HNAC 2024

[FinePrint]

13 minutes ago, Trojan67 said:

Idk. My thoughts from Friday are that Pioneer seemed pretty banged up. I know that had quite a few kids out, but I think Judson's physicality will be way too much to even keep Pioneer in the game. It also seemed like when they got to the 3rd quarter, Pioneer just looked gassed with so many of their guys playing both sides. 

Yup, I agree with you.  It seemed some of the Pioneer guys were pretty winded in the second half.  Although they gutted out that last drive in the 4th quarter to pull within a score.  I could see Rans breaking a big one and putting Pioneer on the board, but I just don't think they'll be able to move the ball with any consistency against that Bluejay defense.

[TightEndOpenAgain]

Culver @ South Central: Both teams moved the ball through the air against North Miami. Both have a couple nice playmaking receivers. Both defenses struggle at *often* times. I’ll will be happy for whoever wins! 39-20 Cavaliers

 

North Judson @ Pioneer: Rans gets loose for 1 at the Pit. The Pit seems to be good for at least 7 points of an advantage. Judson too big, too fast, too strong, and too deep however. Running clock late 3rd/early 4th. 46-7 Blue Jays

 

Triton @ North Miami: Game of the week in the HNAC. Margin of scores in HNAC play are very similar with NM sometimes both scoring and allowing a little more. Both had Pioneer down 14-7 at half. The most interesting battle to me will be Triton’s defensive front against the NM running game. Warriors average nearly 8 yards per carry on the season. Trojan’s front 7-8 seems to be very tough! North Miami seems to get a little more dynamic/creative each week. 2700+ yards on the ground, but nobody over 680ish yards individually can be hard to prepare for. The question remains, can NM get stops on obvious passing downs? I’ll go with a complete homer pick. 27-22 Warriors

 

Winamac @ Caston: 2 teams who seem to be trending in the opposite directions. I was decently high on the Comets early in the year. I’m wondering if the young skill athletes are wearing down physically and mentally. Winamac continues to improve, and things are looking up. Glad the Warriors are getting healthier as week 10 and beyond approaches! 42-14 Warriors

[Trojan67]

Culver at South Central

The luck of the "draw" wasn't helpful to both of these teams having to play back to back. This is a 50-50 shootout. I think Culver has the edge, but South Central is showing some late signs of life. Who wants 7th place more is how I see it. South Central 35 Culver 33

 

Judson at Pioneer

Pioneer is banged up. Judson is firing on all cylinders. I have a feeling that this is going to be another shutout for the Jays. Pioneer needs to stay humble and not flex because they flex they get rocked even harder. That us exactly what happened to Pioneer last week. Jays 42 Pioneer 0

 

Winamac at Caston 

I can see this game being another tossup, but I think Winamac has the edge due to their size up front. If Winamac can stop the run, they should be fine. I am interested what team in Caston we will see. Could be an interesting game to watch. Winamac 41 Caston 28

Triton at North Miami

North Miami. What can we say about this team. They came in to the conference making a bigger impact than expected. Was very surprised by this team and their tenacity they have. I agree with the person who said Triton's front 7 is going to be tough. But the other edge that Triton has is that Triton has now faced this type of offense 2 other times in Judson and Pioneer. This will be the sectional championship showdown. I think Triton takes this one if they stay focused on the task at hand and are able to keep things with the box. Triton 35 NM 28 

[hondo17]

21 hours ago, TightEndOpenAgain said:

Culver @ South Central: Both teams moved the ball through the air against North Miami. Both have a couple nice playmaking receivers. Both defenses struggle at *often* times. I’ll will be happy for whoever wins! 39-20 Cavaliers

 

North Judson @ Pioneer: Rans gets loose for 1 at the Pit. The Pit seems to be good for at least 7 points of an advantage. Judson too big, too fast, too strong, and too deep however. Running clock late 3rd/early 4th. 46-7 Blue Jays

 

