Guest DT Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Is it just me, or does the Penn football program appear to be going soft? Seems like whenever this team is involved in a big game, the results are not very good. There has been plenty of talk here about Penn possibly going independent, and adopting a more regional schedule with additional big names from out of state.. Typically, a program will look for tougher competition when it is dealing from a position of extended strength. Penn doesn't strike me as a particularly strong program, given results of the past 5 years, and the lack of higher level talent moving on to the next level. Based on regular season scheduling and post season geography, Penn and the Duneland Conference are starting to look like more of a matchup as time goes on. The consolidation of Elkhart Central and Memorial give Penn the perfect partner to move west and create a new 10 team DAC. The Duneland didnt appear ready for Penn over the past decade, but the gap seems to be closing. Valpo, Merrillville, and Michigan City are all at Penn level today, and several other DAC schools are showing signs of improvement. With Mishawaka leaving the NIC, and the new Elkhart considering its own options and future, Penn is no longer in the drivers seat, and not necessarily in control of its own future. A move west to The DAC looks like a much better option for the Kingsmen than staying in the small to mid size school NIC or rolling the dice on Independence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boilernation Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 (edited) DT, just last year you were calling on Penn to go Independent and adopt a Midwest schedule. Now, you're flipping the script and using the past 5 years as a data point? I'm not buying it. You're over-reacting based on lopsided losses to Valpo and Homewood-Flossmoor. I will agree though that Penn should look west towards the DAC, which is the same belief I had last year. Edited September 10, 2019 by Boilernation 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DT Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 20 minutes ago, Boilernation said: DT, just last year you were calling on Penn to go Independent and adopt a Midwest schedule. Now, you're flipping the script and using the past 5 years as a data point? I'm not buying it. You're over-reacting based on lopsided losses to Valpo and Homewood-Flossmoor. I will agree though that Penn should look west towards the DAC, which is the same belief I had last year. Penn's scheduling strategy is clearly not working for them. The NIC regular season does nothing to prepare them for the playoffs, and now they are getting thumped regularly in non con play. So what do you do? The NIC will implode at some point. I doubt anybody is happy with the setup in that conference. It's a real cluster.... I think the new Elkhart might be the key to what happens next. Penn does not have the cache, rep or talent it once had. Maybe they are pulling a Lake central over there and going more girls and country Club sports Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gipper Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 I don't see Penn in the DAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DT Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 27 minutes ago, Gipper said: I don't see Penn in the DAC. I would set up the new 10 team DAC in an East - west division alignment to minimize travel Schools would play all teams in their division every year, and 3 rotating cross over games against the other division. That leaves two weeks open for non con play DAC East Penn/Elkhart/Laporte/Michigan City/Valpo DAC West Lake Central/Crown Point/Merrillville/Portage/Chesterton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Nowlin Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 PENN and SOFT HAHA Stop it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indian72 Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 I do not see it happening due to travel, time difference and you have to consider the other sports A school bus ride to Crown Pt on a weekday is no short jaunt for the other teams Maybe the have over scheduled but if you cannot find anyone to play you have to get what you can. Most Indiana teams do not have open weeks after week 2-3. And playing any of the other SB schools is a waste of time for them Maybe they just are not what they used to be at least currently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDGiant93 Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 3 hours ago, DT said: There has been plenty of talk here about Penn possibly going independent, and adopting a more regional schedule with additional big names from out of state.. "There has been plenty of talk here by me about Penn possibly going independent..." There, I fixed it for you. 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gipper Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 33 minutes ago, Indian72 said: I do not see it happening due to travel, time difference and you have to consider the other sports A school bus ride to Crown Pt on a weekday is no short jaunt for the other teams Maybe the have over scheduled but if you cannot find anyone to play you have to get what you can. Most Indiana teams do not have open weeks after week 2-3. And playing any of the other SB schools is a waste of time for them Maybe they just are not what they used to be at least currently And you can forget about neutral site games in Michigan City, Valparaiso, or any of the Travel Plazas along the Toll Road... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XStar Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Without Mishawaka, there is absolutely no reason for Penn to be in the NIC. That's my 2 cents. I don't know what the optimal solution is though. I just think it's dumb that the two rivals will soon not be playing one another on the gridiron annually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarshallCounty Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 DT is making up both sides of the arguments and debating himself. 