SAC 2024

[BTF]

Just some random thoughts from a fan’s perspective entering the 2024 season.

 

Carroll: Dinan seems determined to make Carroll a household name. He wants to be the team people think of when they think of Northeast Indiana football. I think we can officially predict that Carroll will just reload from this moment forward. You add a good football coach to a growing community that loves football, and you get a potential state powerhouse. This year’s team is lead by a D1 quarterback and a D1 tight end. That could be a lethal combination. Carroll’s defenses have been stout in recent seasons and should probably continue that trend this year. Potential looms for this team, but it won’t be easy. Every sectional boasts a team or two capable of making it to the state finals.

Concordia: Can state champion coach Tim Mannigel get the Cadets back to where he had them a few years ago? The team that wasted everyone on the way to the 3A title in 2016? The team that almost took out one of Chatard’s all time best teams in 2019? I’m betting on this team being better than last year, but that’s about it. Then I’ll bet again that they’ll be better in 2025. For now, I see the SAC being too good to see Concordia in the top half of the pack. But they WILL be an improved team that teams probably shouldn’t fall asleep on.

Dwenger: Some might consider this a make or break season for Jason Garrett. The Dwenger faithful won’t accept mediocrity forever. It could be that they just had a downward trend in talent in recent years. After all, Garrett’s teams were pretty good the first few years he took over. But this trend they are going through now? The last time the Saints were this “average” was the final four years of the Andy Johns era from 1998-2001. Since then, Dwenger never went more than two years without posting a double digit season. I’m not sure what’s in store for this years team, but I’m rooting for them Saints to get back to Blue Blood form. The first two weeks should be telling. Last year they were outscored 108-7 and have the same two opponents to open this season. Good luck and God speed.

Homestead: Like the Saints, Homestead has been stuck in a mediocre stage for a few years now. I think it’s safe to chalk it up as a downtrend in talent. Losing Jimmy Sullivan to the Chargers didn’t help matters any. Zolman has had some pretty stout teams during his run as head coach, including two one loss seasons in the SAC and one undefeated season. Those are the teams that Fort Wayne grew to know under Chad’s leadership. But I’ve got to bring up the elephant in the room. No matter how good the Spartan’s tend to do in the regular season, they always seem to plateau at the regional level. In 20 seasons as the team’s head, they are 0-5 at the regional level where Indy teams (Carmel four times) have had their way with Homestead by an average score of 35-6. That doesn’t mean the Spartan’s don’t know how to handle SAC foes though. Over the past five years, they are 4-2 vs Snider and 3-3 vs Carroll. All bets are off this season.

Luers: Kyle Lindsay enters his 12^th season and finally got the state champion monkey off his back last year. He would probably argue that he had 2A’s best team in 2020 & 2021, and a good argument he’d  have. But hoisting that trophy is a weight off the programs shoulders in my opinion. There will be more, but will any come at the 3A level? Can he do something his father never did and win the 3A title? Honestly, I have no idea. Certainly possible with Chatard out of the way.  I do know that you have to be ready to go anytime Luers takes the field. I want to say this years team returns plenty on defense, but little on offense. Probably enough to take care of business in the SAC small division. I see this team falling somewhere between 7-2 & 4-5 in SAC play. They could actually go 4-5 and still be considered a top contender in 3A.

North Side: There’s still a lot of excitement within this program for the kids who have bought in. The last two years were a yoyo. In 2022, they were as good as anyone in 5A. It was a different story in 2023. They weren’t a bad team, but not very good either. This year’s team has some talent for sure. It’s up to Ben Johnson to put it all together. The first three weeks against Northridge, Lawrence North, and Dwenger will tell us if they are a contender or a pretender. With Snider out of the way in 5A, a deep playoff run is possible. A share of the SAC title is also possible for this club……….no Snider or Homestead on the schedule.

Northrop: Quentin Bowen’s teams have been roughed up pretty bad in his first two seasons as a head coach. But to his defense, there’s never really been a football culture at Northrop. His predecessor was able to take the Bruins to a respectable level as an opponent, but ended up at a program with more of a football culture. I’m not optimistic at all about the direction of the Northrop program. With some of the other bottom teams trending up, a last place finish wouldn’t surprise me at all. But like the rest of the programs in the SAC, I wish Bowen and the Bruins a prosperous season.

Snider: Snider will be good………..or really, really good depending on how the offense comes together. Another SAC title is within grasp. But what are their capabilities now that they enter 6A? Every sectional is home to at least two, in some cases three, state title contenders. They’ll probably bring a state title caliber defense to the field, but again, it’s all going to come down to how the offense comes together. Week 1 against Warren Central will provide some answers as many are predicting the Warriors to be one of the teams to beat in 6A.