Triton @ North Miami: Game of the week in the HNAC. Margin of scores in HNAC play are very similar with NM sometimes both scoring and allowing a little more. Both had Pioneer down 14-7 at half. The most interesting battle to me will be Triton’s defensive front against the NM running game. Warriors average nearly 8 yards per carry on the season. Trojan’s front 7-8 seems to be very tough! North Miami seems to get a little more dynamic/creative each week. 2700+ yards on the ground, but nobody over 680ish yards individually can be hard to prepare for. The question remains, can NM get stops on obvious passing downs? I’ll go with a complete homer pick. 27-22 Warriors

 

Winamac @ Caston: 2 teams who seem to be trending in the opposite directions. I was decently high on the Comets early in the year. I’m wondering if the young skill athletes are wearing down physically and mentally. Winamac continues to improve, and things are looking up. Glad the Warriors are getting healthier as week 10 and beyond approaches! 42-14 Warriors

Rigney not playing virtually the whole year has to hurt. 

[hondo17]

58 minutes ago, Trojan67 said:

Culver at South Central

The luck of the "draw" wasn't helpful to both of these teams having to play back to back. This is a 50-50 shootout. I think Culver has the edge, but South Central is showing some late signs of life. Who wants 7th place more is how I see it. South Central 35 Culver 33

 

Judson at Pioneer

Pioneer is banged up. Judson is firing on all cylinders. I have a feeling that this is going to be another shutout for the Jays. Pioneer needs to stay humble and not flex because they flex they get rocked even harder. That us exactly what happened to Pioneer last week. Jays 42 Pioneer 0

 

Winamac at Caston 

I can see this game being another tossup, but I think Winamac has the edge due to their size up front. If Winamac can stop the run, they should be fine. I am interested what team in Caston we will see. Could be an interesting game to watch. Winamac 41 Caston 28

Triton at North Miami

North Miami. What can we say about this team. They came in to the conference making a bigger impact than expected. Was very surprised by this team and their tenacity they have. I agree with the person who said Triton's front 7 is going to be tough. But the other edge that Triton has is that Triton has now faced this type of offense 2 other times in Judson and Pioneer. This will be the sectional championship showdown. I think Triton takes this one if they stay focused on the task at hand and are able to keep things with the box. Triton 35 NM 28 

Winamac moved a freshman defensive lineman into the rotation up front and added a sophomore who was finally able to play last week to its linebacker corp, im hoping to see another sophomore defensive lineman make his debut this Friday or next. he'll help a lot, so I'm hoping it'll change the defense a bit up front. 

Aiden Schooler being back on defense will help too. 

 

Edited October 16, 2024 by hondo17

[littledog]

Who takes over as coach for the Trojans? 

[Football Guru 25]

3 hours ago, littledog said:

Who takes over as coach for the Trojans? 

Believe its their former coach and current AD for the time being....

[Coach Nowlin]

Feel for the kids the coach let down.   

Disappointing.   

[Irishman]

So disappointing

[FinePrint]

This is heartbreaking for the Triton community.  Glad Younis can jump in and give some stability through the end of the season.  Hopefully the boys will pull together and not allow this to ruin the good thing they have going this year.

[FinePrint]

I want to publicly give recognition to Rodney Younis.  No one in the Triton community has been as faithful and given sacrificially to Triton athletics as much as this man.  Younis took over the reigns as the head football coach in 2002.  His teams took their lumps competing against many larger schools in the old Northern State Conference.  In spite of that, he led the Trojans to sectional titles in 2007 and 2008.  In 2013 he retired from coaching football and handed over the team to John Johns, who coached for two years before unexpectedly resigning just before the start of the 2015 season.  Younis stepped up when the team needed it and joined forces with Ron Brown to return to the sidelines.  Together they led the Trojans to two sectional title games, winning the 2018 crown.  When Coach Brown moved on to accept an administrative position at another school, Younis stepped up to resume the head coaching duties for another four seasons before stepping away to focus on his role as Athletic Director, giving Coach Whittaker his opportunity.  Now, under difficult circumstances, it's once again Rodney Younis stepping up for the sake of the kids!  I know many schools have coaches like Coach Younis, but I just want to say how grateful I am that Triton has a guy that gives of himself so sacrificially for the good of our kids.  Kudos to you, Coach Younis!  We're blessed to have you in our community!  Thanks for your sacrificial service to our student athletes!

