules for our resident NIC teams. Some interesting pick ups for a few schools, and some pick ups that I think were made out of desperation and lack of availability for others. 

Penn: Starts with Valpo (possibly the last game in this series) and Mishawaka...(Penn dumps 6A rival Carmel for 4A crosstown rival)

Elkhart: Making a plea to the NLC?? Please NLC save us from the sinking NIC. Elkhart continues crosstown rivalry with Concord and makes it three years in a row vs Northridge. (since the inception of Elkhart, they have played 1 or 2 NLC teams during the regular season)

Marian: Makes it 5 years in a row against Mishawaka and 4 years in a row vs Culver Academy. 

New Prairie: Continues their Historic battle against Evil, LaPorte, dating back to the beginning of time. They also have Goshen for the third year in a row. 

Adams: Gets a rematch with Culver Academy and Logansport. 

Riley: Is looking to continue their success this season and adding winnable games against Hammond Noll and Fort Wayne Wayne (I think the people naming schools got lazy on that one). We will really get to see how far this program has come with a looming week 3 matchup at Home against Penn. 

St. Joe: Is in year 4 with Lakeland and year 2 with Fort Wayne South

Washington: Is also in year 4 with Hammond Central and adds New Albany to their schedule. 

No one really went out and grabbed a team that I think is going to prep them for a future run in the Playoffs. Smaller schools playing up a class I think helps them regardless of how good that team is, but still nothing that is going to make you turn your head or be excited about. 

[Coach Lou]

I wish Elkhart still played Goshen. I know Goshen has been down for a while but in the old days this used to be a really big game.

I know Central was playing Goshen until Elkhart went back to 1 school and Goshen dropped the game.

 

 

[BLACKGOLD2007]

4 hours ago, Coach Lou said:

I wish Elkhart still played Goshen. I know Goshen has been down for a while but in the old days this used to be a really big game.

I know Central was playing Goshen until Elkhart went back to 1 school and Goshen dropped the game.

 

 

I think Elkhart may see the writing on the wall, the NLC is a better overall fit for them, and I think Elkhart would be a bit more competitive? maybe.  Not so much with the top tier of the NLC right now, but they could be a middle of the pack team unless this new coach is able to change the culture over there. 

[Komets2727]

13 hours ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

I was just looking over the upcoming schedules for our resident NIC teams. Some interesting pick ups for a few schools, and some pick ups that I think were made out of desperation and lack of availability for others. 

Penn: Starts with Valpo (possibly the last game in this series) and Mishawaka...(Penn dumps 6A rival Carmel for 4A crosstown rival)

Elkhart: Making a plea to the NLC?? Please NLC save us from the sinking NIC. Elkhart continues crosstown rivalry with Concord and makes it three years in a row vs Northridge. (since the inception of Elkhart, they have played 1 or 2 NLC teams during the regular season)

Marian: Makes it 5 years in a row against Mishawaka and 4 years in a row vs Culver Academy. 

New Prairie: Continues their Historic battle against Evil, LaPorte, dating back to the beginning of time. They also have Goshen for the third year in a row. 

Adams: Gets a rematch with Culver Academy and Logansport. 

Riley: Is looking to continue their success this season and adding winnable games against Hammond Noll and Fort Wayne Wayne (I think the people naming schools got lazy on that one). We will really get to see how far this program has come with a looming week 3 matchup at Home against Penn. 

St. Joe: Is in year 4 with Lakeland and year 2 with Fort Wayne South

Washington: Is also in year 4 with Hammond Central and adds New Albany to their schedule. 

No one really went out and grabbed a team that I think is going to prep them for a future run in the Playoffs. Smaller schools playing up a class I think helps them regardless of how good that team is, but still nothing that is going to make you turn your head or be excited about. 

To be fair, It is not Fort Wayne Wayne, it is just Wayne. Example, it is not Fort Wayne Snider or Fort Wayne Luers or Fort Wayne Dwenger either

[BTF]

6 hours ago, Komets2727 said:

To be fair, It is not Fort Wayne Wayne, it is just Wayne. Example, it is not Fort Wayne Snider or Fort Wayne Luers or Fort Wayne Dwenger either

That's interesting. Not very often do you hear just Jefferson, it's Lafayette Jeff. Or Riley, it's South Bend Riley. Evansville Reitz. Indianapolis Ritter. I think when a city has more than one high school, it's common to label them with the city name in front. When there is one high school, it's just named after the ciy..............Warsaw, New Haven, Angola, ect. 

