Future of the SAC

[23andCounting]

Thought maybe this could use a thread of it's own. 

https://outsidethehuddle.net/2026/04/22/blitz-the-future-of-the-sac-in-its-current-form-could-be-in-doubt-at-least-for-football/

Lot's of good information from this website for anyone who keeps tabs on NE Indiana High School Sports. 

 

[23andCounting]

I'm personally hit or miss on the idea. What the SAC has now gives the better programs a pretty good combination of stiff competition and tune-up games. The South Side's and the Lues of the conference take their fair of bruises, but both those program show out come playoff time. The Archers don't make deep runs, but they give some teams with good records a run for their money. 

On the flip side, the MIC and the HCC are showing that playing good teams every week is a better model for winning state championships at the 6A level. 

At the end of the day, I think I like the idea of Carroll, Dwenger, Homestead, Northrop, and Snider joining forces with some schools more their size. Those schools shouldn't be playing anyone outside of 6A/5A not named New Pal, Roncalli, Chatard, or maybe even East Noble. 

For teams like Concordia, Luers, North Side, South Side, and Wayne, Blitz makes a good point with "better records, better fan attendance, and better player turnout." 

[First_Backer_Inside]

4 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

I'm personally hit or miss on the idea. What the SAC has now gives the better programs a pretty good combination of stiff competition and tune-up games. The South Side's and the Lues of the conference take their fair of bruises, but both those program show out come playoff time. The Archers don't make deep runs, but they give some teams with good records a run for their money. 

On the flip side, the MIC and the HCC are showing that playing good teams every week is a better model for winning state championships at the 6A level. 

At the end of the day, I think I like the idea of Carroll, Dwenger, Homestead, Northrop, and Snider joining forces with some schools more their size. Those schools shouldn't be playing anyone outside of 6A/5A not named New Pal, Roncalli, Chatard, or maybe even East Noble. 

For teams like Concordia, Luers, North Side, South Side, and Wayne, Blitz makes a good point with "better records, better fan attendance, and better player turnout." 

South Side has won two sectionals and a regional in their school history. Not sure that fits my definition of showing out. Are you including what Harding did during their time as a school as South Side?

[23andCounting]

Maybe "showing out" wasn't the most accurate word. But hey, if an 0-10 team can take a 9-1 team to the wire in a sectional game, I don't mind giving "showing out" to them. 

[First_Backer_Inside]

53 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Maybe "showing out" wasn't the most accurate word. But hey, if an 0-10 team can take a 9-1 team to the wire in a sectional game, I don't mind giving "showing out" to them. 

All good, just wondered what your reasoning was. I assumed it was due to Harding's success. If my memory serves me right, that's where a lot of the Harding students went to when the school closed down correct?

[23andCounting]

48 minutes ago, First_Backer_Inside said:

All good, just wondered what your reasoning was. I assumed it was due to Harding's success. If my memory serves me right, that's where a lot of the Harding students went to when the school closed down correct?

One would think since South Side is the neighborhood they reside. Most went to New Haven and some went to Woodlan where Haydock resumed his coaching. Ironically, even though 95% of Harding's student body resided in FW city limits, the school sat just outside the city line. So it was never part of FWCS. 

Refresher: Kids from central Fort Wayne (South Side neighborhood) are distributed to Snider, North Side, Northop, and Wayne (and once Harding).

[Komets2727]

10 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

Thought maybe this could use a thread of it's own. 

https://outsidethehuddle.net/2026/04/22/blitz-the-future-of-the-sac-in-its-current-form-could-be-in-doubt-at-least-for-football/

Lot's of good information from this website for anyone who keeps tabs on NE Indiana High School Sports. 