4 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DT Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 It appears as if the DAC is rising and Penn is falling at the current time. That is the perfect recipe for a better fit between the two entities. And dont forget Elkhart. With the right staff and the right resources, that program will challenge Penn in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 While many are butt hurt and disagree with the fact that he used the term "soft", there is no denying that Penn is not what it used to be and the facts he stated about the NIC are true. It's a pretty logical move in my opinion if you are not a snowflake and obsessed with his terminology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DT Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 2 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said: PENN and SOFT HAHA Stop it Soft is a relative term Perhaps you would prefer I say they are not as hard as they used to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 2 hours ago, Indian72 said: I do not see it happening due to travel, time difference and you have to consider the other sports A school bus ride to Crown Pt on a weekday is no short jaunt for the other teams Maybe the have over scheduled but if you cannot find anyone to play you have to get what you can. Most Indiana teams do not have open weeks after week 2-3. And playing any of the other SB schools is a waste of time for them Maybe they just are not what they used to be at least currently Now try Lake Central. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 2 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said: PENN and SOFT HAHA Stop it PENN and soft might be the wrong word marriage, but people can not deny that PENN is having the same success as years past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Nowlin Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 26 minutes ago, DT said: It appears as if the DAC is rising and Penn is falling at the current time. That is the perfect recipe for a better fit between the two entities. And dont forget Elkhart. With the right staff and the right resources, that program will challenge Penn in the future. They have the right men at Elkhart Central right now!! 6 minutes ago, DT said: Soft is a relative term Perhaps you would prefer I say they are not as hard as they used to be? Nothing about Coach Yeamon that is soft. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarshallCounty Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Growth in the eastern edge of St. Joe county is slowing, population is shift a bit north acrossed the stateline to Edwardsburg. The Eddies have some dudes that in the past may have been Kingsmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indian72 Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 27 minutes ago, DannEllenwood said: Now try Lake Central. I recall a couple of times going there on 30 from I 65 and the traffic is ridiculous With school corp strapped for money with caps they would have to find money to subsidize the operation If the time change was not there then that might make it more attractive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny U Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 The Northern Indiana-North is a much stronger conference right now than the DAC. Even with Marian replacing Mishawaka there's not much of a drop off. So why change conferences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTF Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 42 minutes ago, Indian72 said: I recall a couple of times going there on 30 from I 65 and the traffic is ridiculous With school corp strapped for money with caps they would have to find money to subsidize the operation If the time change was not there then that might make it more attractive Unfortunately the State of Indiana somehow believes that an Interstate Highway between Indianapolis and Evansville is more important than an interstate between Fort Wayne and Chicago.....................now you can get out of Indianapolis via interstate to the N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, & NW. In the meantime, US 30 from FW to Chicago is an ABSOLUTE nightmare.................and dangerous! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boilernation Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 1 hour ago, Indian72 said: I recall a couple of times going there on 30 from I 65 and the traffic is ridiculous With school corp strapped for money with caps they would have to find money to subsidize the operation If the time change was not there then that might make it more attractive It's literally a "no-win" situation to get to Lake Central from the East. You take 30 west from I-65 and you'll sit through endless stoplights and suburban congestion on 30. You take 94 West to Indianapolis Blvd and you'll likely sit in Borman Expressway traffic in Gary and Hammond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DT Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 8 minutes ago, Boilernation said: It's literally a "no-win" situation to get to Lake Central from the East. You take 30 west from I-65 and you'll sit through endless stoplights and suburban congestion on 30. You take 94 West to Indianapolis Blvd and you'll likely sit in Borman Expressway traffic in Gary and Hammond. LC feels more like a community college than a high school. Its just a gawd awful terrible location. They just dropped 150M into the place in the past 5 years so its not going anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStatGuy Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Didn't Penn just lose their starting QB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndianaBobcat Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 (edited) . . I went to that game (I split my high school playing days with HF, and finished at Snider).. HF (Chicago southwest suburban) was just too fast, strong, and well coached.. Coach Buzea was probably very fired up considering his past outcomes vs Penn when he coached against them when he was at Portage.. (I can't recall if he coached against them when at Michigan City).. He is also very good at getting his players fired up.. Even with Penn's starting QB, they still would have been beaten soundly. .The 7 points they got came from a break away run from midfield with seconds to go in the first half.. I do believe that Penn will improve as the season goes on though.. They have size, numbers, an excellent coaching staff, and smart kids, but not quite the firepower offensively or defensively they usually have.. HF would/could be top half in the MIC (Indianapolis) yearly and probably would beat everybody in the MIC this year.. I hope Penn plays well vs St. X this Friday, at Penn.. Next year, HF will be traveling to Canton, Ohio (McKinley) our week #3 (their week#2). . Edited September 11, 2019 by IndianaBobcat clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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