What's a homefield advantage worth?

[Robert]

11 hours ago, foxbat said:

Localized fog.  🙂

 

Luers only loss that year was to a pretty dog gone good Dwenger. 

[Muda69]

52 minutes ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

 

They just suck. 

No, they don't.  

[Titan32]

34 minutes ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

Crazy confused... are you from Merriville or Gibson? lol 

Gibson Southern... excellent homefield advantage and gasp.... even on TURF!!! 

Gibson Southern....LOL.  The Merriville thing is just a pun.

[Daniel_Bragg]

3 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Great example. Central beat Memorial that year 63-7.........Jasper beat them 16-7. Only common opponent that year I believe. Not sure why it's hard for some to grasp the fact that bad weather brings unequal teams closer together. 

Another example of bad weather bringing teams closer together was the NIGHTMARISH hurricane game last year in Sheridan.  No disrespect to Taylor, but those two teams weren't close until a hurricane rolled through town.  

[btownqbcoach1]

5 minutes ago, Daniel_Bragg said:

Another example of bad weather bringing teams closer together was the NIGHTMARISH hurricane game last year in Sheridan.  No disrespect to Taylor, but those two teams weren't close until a hurricane rolled through town.  

why did it bother Sheridan more than Taylor? We knew all week what the weather would be like that night lol 

[Coach Nowlin]

40 minutes ago, Robert said:

Localized fog.  🙂

 

Luers only loss that year was to a pretty dog gone good Dwenger. 

They were incredibly talented team the 2 years we faced them !!!  The giant boys we had up front...if only it was turf so we could lean on all those athletes for 3 to 4 yards a carry.... and play keep away !!!!   😂

[Daniel_Bragg]

11 minutes ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

why did it bother Sheridan more than Taylor? We knew all week what the weather would be like that night lol 

Sheridan was built mostly for speedy outside runs, with some passing mixed in.  Taylor was an incredibly basic, run up the gut offense.  Also, the wind was so strong that the ultimate winner was whoever had the ball going toward the south endzone.  

I don't understand why you are pushing back on this so much.  It's been a widely accepted fact that weather is a great equalizer in sports.

[btownqbcoach1]

6 minutes ago, Daniel_Bragg said:

Sheridan was built mostly for speedy outside runs, with some passing mixed in.  Taylor was an incredibly basic, run up the gut offense.  Also, the wind was so strong that the ultimate winner was whoever had the ball going toward the south endzone.  

I don't understand why you are pushing back on this so much.  It's been a widely accepted fact that weather is a great equalizer in sports.

It wasn't the weather as the original discussion. It was grass and turf.... allegedly, a grass team has some massive advantage if the game isn't played on turf....allegedly, turf teams don't have as big of a homefield advantage as a grass team. 

Did Sheridan not play well? 

Edited April 30, 2025 by btownqbcoach1

[CoachPatch]

3 minutes ago, Daniel_Bragg said:

Sheridan was built mostly for speedy outside runs, with some passing mixed in.  Taylor was an incredibly basic, run up the gut offense.  Also, the wind was so strong that the ultimate winner was whoever had the ball going toward the south endzone.  

I don't understand why you are pushing back on this so much.  It's been a widely accepted fact that weather is a great equalizer in sports.

I'm pretty sure Taylor changed their game plan due to the weather. Most of the season they threw the ball over 50% of the time. They also were stuck inside the 25 towards the South End-zone the whole 3rd quarter and did not allow a score. Would the game have been different in better weather??? Perhaps, but on that night, Taylor fought their rear ends off and came out of there with a victory. 

[Muda69]

Solution:  Since practically all Indiana High Schools now have artificial turf the next obvious method to remove variability from the game is domed high school football fields. Get rid of that pesky weather.   I'm sure such a cost can be justified, right?

 

[btownqbcoach1]

19 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

Solution:  Since practically all Indiana High Schools now have artificial turf the next obvious method to remove variability from the game is domed high school football fields. Get rid of that pesky weather.   I'm sure such a cost can be justified, right?

 

a little over 50% have turf

I'll alllllll about a domed field though. It would make practice soooo much better lol .... Not that Coach May ever gets mad, but WHEN he DOES... it would be nice to be shaded. 

Great idea man. 

[Bash Riprock]

4 hours ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

Bit of an oxymoron "a good pork burger" 

Oh man!  Coach you are missing out.  Siding with Muda on this one!!!  One of my fav options at the Center Grove Bantam Football League food list!!

[btownqbcoach1]

24 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

Oh man!  Coach you are missing out.  Siding with Muda on this one!!!  One of my fav options at the Center Grove Bantam Football League food list!!

haha... alright alright. 

Speaking of.... what a tremendous facility to drive by!! 

[Robert]

2 hours ago, Muda69 said:

Solution:  Since practically all Indiana High Schools now have artificial turf the next obvious method to remove variability from the game is domed high school football fields. Get rid of that pesky weather.   I'm sure such a cost can be justified, right?