 

23, I have been saying for years this needs to happen, both for the big schools and small schools. Way too many Friday nights we are seeing running clocks in the SAC with nothing gained by it. 5A and 6A schools need to play those same type of schools, period. Same goes for 2A-4A schools in the SAC. You aren’t going to see South Side, Concordia, or Wayne beat Carroll, Snider, Dwenger, Homestead. More likely, you will see running clocks in the 3rd quarter. Does nothing to prepare teams for the playoffs. Let the big boys go play the Indy teams, Penn, and Crown Point. 

[23andCounting]

10 hours ago, Komets2727 said:

23, I have been saying for years this needs to happen, both for the big schools and small schools. Way too many Friday nights we are seeing running clocks in the SAC with nothing gained by it. 5A and 6A schools need to play those same type of schools, period. Same goes for 2A-4A schools in the SAC. You aren’t going to see South Side, Concordia, or Wayne beat Carroll, Snider, Dwenger, Homestead. More likely, you will see running clocks in the 3rd quarter. Does nothing to prepare teams for the playoffs. Let the big boys go play the Indy teams, Penn, and Crown Point. 

I think the MIC and the HCC have proven your point. Playing that kind of competition week in and week out sets a higher standard. I don't think a few tune up games are bad, but I understand the logic. I personally like what Carroll and Homestead have done. They've taken the non-conference games with a "go big or go home" attitude. I don't necessarily like that those games have to be the first two weeks of the season though. It would be nice to schedule a game like that during the last couple weeks of the regular season. Not sure what the overall ingredient is. I just know catching up with the HCC and the MIC is a tall order. Something like this would help though. 

Carroll, Homestead, Northop, Snider, Dwenger, Penn, Elkhart + three non-conference games (5A & 6A teams only) would be a good start. 

[Robert]

*Dwenger once every 5-6 years. 

[SAC_Coach]

Seems to be moving already….

 

[23andCounting]

37 minutes ago, Robert said:

*Dwenger once every 5-6 years. 

With School Choice going into affect, maybe Dwenger is getting back those families who defected to Carroll to save 12k a year? Speculation. 

[adambetz]

6 hours ago, SAC_Coach said:

Seems to be moving already….

 

Only two IHSAA opponents with week 3 openings (Mater Dei and LaVille). Carroll might be looking to buy out someone else's contract or go out of state.

[260AC]

Carroll is going to concede two conference championships just so they don't have to play Concordia? that is wild. 

[23andCounting]

6 hours ago, 260AC said:

Carroll is going to concede two conference championships just so they don't have to play Concordia? that is wild. 

I think Dinan's end goal is to win a state title. I think when a team has that mentality, the conference championship becomes secondary. Granted, there are some programs out there that don't truly believe that, and a conference championship is the pinnacle of their season. I don't think Carroll is one of those programs. 

[First_Backer_Inside]

On 4/25/2026 at 7:30 AM, 23andCounting said:

I think Dinan's end goal is to win a state title. I think when a team has that mentality, the conference championship becomes secondary. Granted, there are some programs out there that don't truly believe that, and a conference championship is the pinnacle of their season. I don't think Carroll is one of those programs. 

Understandable, however, will those have any affect on all-conference eligibility? Not being eligible for the conference championship to me means you are no longer apart of that conference. If that is the case, one could argue you can no longer put up players for all-conference. I would hope players are still eligible, but just a thought I'm sure the other schools might bring up when voting on players.

[HoopsCoach]

On 4/24/2026 at 10:37 AM, SAC_Coach said:

Seems to be moving already….

 

Dropping a conference opponent seems like an indicator that a school may be interested in another conference or independence.  If Carroll had somewhere else to go with similar schools (along with Homestead), they probably would, and Concordia wanted to leave the SAC to join the Northeast 8 when that conference rebranded.