[Coach Nowlin]

RACK THIS POST 

[Trojan67]

1 hour ago, FinePrint said:

I want to publicly give recognition to Rodney Younis.  No one in the Triton community has been as faithful and given sacrificially to Triton athletics as much as this man.  Younis took over the reigns as the head football coach in 2002.  His teams took their lumps competing against many larger schools in the old Northern State Conference.  In spite of that, he led the Trojans to sectional titles in 2007 and 2008.  In 2013 he retired from coaching football and handed over the team to John Johns, who coached for two years before unexpectedly resigning just before the start of the 2015 season.  Younis stepped up when the team needed it and joined forces with Ron Brown to return to the sidelines.  Together they led the Trojans to two sectional title games, winning the 2018 crown.  When Coach Brown moved on to accept an administrative position at another school, Younis stepped up to resume the head coaching duties for another four seasons before stepping away to focus on his role as Athletic Director, giving Coach Whittaker his opportunity.  Now, under difficult circumstances, it's once again Rodney Younis stepping up for the sake of the kids!  I know many schools have coaches like Coach Younis, but I just want to say how grateful I am that Triton has a guy that gives of himself so sacrificially for the good of our kids.  Kudos to you, Coach Younis!  We're blessed to have you in our community!  Thanks for your sacrificial service to our student athletes!

I cannot agree more with you on this. Rodney is like a father figure to many past and current players. Rodney will do what he does best and bring that leadership that will be needed during this time. That is one thing that I love about Rodney. He has faced so many challenges and when times have been tough, he has never shied away from facing the challenges that has been in front of him which I know is a lesson he constantly teaches because that is what he instilled in me as a former player of his. This situation won't give the boys closure, but it will show them that they can face the mountain they have to climb if they stay together and work as a team to bring the mountain down. 

[FinePrint]

It's the final week of the regular season.  My picks for this week...

Culver at South Central - I'll take Culver in this one.  I think they are the more physical team and will move the ball on the Satellites.  SCUM will put up some points too, but I don't think they'll be able to hold the Cavs in check.  Cavaliers 34-20

North Judson at Pioneer - I would love to see Pioneer upset the Jays forcing the HNAC into a 3-way tie for the title.  But I just don't see that happening.  Judson is just too good in all phases and will shut down the Panther offense.  I think it's a running clock and a shutout.  Blue Jays 38-0

Triton at North Miami - This is the game to watch for this week.  North Miami has been impressive and their running stats are outstanding!  But Triton's strength is running defense and they'll have a game plan to slow down the Warriors.  This will likely be a one possession game and could hinge on either team's mistakes.  The winner this week will have momentum heading toward a sectional final rematch.  Trojans 31-21

Winamac at Caston - This could be another pretty good game this week!  Caston may have a little more experience at some positions than Winamac.  But the Warriors are bigger and I think they'll control the line.  Winamac wins this one to stake their claim to the top of the bottom half of the conference.  Winamac 27-14

A lot of spoiled Senior Nights this week...

[hondo17]

Winamac gave caston every opportunity to extend their 3-0 lead. Winamac did make some good stands defensively but did not really advantage of those opportunities either. 

#65, #10 and #7 are studs. Thought both mollenkopfs played well. 

Those five kids plus Rigney should be solid next year.

Thought Talen Garner and Tearson Wolford played well. Lucas Perez tonight played solid later in the game. 

Would love to see Wolford get the ball more than he does. Kids an animal. Great leader and kid too. 

Don't think I've seen a 16-11 score before. 