[First_Backer_Inside]

2 hours ago, BTF said:

That's interesting. Not very often do you hear just Jefferson, it's Lafayette Jeff. Or Riley, it's South Bend Riley. Evansville Reitz. Indianapolis Ritter. I think when a city has more than one high school, it's common to label them with the city name in front. When there is one high school, it's just named after the ciy..............Warsaw, New Haven, Angola, ect. 

Kokomo has multiple high schools(Kokomo, Western, Northwestern, Taylor), but yet there is just one with the name Kokomo. It is interesting how some have the city name and some do not.

[Muda69]

33 minutes ago, First_Backer_Inside said:

Kokomo has multiple high schools(Kokomo, Western, Northwestern, Taylor), but yet there is just one with the name Kokomo. It is interesting how some have the city name and some do not.

I would say Howard County has multiple high schools (throw Eastern (Greentown) in there as well), not the city of Kokomo.  Although Taylor is close.   Residents of the Northwestern and Western school districts want nothing to with the city itself, other than a job a Chrysler/Stellantis transmission plant. 

The city of Kokomo did once have two high schools.   Haworth High school was open from 1968 to 1984, and the current Kokomo high school building on the southwest side was originally the Haworth building.   IIRC Haworth had it's own sport facilities except for basketball where both schools shared historic Memorial gymnasium, a decision that rankled a lot of Kokomo fans at the time.

[Komets2727]

3 hours ago, BTF said:

That's interesting. Not very often do you hear just Jefferson, it's Lafayette Jeff. Or Riley, it's South Bend Riley. Evansville Reitz. Indianapolis Ritter. I think when a city has more than one high school, it's common to label them with the city name in front. When there is one high school, it's just named after the ciy..............Warsaw, New Haven, Angola, ect. 

I get it, but when you go to Snider High School, it does not say Fort Wayne Snider at the entrance. 

[Trojanmp52]

 Saying Fort Wayne ( what ever school it is) helps people know where said school is located.  If you just Snider most people would have no clue where that is at.

[BTF]

2 hours ago, Trojanmp52 said:

 Saying Fort Wayne ( what ever school it is) helps people know where said school is located.  If you just Snider most people would have no clue where that is at.

Agree. But a team has to be located inside the city limits. Harding, for example sat on the outside of Fort Wayne city limits and was part of the East Allen County school system. However, 90% of their student body was from inside city limits. That's partially true of Carroll and Homestead. Both cities sit on the outside, with many students sitting on the inside. Long story short, if the school sits inside limits, then it's labeled as such. No ones ever said "Indianapolis Carmel." We're just left wondering where suburban schools are from...........I guess that's what google is for. 

[WCGrad92]

On 4/19/2024 at 5:19 AM, BTF said:

That's interesting. Not very often do you hear just Jefferson, it's Lafayette Jeff. Or Riley, it's South Bend Riley. Evansville Reitz. Indianapolis Ritter. I think when a city has more than one high school, it's common to label them with the city name in front. When there is one high school, it's just named after the ciy..............Warsaw, New Haven, Angola, ect. 

we do not call Ritter here Indianapolis Ritter, normally i call it Cardinal Ritter, but usually just Ritter, in Fort Wayne, they dont say, oh i go to Fort Wayne Snider,  its just Snider, or Wayne, or North,  just labeling them as to where they might be for folks that arent from there.   But i do get what you are saying, Fort Wayne Wayne is a bit redundant LOL

[BLACKGOLD2007]

Yes, when you live in the city in which the school resides you will typically just use the name of the school. In media and when talking to people who are not always familiar with the schools around the state, using Indianapolis, South Bend or Fort Wayne helps the lay person know where in the state we are talking about.  I believe there is a South Bend Washington and a Washington HS.... If someone just posted a topic saying....OMG did you see what happened at Washington over the weekend?  most people will probably think uh oh something happened in South Bend...but the thread could be about the 4A school in southern Indiana. Plus Harrell's website lists the schools from those towns above with the city name in it.