[Komets2727]

Carroll and Concordia are both smart, nothing is gained from them playing. You can say that for almost half of the games in the SAC, if not more. Frankly, if playing less SAC games is not an option, let Snider, Dwenger, Carroll, and Homestead play each other home and away and then schedule 3 out of conference games. Much more competitive that way…

[jakone]

16 hours ago, Komets2727 said:

Carroll and Concordia are both smart, nothing is gained from them playing. You can say that for almost half of the games in the SAC, if not more. Frankly, if playing less SAC games is not an option, let Snider, Dwenger, Carroll, and Homestead play each other home and away and then schedule 3 out of conference games. Much more competitive that way…

And the Indy area schools will still mop the floor with you come playoff time. You either have talent or you don't playing bigger and better schools aren't going to make you more talent it's a myth. 

[Frozen Tundra]

37 minutes ago, jakone said:

And the Indy area schools will still mop the floor with you come playoff time. You either have talent or you don't playing bigger and better schools aren't going to make you more talent it's a myth. 

I pretty much align with you here. Going to divisions and playing two non-conference games should’ve been enough. You need to play those tough non-conference games (preferably against the big Indy-area schools) so that you can be exposed and figure out where you measure up and what you need to improve on. However, dropping half of your conference and playing multiple tough games in their place isn’t going to do what people think. You need the talent (not just those starting but also those on the bench). Unfortunately, most of the talent in this state resides within Indy and the donut counties. Teams like New Palestine, East Central, and Columbus East have shown they can win multiple state titles despite playing bad schedules and being a part of weak conferences. They were loaded with talent though.

[Bash Riprock]

11 minutes ago, Frozen Tundra said:

I pretty much align with you here. Going to divisions and playing two non-conference games should’ve been enough. You need to play those tough non-conference games (preferably against the big Indy-area schools) so that you can be exposed and figure out where you measure up and what you need to improve on. However, dropping half of your conference and playing multiple tough games in their place isn’t going to do what people think. You need the talent (not just those starting but also those on the bench). Unfortunately, most of the talent in this state resides within Indy and the donut counties. Teams like New Palestine, East Central, and Columbus East have shown they can win multiple state titles despite playing bad schedules and being a part of weak conferences. They were loaded with talent though.

I agree with the comments...for the most part.  I do believe there has to be a vision.

When Coach Moore came to Center Grove, he along with AD John Zwitt (formerly Carmel) pushed for playing in the MIC....people thought that was a pipe dream.  One sectional championship in the school's history.  They believed they needed step up all aspects of the program, including competition.  Raise the bar across the board.  CG took some lumps along the way, but it paid off...and the rest is history.

I am not disagreeing with the comments from you and Jackone, but I don't think a program improves doing the same old thing, waiting for better players to come.  Its about changing culture, increasing standards, better coaching, etc.  Lots of variables....but I do think playing better competition ultimately makes one better...just can be painful in the process.

[Frozen Tundra]

20 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

I agree with the comments...for the most part.  I do believe there has to be a vision.

When Coach Moore came to Center Grove, he along with AD John Zwitt (formerly Carmel) pushed for playing in the MIC....people thought that was a pipe dream.  One sectional championship in the school's history.  They believed they needed step up all aspects of the program, including competition.  Raise the bar across the board.  CG took some lumps along the way, but it paid off...and the rest is history.

I am not disagreeing with the comments from you and Jackone, but I don't think a program improves doing the same old thing, waiting for better players to come.  Its about changing culture, increasing standards, better coaching, etc.  Lots of variables....but I do think playing better competition ultimately makes one better...just can be painful in the process.

I agree with a lot of what you said but Center Grove was a sleeping giant. All it needed was an Eric Moore and a John Zwitt to come in and wake it up. The potential was there being so close to Indy.

As for as playing better competition goes, I never thought the SAC had weak competition to begin with. When the current iteration formed, I thought it was the second-best conference in the state and I heard many people say the same. The HCC has since passed it up but the SAC is still a tremendous conference with some really good teams. By no means am I implying it’s weak. It does indeed have some weak teams at the bottom but the divisional format resolves that a bit by not having to play all of them. I personally believe you shouldn’t get rid of all these games. Not every game needs to be against MIC/HCC level competition. It’s ok to have a weaker opponent now and then to break up the grind. Get a little rest and protect yourself from injury.