Edited October 19, 2024 by hondo17

[Offintheyard]

7 minutes ago, hondo17 said:

Winamac gave caston every opportunity to extend their 3-0 lead. Winamac did make some good stands defensively but did not really advantage of those opportunities either. 

#65, #10 and #7 are studs. Thought both mollenkopfs played well. 

Those five kids plus Rigney should be solid next year.

Thought Talen Garner and Tearson Wolford played well. Lucas Perez tonight played solid later in the game. 

Would love to see Wolford get the ball more than he does. Kids an animal. Great leader and kid too. 

Don't think I've seen a 16-11 score before. 

Was at a game many moons ago and the final was 5-2. Crazy game to watch. Not a great game, it was just 2 pretty bad teams.

[hondo17]

14 hours ago, Offintheyard said:

Was at a game many moons ago and the final was 5-2. Crazy game to watch. Not a great game, it was just 2 pretty bad teams.

Winamac and Caston aren't particularly good but both are very young. 

If I remember right Caston only has like 3 to 5 seniors, Winamac has 4 and only 5 or 6 juniors. I think Caston is right around 3 to 5 juniors too. I think if the Bowyer kid plays vs NW they are probably 3-6 right now. 

Both teams will be much better and I think the next 3 seasons you'll see some pretty close games between the two and both should be two of the better teams in the conference too. 

[FinePrint]

I wasn’t able to take in any of the games last night so I don’t know the details, but kudos to North Miami for getting it done on senior night.  And I’m impressed that Pioneer put up 3 scores on the Jays!  A couple of good performances last night. 

[wakeuptheechos]

3 hours ago, FinePrint said:

I wasn’t able to take in any of the games last night so I don’t know the details, but kudos to North Miami for getting it done on senior night.  And I’m impressed that Pioneer put up 3 scores on the Jays!  A couple of good performances last night. 

The NM/Triton game was not near as close as what the score shows. Triton couldn't do anything on offense for 2 1/2 quarters. North Miami got a little too complacent in the 3rd Quarter after going up 21-0 and allowed Triton back into the game.

[Spanky Harper]

HNAC Championship Ruminations

Written, edited, and dictated by Spanky Harper

Muh PO gave me a curfew for the game.  Be home by 10 or bunk up with Root Allen for the next six months.  Nuttin against Root. Hes muh boy.  Hes a great guy and all, but 6 months with root is not somethin im lookin to do; again.  Royal centre hasnt changed much since i last hung out in the cornfields with some of cass’ finest scallywags.   Da gas station chicken is still primo.  The pit was the pit.  Pork sammich for $3 had muh juices pumpin.  I emptied the center console to get seconds.  Pioneer has dominated the all-time series, but over the past three years North Judson has stood tall.  

Spankin by the numbers

1st- Outright HNAC Championship for the North Judson Bluejays

2- The number of 1,000 yard rushers for the Bluejays this season.  Could there be another by the time its all done?

6.2- The average points allowed by the Bluejay defense through the 9-game regular season.  Number 1 in 1a.

52- The average points scored by the Bluejay offense this season.  Number 2 in 1a.  

 

CHEERS and TEARS: HNAC 2024 Edition

Cheers:  Pioneer, Triton, and North Miami as they all tie for second place in the HNAC conference.  The conference should be highly competitive next year.  

Tears:  Winamac, Culver, Caston and South Central.  Better luck next year.  Hit the weight room and buffet table.  

Cheers:  North Judson for having a snow cones, tacos, and scutch’s spuds as a food options throughout the season at Liberty Field.  

Tears:  North Miami for the steaming smell of cow Sh1t wafting through the air for most of the season.  

Cheers:  North Miami for coming into the conference and instantly providing great competition week in and week out.  

Tears: Knox for never returning the conference traveling trophy.  

Cheers:  Triton for rallying through difficult times.  

Tears:  Triton for having to rally through difficult times.  