South Side: For the second year in a row, the Archers put forth a very solid performance at the most recent 7 on 7 tournament. And as we saw last year, things change a whole lot when you add an offensive and defensive line. There does seem to be a different vibe with Andre Goodwell at the helm. Although they only won one game last season, they did seem to be more competitive than they have been in the past. I think they’ll be an improved team this year, but not enough to compete with the SAC’s best. Maybe a win or two in the sectionals.

Wayne: The Generals are a formidable program under Sherwood Haydock, still waiting for that breakout season though. Replicating the 9-3 season his predecessor had in 2018 won’t be an easy task in the SAC, and quite frankly, is HIGHLY unlikely. But we all know Haydock is capable of producing state championship caliber football teams based on his last endeavors with Harding and Woodlan. A share of the SAC title is probably out of reach based on them receiving a nasty draw against Snider, Carroll, and Homestead. But that type of preparation could make them a dangerous team at the 4A level. Sectional 19 is an absolute beast though.

[Komets2727]

On 6/29/2024 at 1:48 PM, BTF said:

Just some random thoughts from a fan’s perspective entering the 2024 season.

 

Carroll: Dinan seems determined to make Carroll a household name. He wants to be the team people think of when they think of Northeast Indiana football. I think we can officially predict that Carroll will just reload from this moment forward. You add a good football coach to a growing community that loves football, and you get a potential state powerhouse. This year’s team is lead by a D1 quarterback and a D1 tight end. That could be a lethal combination. Carroll’s defenses have been stout in recent seasons and should probably continue that trend this year. Potential looms for this team, but it won’t be easy. Every sectional boasts a team or two capable of making it to the state finals.

Concordia: Can state champion coach Tim Mannigel get the Cadets back to where he had them a few years ago? The team that wasted everyone on the way to the 3A title in 2016? The team that almost took out one of Chatard’s all time best teams in 2019? I’m betting on this team being better than last year, but that’s about it. Then I’ll bet again that they’ll be better in 2025. For now, I see the SAC being too good to see Concordia in the top half of the pack. But they WILL be an improved team that teams probably shouldn’t fall asleep on.

Dwenger: Some might consider this a make or break season for Jason Garrett. The Dwenger faithful won’t accept mediocrity forever. It could be that they just had a downward trend in talent in recent years. After all, Garrett’s teams were pretty good the first few years he took over. But this trend they are going through now? The last time the Saints were this “average” was the final four years of the Andy Johns era from 1998-2001. Since then, Dwenger never went more than two years without posting a double digit season. I’m not sure what’s in store for this years team, but I’m rooting for them Saints to get back to Blue Blood form. The first two weeks should be telling. Last year they were outscored 108-7 and have the same two opponents to open this season. Good luck and God speed.

Homestead: Like the Saints, Homestead has been stuck in a mediocre stage for a few years now. I think it’s safe to chalk it up as a downtrend in talent. Losing Jimmy Sullivan to the Chargers didn’t help matters any. Zolman has had some pretty stout teams during his run as head coach, including two one loss seasons in the SAC and one undefeated season. Those are the teams that Fort Wayne grew to know under Chad’s leadership. But I’ve got to bring up the elephant in the room. No matter how good the Spartan’s tend to do in the regular season, they always seem to plateau at the regional level. In 20 seasons as the team’s head, they are 0-5 at the regional level where Indy teams (Carmel four times) have had their way with Homestead by an average score of 35-6. That doesn’t mean the Spartan’s don’t know how to handle SAC foes though. Over the past five years, they are 4-2 vs Snider and 3-3 vs Carroll. All bets are off this season.

Luers: Kyle Lindsay enters his 12^th season and finally got the state champion monkey off his back last year. He would probably argue that he had 2A’s best team in 2020 & 2021, and a good argument he’d  have. But hoisting that trophy is a weight off the programs shoulders in my opinion. There will be more, but will any come at the 3A level? Can he do something his father never did and win the 3A title? Honestly, I have no idea. Certainly possible with Chatard out of the way.  I do know that you have to be ready to go anytime Luers takes the field. I want to say this years team returns plenty on defense, but little on offense. Probably enough to take care of business in the SAC small division. I see this team falling somewhere between 7-2 & 4-5 in SAC play. They could actually go 4-5 and still be considered a top contender in 3A.

North Side: There’s still a lot of excitement within this program for the kids who have bought in. The last two years were a yoyo. In 2022, they were as good as anyone in 5A. It was a different story in 2023. They weren’t a bad team, but not very good either. This year’s team has some talent for sure. It’s up to Ben Johnson to put it all together. The first three weeks against Northridge, Lawrence North, and Dwenger will tell us if they are a contender or a pretender. With Snider out of the way in 5A, a deep playoff run is possible. A share of the SAC title is also possible for this club……….no Snider or Homestead on the schedule.