[First_Backer_Inside]

To say Carroll doesn't have the talent to beat the Indy schools is ridiculous. They beat HSE to go to state. They played a Westfield team tough in my opinion with the score not reflecting the competitiveness of that game. As mentioned above, they just need to keep taking next steps to get that state title. Right now they believe it is scheduling better competition. If that helps pull them closer to the indy schools and makes them more consistent against them its a positive step. If they still can't win it all they need to take another step in some way. Cignetti said it perfectly at the coaches clinic this year. You need to constantly be changing what you are doing to improve. Cignetti himself said he doesn't want consistency with how his team played last year. If they are staying consistently where they were last year someone else will be improving and pass them up. What can Carroll do to catch up to the Indy schools? What are the Indy schools doing to keep them from taking that leveling step? 

I think in order for it to happen Crown Point, Penn, and Carroll have to push one another to make that jump. Those are the teams that can get it done. Maybe Merrillville can eventually get to that level, but they are at the disadvantage right now with enrollment. Those four teams need to be playing each other throughout the year rather than some of their conference opponents they play against instead.

[23andCounting]

On 4/27/2026 at 8:16 AM, First_Backer_Inside said:

Understandable, however, will those have any affect on all-conference eligibility? Not being eligible for the conference championship to me means you are no longer apart of that conference. If that is the case, one could argue you can no longer put up players for all-conference. I would hope players are still eligible, but just a thought I'm sure the other schools might bring up when voting on players.

At the end of the day, does it really matter whether a player makes all-conference? I can't imagine college recruiters paying any attention those. If anything, I'd say it's just a recognition a player can hold onto for a lifetime. How much stock does a player or coach put into it? I honestly have no idea. 

I personally see this as a Carroll and Homestead thing. I'm guessing there's not much noise coming out of the Dwenger or Snider camps. Speculating. 

[Bash Riprock]

2 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

I agree with a lot of what you said but Center Grove was a sleeping giant. All it needed was an Eric Moore and a John Zwitt to come in and wake it up. The potential was there being so close to Indy.

As for as playing better competition goes, I never thought the SAC had weak competition to begin with. When the current iteration formed, I thought it was the second-best conference in the state and I heard many people say the same. The HCC has since passed it up but the SAC is still a tremendous conference with some really good teams. By no means am I implying it’s weak. It does indeed have some weak teams at the bottom but the divisional format resolves that a bit by not having to play all of them. I personally believe you shouldn’t get rid of all these games. Not every game needs to be against MIC/HCC level competition. It’s ok to have a weaker opponent now and then to break up the grind. Get a little rest and protect yourself from injury.

Totally agree....SAC outstanding conference...nothing negative intended.

Perhaps you are right about CG....although one of the smaller 5A schools when he started.  They had very little football history.  But Coach Moore saw the feeder program and to your point he obviously saw the potential.  Still they had to challenge the old ways raise the bar across the board, including scheduling. There were times it was painful.

I agree about the rest as well....CG's recent years as an independent....that was a guantlet of a schedule most of those years.  Never thought I'd welcome the MIC back to help reduce the grind just a little.  (zero disrespect intended toward the MIC as I am a huge MIC fan)

[First_Backer_Inside]

15 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

At the end of the day, does it really matter whether a player makes all-conference? I can't imagine college recruiters paying any attention those. If anything, I'd say it's just a recognition a player can hold onto for a lifetime. How much stock does a player or coach put into it? I honestly have no idea. 

I personally see this as a Carroll and Homestead thing. I'm guessing there's not much noise coming out of the Dwenger or Snider camps. Speculating. 

I guess I can't give you an answer for those bigger schools. I don't have much experience with them. For the smaller schools it is more difficult to get some guys on the all-state teams, so all-conference is the only recognition some of them can get.