[hondo17]

22 hours ago, Spanky Harper said:

HNAC Championship Ruminations

Written, edited, and dictated by Spanky Harper

Muh PO gave me a curfew for the game.  Be home by 10 or bunk up with Root Allen for the next six months.  Nuttin against Root. Hes muh boy.  Hes a great guy and all, but 6 months with root is not somethin im lookin to do; again.  Royal centre hasnt changed much since i last hung out in the cornfields with some of cass’ finest scallywags.   Da gas station chicken is still primo.  The pit was the pit.  Pork sammich for $3 had muh juices pumpin.  I emptied the center console to get seconds.  Pioneer has dominated the all-time series, but over the past three years North Judson has stood tall.  

Spankin by the numbers

1st- Outright HNAC Championship for the North Judson Bluejays

2- The number of 1,000 yard rushers for the Bluejays this season.  Could there be another by the time its all done?

6.2- The average points allowed by the Bluejay defense through the 9-game regular season.  Number 1 in 1a.

52- The average points scored by the Bluejay offense this season.  Number 2 in 1a.  

 

CHEERS and TEARS: HNAC 2024 Edition

Cheers:  Pioneer, Triton, and North Miami as they all tie for second place in the HNAC conference.  The conference should be highly competitive next year.  

Tears:  Winamac, Culver, Caston and South Central.  Better luck next year.  Hit the weight room and buffet table.  

Cheers:  North Judson for having a snow cones, tacos, and scutch’s spuds as a food options throughout the season at Liberty Field.  

Tears:  North Miami for the steaming smell of cow Sh1t wafting through the air for most of the season.  

Cheers:  North Miami for coming into the conference and instantly providing great competition week in and week out.  

Tears: Knox for never returning the conference traveling trophy.  

Cheers:  Triton for rallying through difficult times.  

Tears:  Triton for having to rally through difficult times.  

Think next year

1-6 in the conference will be some very competitive teams. 

Judson loses a lot but still has some dudes. 

Pioneer will be really solid next year

North Miami doesn't lose much

Triton will be solid.

Winamac and Caston will be junior and sophomore heavy, I expect big jumps from both teams. I think the biggest concern for Caston is to have the confidence they can compete week to week. Bowyer, Yarber, Mollenkopfs, Zimpleman and getting a healthy Rigney. Should be fun.

I know Culver has an intriguing 8th grade group led by Mike Zehners boy. 

South Central.. yikes. 

[FinePrint]

First round of sectional play this week.  Here are the games:

Friday, Oct. 25
South Newton at North Judson, 8 pm
South Central at Culver, 7:30 pm
Pioneer at Caston, 7 pm
Taylor at Winamac, 7 pm
Southwood at Triton, 7 pm
Blackhawk at North Miami, 7 pm

[Coach Nowlin]

Blue Jays probably did a bit of a double take when that MIssissenwa score with Madison Grant came in Friday night 

Oh boy

[littledog]

South Newton at North Judson- NJ and LaVille both have the easy draws to set up a rematch in the sectional final.  Hopefully jays continue to keep their guys in shape. NJSP 60-0

South Central at Culver- Rematch of last week. Culver gets payback when it matters. 20-14

Pioneer at Caston- Pioneer put up more points on NJ than i thought they would and they'll put up as many as they want this game. Pioneer 46-7

Taylor at Winamac- The young warriors win in a close one. 28-27

Southwood at Triton- Triton's defense is too much . Triton 35-0

 

Blackhawk at North Miami- NM faces a terrbile blackhawk team. Gets a little extra preparation for their rematch with Triton in a few weeks. NM 48-0

[Trojan67]

On 10/19/2024 at 11:36 PM, Spanky Harper said:

Tears:  North Miami for the steaming smell of cow Sh1t wafting through the air for most of the season.  

Cheers:  North Miami for coming into the conference and instantly providing great competition week in and week out.  

Tears: North Miami advertising and selling ham salad sandwiches at their concession stand this past Friday. Smelt as bad as that faint odor of that freshly sprayed cow crap on the fields around the school.