SB St. Joe (12-1) @ FW Bishop Dwenger (11-2)

[OldschoolFB]

On 11/17/2025 at 9:28 AM, Komets2727 said:

You are right. Strength of schedule has been much more difficult for Dwenger. Dwenger has played and beaten 2 fellow semi-state teams in 6A Carroll and 3A Luers and beat Penn at Penn while St. Joe got hammered by Penn 38-6

Laycoffs is fantastic. Sausage roll or Sausage pizza personal deep dish. Thin you have to get large as personal thin not as good.  10 minutes to get there if you rode a bike. 5 minutes to get there even with traffic. In fact, I think k it’s a 3 minute drive 

as far as the game. St Joe can win with pressure on QB, he may start turning it over, take care of the ball, get a lead early and play field position and ball control. 
the QB has played great over last few games. So we will see. 

of course they will have to stop the run too but the key might very well be how much pressure St Joe gets in BD QB and then capitalize if be then turns it over 
 

[Mebuck]

11 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

I think "doubt it" meant that he doesn't agree with "Luers playing will split the cyo crowd." To my knowledge Luers fans don't typically go to Dwenger games and vice versa. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so. 

I meant it won't be standing room only.

With live streaming a lot of people watch on TV. I am tempted to pay and watch from home do to the weather. For an example go look at the stands for the East Noble game, it was about half full. 

Edited November 19, 2025 by Mebuck

[23andCounting]

42 minutes ago, Mebuck said:

I meant it won't be standing room only.

With live streaming a lot of people watch on TV. I am tempted to pay and watch from home do to the weather. For an example go look at the stands for the East Noble game, it was about half full. 

I know Dwenger crowds are NOTHING what they used to be. But this is semi-state. I bet they show out. 

[Bobref]

1 hour ago, 23andCounting said:

I know Dwenger crowds are NOTHING what they used to be. But this is semi-state. I bet they show out. 

Looks like we could get wet Friday night. ☹️ How will that affect the teams? I know Dwenger is the favorite. But they say weather is the great equalizer.

[23andCounting]

7 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Looks like we could get wet Friday night. ☹️ How will that affect the teams? I know Dwenger is the favorite. But they say weather is the great equalizer.

That can't bode well for St. Joe. Carroll (one of the best offenses in the state) couldn't put the ball in the endzone against the Saints in good weather. You never know though, St. Joe has won some close games against some pretty good opponents. The Penn game was ugly though. 

Only common opponent: South Side

St. Joe 26, South Side 0. Dwenger 28, South Side 12. The Archers did appear to be drastically improved as the season went on. But transitive property does favor St. Joe here. 

Dwenger 9, Carroll 6. Carroll 41, Penn 30. Penn 38, St. Joe 6. Favors the Saints on this one. 

Hopefully it's a good competitive game for all fans who make the trip. If it were to get out of hand, for your sake I hope it doesn't, you could always slide up north to catch the end of Carroll/Westfield (hopefully a competitive game.) I know I always have a backup plan when there are two good games down the road from one another. 

[Bobref]

25 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

If it were to get out of hand, for your sake I hope it doesn't, you could always slide up north to catch the end of Carroll/Westfield (hopefully a competitive game.) I know I always have a backup plan when there are two good games down the road from one another.

Since I’m at Dwenger to observe and evaluate the officiating crew, that might not go over too well. 😉

[23andCounting]

9 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Since I’m at Dwenger to observe and evaluate the officiating crew, that might not go over too well. 😉

Lol, probably not. 

[Justasportsfan]

3 hours ago, Mebuck said:

I meant it won't be standing room only.

With live streaming a lot of people watch on TV. I am tempted to pay and watch from home do to the weather. For an example go look at the stands for the East Noble game, it was about half full. 

