Rensselaer Moving On

[cpg1970]

I heard that Rensselaer has given notice that they intend to leave the Hoosier Conference. Am I late to the party here, or is this ‘new’ news? If so, what are their plans?

[FarmerFran]

MIDWEST CONFERENCE LOOK OUT!

[foxbat]

Would be interesting to see them leave, but given the other teams that have been departing, it's somewhat in the same cloth given the mix of size vs. competitiveness.  The last set of departures have been:

• Sheridan (1A) - Departed 2012, last entered 2000
• Deplhi (2A) - Departed 2016, last entered 1998
• Northwestern (3A) - Departed 2023, last entered 2015
• Lewis Cass (2A) - Departed 2023, last entered 2015

The last few teams to "come in" are:

• LCC (2A by SF) - Last entered 2011
• Hamilton Heights (3A) - Last entered 2015
• Western (3A) - Last entered 2015
• Lewis Cass (2A) - Last entered 2015, departed 2023
• Northwestern (3A) - Last entered 2015, departed 2023
• Logansport (4A) - Last entered 2024

With the conference split being big school / small school now, I have to expect the RCHS may be seeing that the teams coming in are larger, on average, and the ones departing are smaller.  There are only four teams in the small school division and there likely has to be concern with BC looking for an opportunity to find a conference that allows them to perhaps grow their football program as opposed to what they've had to endure the past few seasons ... especially bouncing up and down from 3A to 2A just about every other season.  The question for them would be finding a conference with competitive volleyball/basketball while taking some pressure off of football.  If BC goes, the idea of a small school division also likely goes unless teams like Sheridan would return.  Possibly more likely to see some other 3A/4A come into the mix, which would then completely toss out the idea of a big/small school alignment.

[foxbat]

7 minutes ago, FarmerFran said:

MIDWEST CONFERENCE LOOK OUT!

Forgot to mention the time zone issue, but Midwest would fit much better for RCHS.  Not so much for competitiveness since the MWC is pretty much 1A competition.

[FarmerFran]

30 minutes ago, foxbat said:

Forgot to mention the time zone issue, but Midwest would fit much better for RCHS.  Not so much for competitiveness since the MWC is pretty much 1A competition.

Other than football how would RCHS fit across other sports? I’m not knowledgeable other than football and that’s also questionable at times 😂 

[cpg1970]

53 minutes ago, FarmerFran said:

Other than football how would RCHS fit across other sports? I’m not knowledgeable other than football and that’s also questionable at times 😂 

Perhaps KV, NJ, Rensselaer are looking to create something???   I can’t recall the old conference they were all in together but maybe they are getting the band back together

[foxbat]

2 hours ago, FarmerFran said:

Other than football how would RCHS fit across other sports? I’m not knowledgeable other than football and that’s also questionable at times 😂 

That was kind of my question too.  I know that BC, especially for women's sports, tends to be a basketball school.  Also pretty good in volleyball too.  I'm not as sure about the other sports at the other schools in the Hoosier other than I think Tipton's pretty good at men's basketball and I think West Lafayette tends to be fairly good at men's soccer. 

[foxbat]

1 hour ago, cpg1970 said:

Perhaps KV, NJ, Rensselaer are looking to create something???   I can’t recall the old conference they were all in together but maybe they are getting the band back together

I think it was the old Northwest Hoosier Conference which disbanded back in 1998.

[hondo17]

4 hours ago, FarmerFran said:

Other than football how would RCHS fit across other sports? I’m not knowledgeable other than football and that’s also questionable at times 😂 

Boys and Girls basketball they'd probably win it mostly. 

[hondo17]

3 hours ago, cpg1970 said:

Perhaps KV, NJ, Rensselaer are looking to create something???   I can’t recall the old conference they were all in together but maybe they are getting the band back together

I wouldn't mind seeing

Winamac, Pioneer, North Judson and Rensselaer get something going...maybe try to poach Delphi/Carroll/Twin Lakes...because if Judson leaves the HNAC is in trouble and TL is a decent sized 3A but if Rensselaer and Benton Central go.. Hoosier conference could be in some trouble too. 

 

[foxbat]

35 minutes ago, hondo17 said:

I wouldn't mind seeing

Winamac, Pioneer, North Judson and Rensselaer get something going...maybe try to poach Delphi/Carroll/Twin Lakes...because if Judson leaves the HNAC is in trouble and TL is a decent sized 3A but if Rensselaer and Benton Central go.. Hoosier conference could be in some trouble too. 

 

Could possibly see West Lafayette heading to the Sagamore if TL and RCHS both leave the Hoosier at the same time.  West Lafayette already has had Harrison and McCutcheon on its schedule recently.  Danville and Lebanon added in would put West Lafayette in the ranks of the smaller schools, but given that WL consistently has had 4A, 5A, and 6A schools on its schedule for the last half decade plus wouldn't necessarily make being on the smaller size of that conference an issue.  WL could still schedule LCC as a non-conf game so that rivalry could survive.