Edited April 22 by BLACKGOLD2007

[BTF]

1 hour ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

Yes, when you live in the city in which the school resides you will typically just use the name of the school. In media and when talking to people who are not always familiar with the schools around the state, using Indianapolis, South Bend or Fort Wayne helps the lay person know where in the state we are talking about.  I believe there is a South Bend Washington and a Washington HS.... If someone just posted a topic saying....OMG did you see what happened at Washington over the weekend?  most people will probably think uh oh something happened in South Bend...but the thread could be about the 4A school in southern Indiana. Plus Harrell's website lists the schools from those towns above with the city name in it.

Or they just use parentheses. Carroll (Fort Wayne) or Carroll (Flora). Carroll(Fort Wayne) sits just outside city limits, so they don't get the Fort Wayne Carroll label. The high school itself has a Fort Wayne address, but many of their students have a Huntertown address. 

[BLACKGOLD2007]

On 4/22/2024 at 6:09 PM, BTF said:

Or they just use parentheses. Carroll (Fort Wayne) or Carroll (Flora). Carroll(Fort Wayne) sits just outside city limits, so they don't get the Fort Wayne Carroll label. The high school itself has a Fort Wayne address, but many of their students have a Huntertown address. 

Sure

[Rocket]

Michiana football reported that Elkhart will be getting 2 high impact transfers from Mishawaka next season.

[BLACKGOLD2007]

On 4/24/2024 at 7:10 PM, Rocket said:

Michiana football reported that Elkhart will be getting 2 high impact transfers from Mishawaka next season.

Elkhart doesn't lack talent, it lacks direction from what I am hearing. 

[NLCTigerFan07]

To answer the title of this topic, and I say this seriously and sincerely - what is there to be excited about when it comes to the NIC these days? I promise I am not asking that facetiously.

Penn - conference/division champs/co-champs in 12 of last 15 season. Only lost 7 conference games in 15 years, and even in down years for them should be the class of the conference. There are no teams (okay - MAYBE an argument for New Prairie and Elkhart) in the NIC that are doing anything to make the Kingsmen better or prepared for 6A football. Zero excitement from my perspective.

Elkhart - after an historic 2020 season in their first season back as a consolidated high school, they have dominated the "South Bend" schools, but have gone 2-7 against Penn, Mishawaka Marian, and New Prairie. The gap between them and Penn dose not appear to have closed whatsoever. Will only qualify for excitement if they can get to the level of New Prairie/Penn sustained success.

Adams - the largest of the "South Bend" schools has been sputtering. 1 sectional win in the last 8 seasons, and lost all momentum built during the Coach Redman tenure. With Riley's resurgance under Coach Lee, I am unconvinced the Eagles will see progress anytime soon. Zero excitement.

New Prairie - probably the best program in the NIC, and their only flaw being that they are a 4A school having to punch above their weightclass when taking on the behemouth known as Penn. Even then, they have gone a respectable 2-4 against the Kingsmen. So far, the only team I would deem worthy of any "excitement" for this upcoming season, only because they are always a threat to win the conference and have a deep tournament run.

Riley - a feel good story last year, but can they sustain it and become the "it" program for South Bend schools? Their schedule will be significantly tougher adding Penn, Elkhart and Marian. To me, that makes things less exciting, unless they can prove "staying power" as a mid-tier NIC school that can sometimes hang with the larger/better schools. Slight level of excitement to see how they stack up and continue improving as a program.

Washington - will be a perrenial doormat in the current NIC set up and struggle to have winning seasons. That is what will be considered an accomplishment for the Panthers moving forward. Finding a way to 5 wins in the regular season each year is the goal, and that does not sound very exciting.

St. Joseph and Marian - I am lumping these 2 programs together. They are shells of their former selves. Unlike Riley, at least they have already been playing the larger/stronger teams in the NIC. If these programs can get back on track, they can potentially have a few seasons competeing for the "best record excluding Penn" in the NIC. Until then... not much excitement for either.

[BTF]

Elkhart reminds me of FW North Side for some reason. I'm not saying that's good or bad, they just seem similar outside of the enrollment disparity.