Thats crazy work. I figure the student body would be behind them, as well as their parents, the band and their parents, then finally the players and those who support them. Back in the day one kid could bring in relatives and have a supporting cast of 15 family members at a playoff game, let alone a semi state game. the culture has shifted, i get it. My cyo days led me to believe that most of those guys love football and if Luers lost a few might go watch Dwenger or vice versa..heck our middle school coach would drive us to the games as well..Yes things have changed and always will...I digress..I'll go to the Luers game due to my situation yet my kids arent on the field (yet), my boys love battling the elements and it keeps me young while showing community support.

[FW HS Football]

9 minutes ago, Justasportsfan said:

Thats crazy work. I figure the student body would be behind them, as well as their parents, the band and their parents, then finally the players and those who support them. Back in the day one kid could bring in relatives and have a supporting cast of 15 family members at a playoff game, let alone a semi state game. the culture has shifted, i get it. My cyo days led me to believe that most of those guys love football and if Luers lost a few might go watch Dwenger or vice versa..heck our middle school coach would drive us to the games as well..Yes things have changed and always will...I digress..I'll go to the Luers game due to my situation yet my kids arent on the field (yet), my boys love battling the elements and it keeps me young while showing community support.

From what I’ve seen, the deeper a team goes into the playoffs, the harder it actually becomes to draw larger crowds. Ticket prices go up, family passes are no longer accepted, and with band competitions finished, the band might attend but won’t perform a full halftime show, which means many band parents choose not to come. Then you have the weather to consider.

Streaming adds another wrinkle: it costs $12 for a single game or $20 for access to all the semi-state games, and casual high school football fans may not realize it won’t be free to watch until Friday at 6:55 p.m. (and many won’t even know the actual 7:30 kickoff time), so they might try to find it on their radios.

Overall, I’m not expecting the stands to be full. I hope I’m wrong, though, and that Carroll, Dwenger, and Luers all end up with packed crowds.

[GOLDRUSH1985]

I don't see how St Joe even scores . Dwenger held Carroll to 6 points , no team has done that . I don't see this game being close . 

[SAC_Coach]

28 minutes ago, GOLDRUSH1985 said:

I don't see how St Joe even scores . Dwenger held Carroll to 6 points , no team has done that . I don't see this game being close . 

Is that a genuine comment? Is that sarcasm and bulletin board type material? It’s the internet so I really don’t know which way you are intending. 

[whiteshoes]

On 11/17/2025 at 6:29 PM, Bobref said:

I will be at Dwenger Friday night. Suggestions for a place to eat before the game would be much appreciated.

Black Canyon at the intersection of Dupont and Coldwater Roads.   Try the Prime Rib.

[Komets2727]

3 hours ago, GOLDRUSH1985 said:

I don't see how St Joe even scores . Dwenger held Carroll to 6 points , no team has done that . I don't see this game being close . 

I think St. Joe will struggle to score against the Dwenger defense. Have a feeling we could be looking at something like a 21-0 Dwenger victory 

[23andCounting]

4 hours ago, FW HS Football said:

From what I’ve seen, the deeper a team goes into the playoffs, the harder it actually becomes to draw larger crowds. Ticket prices go up, family passes are no longer accepted, and with band competitions finished, the band might attend but won’t perform a full halftime show, which means many band parents choose not to come. Then you have the weather to consider.

Streaming adds another wrinkle: it costs $12 for a single game or $20 for access to all the semi-state games, and casual high school football fans may not realize it won’t be free to watch until Friday at 6:55 p.m. (and many won’t even know the actual 7:30 kickoff time), so they might try to find it on their radios.

Overall, I’m not expecting the stands to be full. I hope I’m wrong, though, and that Carroll, Dwenger, and Luers all end up with packed crowds.

Depends on the school. Warsaw brought a nice crowd to the Snider game this season. Merrillville showed out here in Fort Wayne in 2023. North Side packed the house in 2022. It's kind of why I'm rooting for Merrillville this year. They have a good fan base that deserve to see a game at Lucas Oil. 