[Julio]

Come over to the INSC!!

 

[hondo17]

17 minutes ago, Julio said:

Come over to the INSC!!

 

That would be an insane drive. I still think eventually Rochester makes it way over there. 

[Donnie Baker]

Some of you guys need to bait the master a little more often. I swear to God you do!

[Coach Nowlin]

We would not fit in the Midwest Conference, NOR would they even think about inviting Rensselaer to the MWC

Our school, has had a nice long run (2001) in the Hoosier Conference in Football, winning the conference 6 times (none in the 2 division model) and have had many great games and battles with many of the schools that have been in and have also left. 

Here is the facts:  We have 440ish kids currently with around 40 who are ESL students/transient populated.  Our incoming freshman class was 84 I think of which was only 39 boys.   Hoosier Conference has grown with bigger schools such as Logansport who we play this week, just 10 years ago in our State Title year, we had around 540 students in the building.   Bottom line, we are not going to all of sudden start growing in our community, SJC closing hurt, and just different population in the hallways these days.   We have had rosters of around 32 to 35 last few years.   Our school of boys and girls probably has roughly around 370 or so available students in the pool to participate in athletics, we all know that of that 370, you're lucky to 25% of that number to be doing something ECA.  

What is best for our student athletes across the board is to re-examine (which the Athletic council met and talked at length ) our membership in the Hoosier.  One of the BIGGEST reasons is the CENTRAL TIME ZONE, there are times where LCC baseball team is literally taking batting practice at our field while our kids are still in class (we get out at 3:15 central time) as one example.   So many times, our athletes/coaches have to get out of class early to get going on trips.  It's truly an issue.  I am sure our Eastern time zone fans in football LOATHE 8 pm starts.   

There has not been any invite to any existing conference and I would not expect (no knowledge first hand) decision makers to pull out in the disappointing ways other schools in the past have, but I do know for sure, there is zero invitations to any other conferences that led to this decision, which is not official until our school board votes on it just for the record, I believe all we did was inform the conference of our intentions, one would think the School Board would not bat an eye on this as well.   

Twin Lakes is upper 3a enrollment, why would they leave Hoosier?   No chance 

West Lafayette, why would they leave because we left?  

 

[hondo17]

16 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

We would not fit in the Midwest Conference, NOR would they even think about inviting Rensselaer to the MWC

Our school, has had a nice long run (2001) in the Hoosier Conference in Football, winning the conference 6 times (none in the 2 division model) and have had many great games and battles with many of the schools that have been in and have also left. 

Here is the facts:  We have 440ish kids currently with around 40 who are ESL students/transient populated.  Our incoming freshman class was 84 I think of which was only 39 boys.   Hoosier Conference has grown with bigger schools such as Logansport who we play this week, just 10 years ago in our State Title year, we had around 540 students in the building.   Bottom line, we are not going to all of sudden start growing in our community, SJC closing hurt, and just different population in the hallways these days.   We have had rosters of around 32 to 35 last few years.   Our school of boys and girls probably has roughly around 370 or so available students in the pool to participate in athletics, we all know that of that 370, you're lucky to 25% of that number to be doing something ECA.  

What is best for our student athletes across the board is to re-examine (which the Athletic council met and talked at length ) our membership in the Hoosier.  One of the BIGGEST reasons is the CENTRAL TIME ZONE, there are times where LCC baseball team is literally taking batting practice at our field while our kids are still in class (we get out at 3:15 central time) as one example.   So many times, our athletes/coaches have to get out of class early to get going on trips.  It's truly an issue.  I am sure our Eastern time zone fans in football LOATHE 8 pm starts.   

There has not been any invite to any existing conference and I would not expect (no knowledge first hand) decision makers to pull out in the disappointing ways other schools in the past have, but I do know for sure, there is zero invitations to any other conferences that led to this decision, which is not official until our school board votes on it just for the record, I believe all we did was inform the conference of our intentions, one would think the School Board would not bat an eye on this as well.   

Twin Lakes is upper 3a enrollment, why would they leave Hoosier?   No chance 

West Lafayette, why would they leave because we left?  

 

Let's say Rensselaer and Benton Central do leave. That gives the Hoosier 7 playing schools. You think Tipton wants to be the smallest public school in the conference? They could start to look else where, that would give you six playing schools. West Lafayette due to uncertainty of the conference could look else where. 

It's not that hard to fathom that conference quickly going away if Rensselaer and Benton Central leave.

[foxbat]

2 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

We would not fit in the Midwest Conference, NOR would they even think about inviting Rensselaer to the MWC

Our school, has had a nice long run (2001) in the Hoosier Conference in Football, winning the conference 6 times (none in the 2 division model) and have had many great games and battles with many of the schools that have been in and have also left. 