Northrop: Quentin Bowen’s teams have been roughed up pretty bad in his first two seasons as a head coach. But to his defense, there’s never really been a football culture at Northrop. His predecessor was able to take the Bruins to a respectable level as an opponent, but ended up at a program with more of a football culture. I’m not optimistic at all about the direction of the Northrop program. With some of the other bottom teams trending up, a last place finish wouldn’t surprise me at all. But like the rest of the programs in the SAC, I wish Bowen and the Bruins a prosperous season.

Snider: Snider will be good………..or really, really good depending on how the offense comes together. Another SAC title is within grasp. But what are their capabilities now that they enter 6A? Every sectional is home to at least two, in some cases three, state title contenders. They’ll probably bring a state title caliber defense to the field, but again, it’s all going to come down to how the offense comes together. Week 1 against Warren Central will provide some answers as many are predicting the Warriors to be one of the teams to beat in 6A.

South Side: For the second year in a row, the Archers put forth a very solid performance at the most recent 7 on 7 tournament. And as we saw last year, things change a whole lot when you add an offensive and defensive line. There does seem to be a different vibe with Andre Goodwell at the helm. Although they only won one game last season, they did seem to be more competitive than they have been in the past. I think they’ll be an improved team this year, but not enough to compete with the SAC’s best. Maybe a win or two in the sectionals.

Wayne: The Generals are a formidable program under Sherwood Haydock, still waiting for that breakout season though. Replicating the 9-3 season his predecessor had in 2018 won’t be an easy task in the SAC, and quite frankly, is HIGHLY unlikely. But we all know Haydock is capable of producing state championship caliber football teams based on his last endeavors with Harding and Woodlan. A share of the SAC title is probably out of reach based on them receiving a nasty draw against Snider, Carroll, and Homestead. But that type of preparation could make them a dangerous team at the 4A level. Sectional 19 is an absolute beast though.

Great analysis!!! Love your insights into the SAC. Here are some additional thoughts on each team:

Dwenger - This program is in trouble. Lots of second guessing going on with some influential alumni has made Coach Garrett’s seat very warm. A .500 record is doubtful and the first 2 games are brutal. Change is coming…

Homestead - Sparty has been overshadowed by Carroll in recent years and that trend will continue. Something is missing with this team and program. They are in the 2nd tier below Carroll and Snider

Luers - This team is always a threat come playoff time as they play way above their class during the regular season. I never judge this team on their record during the regular season

North Side - I have no respect for the current coaching regime at North. I could care less about all of the talent they have had over the past couple years, they pissed it away. Nothing worse than watching a talented team waste it with zero discipline, lack of respect for other teams, and total disrespect of officials. Next…

Northrop - Terrible team year after year after year…. They are a threat to nobody and first round fodder every year in sectionals

Snider - Defense has the potential to be as good as last year and last year was an all time great defensive team in Snider history. The story this year will be the offense. If they are pretty good, watch out as this team will be a state title contender. If not, Carroll will be too much for them

South Side - Not getting my hopes up that this year will be any different than the last 20 years for them. They have some nice players, but line play has always been a struggle for them

Concordia - Bad year for them last year, don’t see this year going much different. Unless they have some elite athletes coming in, the struggles will continue 

Wayne - Athletes are in abundance here, line play is not. Again, they could win a game or 2 in the sectionals, but that is it

Carroll - They have far surpassed Homestead to be the main competition year in, year out with Snider. To me, they are the favorite to win the SAC this year. They have challenged themselves with playing HSE and Center Grove their first 2 games, 2 really strong teams from down South. If they can somehow win both those games, they will be the favorite to represent the North in Indy

 

[NE8_Fan]

12 hours ago, Komets2727 said:

 

North Side - I have no respect for the current coaching regime at North. I could care less about all of the talent they have had over the past couple years, they pissed it away. Nothing worse than watching a talented team waste it with zero discipline, lack of respect for other teams, and total disrespect of officials. Next…

 

 

Could not agree more.  That program will go NOWHERE with the current staff in place.  People think they will have a playoff run with Snider out of the way but are not looking who entered their sectional.....Warsaw.  Warsaw, if they face one another in playoffs (likely), will blast the NS defense with their discipline and style of play.

[BTF]

On 7/1/2024 at 9:00 AM, NE8_Fan said:

Could not agree more.  That program will go NOWHERE with the current staff in place.  People think they will have a playoff run with Snider out of the way but are not looking who entered their sectional.....Warsaw.  Warsaw, if they face one another in playoffs (likely), will blast the NS defense with their discipline and style of play.

While I agree for the most part, to be fair, North did have a team highly capable of beating Warsaw two seasons ago with the same coach they have now.