[GOLDRUSH1985]

3 hours ago, SAC_Coach said:

Is that a genuine comment? Is that sarcasm and bulletin board type material? It’s the internet so I really don’t know which way you are intending. 

I was intending it just like it says . No other team besides Dwenger held Carroll to so few points . That tells me all I need to know about Dwengers defense . I don't see St Joe scoring in this game . Like Komets , I see 21+-0 Dwenger . 

[Justasportsfan]

36 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Depends on the school. Warsaw brought a nice crowd to the Snider game this season. Merrillville showed out here in Fort Wayne in 2023. North Side packed the house in 2022. It's kind of why I'm rooting for Merrillville this year. They have a good fan base that deserve to see a game at Lucas Oil. 

I will say I was a little shocked that Luers didnt fill up the visitor side against twin lakes, not alot of seats and still wasnt full..Wonder if it made the diocesan bulletin..

[23andCounting]

9 minutes ago, GOLDRUSH1985 said:

I was intending it just like it says . No other team besides Dwenger held Carroll to so few points . That tells me all I need to know about Dwengers defense . I don't see St Joe scoring in this game . Like Komets , I see 21+-0 Dwenger . 

Roncalli, Carroll, Homestead, Snider, Luers, Columbia City, and East Noble totaled 25 points. That's 3.5 points per game to some pretty good football teams. 

Which begs the question. How did Lebanon muster up 27 points? I know Dwenger was up 29-7 at halftime. Defense fall asleep? Maybe Garrett rested some guys?

[23andCounting]

7 minutes ago, Justasportsfan said:

I will say I was a little shocked that Luers didnt fill up the visitor side against twin lakes, not alot of seats and still wasnt full..Wonder if it made the diocesan bulletin..

Remember how Dwenger and Snider filled up Spuller Stadium with about five deep standing around the track? What, 8000 fans? Those were the days. 

[Justasportsfan]

6 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Roncalli, Carroll, Homestead, Snider, Luers, Columbia City, and East Noble totaled 25 points. That's 3.5 points per game to some pretty good football teams. 

Which begs the question. How did Lebanon muster up 27 points? I know Dwenger was up 29-7 at halftime. Defense fall asleep? Maybe Garrett rested some guys?

I watched the game the next day.

1) Lebanon fans were loud all game, cheered their butts off every play. I mentioned to a buddy, no matter the score was, the way they were cheered on those kids had to feel as if they played the games of their lives.

2)imo, BD may have seen the commitment from that community and gave them something to cheer for and build on moving forward, no need to embarass them as teams may have tried in the past. game was well in hand, let them have some fun?

[Justasportsfan]

3 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Remember how Dwenger and Snider filled up Spuller Stadium with about five deep standing around the track? What, 8000 fans? Those were the days. 

Mannnn you talking about glory days! Took a date from college to a game and she was amazed at the crowd, admins let us sit on a blanket right outside the endzone..I got a picture of that packed stadium somewhere. It was epic.

[CoachK5]

This game will be a dog fight.  Both defenses are the strengths of both teams. I agree that SJ will need to find a few things on offense but the same can be said for Dwenger.  Dwenger has one heck of a kicker, and it may come down to his leg.  

SJ will find a way to score once and count on their defense to hold Dwenger to a couple field goals.  SJ 7-6.

 

[Bobref]

Forecast I saw no longer contains the threat of rain.

[23andCounting]

34 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Forecast I saw no longer contains the threat of rain.

Weather app showing 0%. Local news channels, who aren't very good by the way, are reporting scattered rain afternoon and evening. 

[Rodney]

Dwenger by 17

[ASJCPUMA]

I am making the drive and looking forward to a well-played, hard-fought game.  No real expectations because of the way this year have gone and where things are now.  Many expected Mishawaka and East Noble.  Well, they get the 2 teams that beat both of them.  The winner goes to Lucas oil.