 

Nope, well, maybe, since we'll be down to the GOP one member/county schools soon in most counties.

Edited April 30, 2025 by Robert

[Bash Riprock]

51 minutes ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

haha... alright alright. 

Speaking of.... what a tremendous facility to drive by!! 

LOL....

Thank you coach....invested a number of years there....we are very proud.  No tax dollars....local support only.  Tremendous community support.

[Muda69]

2 hours ago, Robert said:

Nope, well, maybe, since we'll be down to the GOP one member/county schools soon in most counties.

40 some years ago when artificial turf started making inroads into the college and pro game I bet most people were thinking "This is great for college and the pros, but way to expensive and extravagant for the high school game."  And look where we are today. 

 

1 hour ago, Bash Riprock said:

LOL....

Thank you coach....invested a number of years there....we are very proud.  No tax dollars....local support only.  Tremendous community support.

It works when the community is wealthy and can afford it. 

 

[23andCounting]

8 hours ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

Because it doesn't 

You said 2003 lolol 

I already answered your question once. 

2023 was a typo. You knew that.

Show me where you answered the question. It's okay, you have a round about way of acknowledging that bad turf can bring a great team closer to the level of their opponent. 

 

[23andCounting]

6 hours ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

why did it bother Sheridan more than Taylor? We knew all week what the weather would be like that night lol 

Typical coach speak. 

[btownqbcoach1]

15 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

2023 was a typo. You knew that.

Show me where you answered the question. It's okay, you have a round about way of acknowledging that bad turf can bring a great team closer to the level of their opponent. 

 

 No. I didn't. 

I directly answered, go read it.  

15 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Typical coach speak. 

Idk what that means ... you don't check the weather? 

16 hours ago, Muda69 said:

40 some years ago when artificial turf started making inroads into the college and pro game I bet most people were thinking "This is great for college and the pros, but way to expensive and extravagant for the high school game."  And look where we are today. 

 

It works when the community is wealthy and can afford it. 

 

Why's that community wealthy? Hmmmm 

[23andCounting]

21 minutes ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

Idk what that means 

26 minutes ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

 

Coach Speak

 

What you're suppose to say: "Both teams had to play in the mud and affected us the same, losing isn't an excuse." 

What they mean to say: "Damn, that mud f***** us. We had the better team by far and it slowed us down."

 

What you're suppose to say: "We play where the ping pong balls tell us to play. We'd have to play them eventually anyway."

What they mean to say: "This is b*** s***. This damn sectional needs to be seeded."

[Muda69]

27 minutes ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

 Why's that community wealthy? Hmmmm 

Because many of the residents have a lot of money.

 

[23andCounting]

27 minutes ago, btownqbcoach1 said:

you don't check the weather? 

How does checking the weather help your quarterback throw down the field in a snow storm? How does checking the weather help your running back's footing when playing on a muddy field or wet grass?

[foxbat]

16 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

How does checking the weather help your quarterback throw down the field in a snow storm? How does checking the weather help your running back's footing when playing on a muddy field or wet grass?

Wouldn't it tend to impact play selection?  More misdirection by pattern as opposed to action.  Somewhat shorter pass patterns with more curl than cut.  More straight-ahead run plays.  That may or may not play to your team's tendencies/strengths.  Forewarned is forearmed.

[23andCounting]

18 minutes ago, foxbat said:

Wouldn't it tend to impact play selection?  More misdirection by pattern as opposed to action.  Somewhat shorter pass patterns with more curl than cut.  More straight-ahead run plays.  That may or may not play to your team's tendencies/strengths.  Forewarned is forearmed.

Well, yeah, but that's not what we're really talking about here. We're talking about a three or four star athlete performing like a zero star athlete during inclement conditions. The more athletic team comes down to the level of the less athletic team. It's always going to be and X's and O's game, and you're exactly right with your post. 

Let's ask 100 coach who are favored to win by two touchdowns if they prefer good or bad conditions. All 100 would say "good." Then ask 100 coaches who are favored to lose by by two touchdowns the same question. I bet a good number of them hope for "bad" conditions in hopes to slow the better team down. 

This is really a silly argument that shouldn't have gone past a few posts. Anyone with common football sense knows that bad weather levels the playing field when two teams of unequal talent square up. Facing a 5 star running back? Who cares on a muddy field. Five star quarterback? Doesn't mean much in a snow storm.  

[btownqbcoach1]

52 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

How does checking the weather help your quarterback throw down the field in a snow storm? How does checking the weather help your running back's footing when playing on a muddy field or wet grass?

prepare for both, well... the best you can

Wet ball during Team O in practice leading up to that game, I've only experienced snow once (very light) in my 6 years of being a fan, 4 years playing, and 12 years coaching.....

Continuous, short, choppy steps in practice to mimic a slick field. 

Edited May 1, 2025 by btownqbcoach1