Here is the facts:  We have 440ish kids currently with around 40 who are ESL students/transient populated.  Our incoming freshman class was 84 I think of which was only 39 boys.   Hoosier Conference has grown with bigger schools such as Logansport who we play this week, just 10 years ago in our State Title year, we had around 540 students in the building.   Bottom line, we are not going to all of sudden start growing in our community, SJC closing hurt, and just different population in the hallways these days.   We have had rosters of around 32 to 35 last few years.   Our school of boys and girls probably has roughly around 370 or so available students in the pool to participate in athletics, we all know that of that 370, you're lucky to 25% of that number to be doing something ECA.  

What is best for our student athletes across the board is to re-examine (which the Athletic council met and talked at length ) our membership in the Hoosier.  One of the BIGGEST reasons is the CENTRAL TIME ZONE, there are times where LCC baseball team is literally taking batting practice at our field while our kids are still in class (we get out at 3:15 central time) as one example.   So many times, our athletes/coaches have to get out of class early to get going on trips.  It's truly an issue.  I am sure our Eastern time zone fans in football LOATHE 8 pm starts.   

There has not been any invite to any existing conference and I would not expect (no knowledge first hand) decision makers to pull out in the disappointing ways other schools in the past have, but I do know for sure, there is zero invitations to any other conferences that led to this decision, which is not official until our school board votes on it just for the record, I believe all we did was inform the conference of our intentions, one would think the School Board would not bat an eye on this as well.   

Twin Lakes is upper 3a enrollment, why would they leave Hoosier?   No chance 

West Lafayette, why would they leave because we left?  

 

I don't think it's a question of West Lafayette leaving if RCHS solely left, but if RCHS and TL left, I could see WL looking for a biggest stone to sharpen the sword on.  Also, in a conference like Sagamore, WL'd have a 6A/5A rival set that they've already played with another 4A tandem, plus enough "extra games" to still play teams like LCC and/or even Jeff.  In a sense, it'd be following the LCC model where the conference they play in, prior to being SF'd, always provided opportunities to play up a class or two for almost all conference games.

The addition of Logansport this year probably slows down the decision-making a bit for a team like WL, but the departure of RCHS and TL. If that happens, puts pressure on Tipton to an extent.  At a minimum, it's going to take away the division framework whether big/small school or east/west.

You are potentially correct that TL doesn't leave and will have enough competition left with LCC, Tipton, WL, Logansport, and Heights if RCHS leaves and the rest of the conference stays intact.

[CoachSnyder]

TL is going nowhere!!!  We hate to see Rensselaer leave but totally understand.  

[hondo17]

47 minutes ago, CoachSnyder said:

TL is going nowhere!!!  We hate to see Rensselaer leave but totally understand.  

Nobody said they were, I simply just stated that's what type of conference I'd like to see...if the Hoosier would fold. 

[CoachSnyder]

I just wanted to clarity in case anyone thought we were considering.  Don't care what anyone would like to see.

 

[hondo17]

On 10/13/2024 at 9:18 PM, CoachSnyder said:

I just wanted to clarity in case anyone thought we were considering.  Don't care what anyone would like to see.

 

Again nobody thought Twin Lakes was considering leaving because nobody said Twin Lakes was leaving and that's fine if you don't care what anyone would like to see, there's no harm in what I posted so I don't get the hostility.

Edited October 15, 2024 by hondo17

[First_Backer_Inside]

On 10/13/2024 at 10:16 AM, hondo17 said:

That would be an insane drive. I still think eventually Rochester makes it way over there. 

Rochester is going nowhere any time soon. The TRC is just what we need, not just for football, but all sports across the board.

[hondo17]

On 10/15/2024 at 9:45 AM, First_Backer_Inside said:

Rochester is going nowhere any time soon. The TRC is just what we need, not just for football, but all sports across the board.

Thats why I said eventually. The four of Cass, Maconaquah, Peru and Northwestern kind of make me nervous, could totally see those 4 break off and if BC and Rensselaer leave the Hoosier, Tipton may get a little restless too. We'll see though. 

[Muda69]

52 minutes ago, hondo17 said:

Thats why I said eventually. The four of Cass, Maconaquah, Peru and Northwestern kind of make me nervous, could totally see those 4 break off and if BC and Rensselaer leave the Hoosier, Tipton may get a little restless too. We'll see though. 

Ohh, are we talking about the old Mid-Indiana Conference rising from the dead?   When I was growing up in Miami County the MIC was:

Maconaquah

Lewis Cass

Northwestern

Taylor 

Western

Eastbrook

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Indiana_Conference

Edited October 16, 2024 by Muda69

[coachH]

I don't get a vote, but I'd welcome the Bombers into the HNAC.  They have a historic rivalry with the Jays, and all the coaches I know over there are good people.  Their kids play hard and we've never had an issue, even being on the bad end of a couple of blowouts.  I think it would be a good fit, but again, I don't get a vote lol.