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Pike Coaching Update


Guest DT

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Hmmmm

 

He went 27-31 at Zionsville, a very strong football school with a rich tradition.

Very skeptical about this hire.  Was hoping to see Pike reach a little -lot higher 

This smells like the current situation in the NFL.  Severe lack of head coaching talent.  

http://pastfb.homestead.com/coaches/PatEcheverria.htm#loaded

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Coach Ech was also the Dc for the 2007 state runner up Pike team. So having worked at Pike already he knows the pros/cons of the school and program. Getting to coach a 6A MIC school that you attended seems like a great opportunity for him and Pike.

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7 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

or flip side, they hired a relatively young, experienced HC who has multiple State title appearances both as an Assistant and HC and want to build around THAT guy for years to come.   

I think this is more accurate.  Didn’t LC hire an established coach who was going to step right in and compete for MIC titles?

How’d that work out in year 1?  Let’s give this guy a chance.

Curious who you’d like to have seen then go after DT...

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20 hours ago, Wink58 said:

Coach Ech was also the Dc for the 2007 state runner up Pike team. So having worked at Pike already he knows the pros/cons of the school and program. Getting to coach a 6A MIC school that you attended seems like a great opportunity for him and Pike.

Anybody who knows anything about football knows Coach Ech can flat-out coach. 

He's a Pike graduate and former DC for a state runner-up team at Pike and knows the school and the community. 

He took Eastern Hancock to the State Finals and then had a lot of success at Zionsville despite being the smallest school in one of the top conferences in the state. He does a tremendous job developing players and his teams are very difficult to play against. Had an incredibly good New Pal not beaten them in the sectional this year (which was a one-score game on multiple occasions in the second half), I'm pretty convinced Zionsville would've been playing in Lucas Oil this year. 

As a Pike alum, I'm excited to see Coach Echeverria at the helm. 

1 hour ago, Temptation said:

Curious who you’d like to have seen then go after DT...

Probably Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney. Anything else is settling. 

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4 hours ago, Temptation said:

I think this is more accurate.  Didn’t LC hire an established coach who was going to step right in and compete for MIC titles?

How’d that work out in year 1?  Let’s give this guy a chance.

Curious who you’d like to have seen then go after DT...

Mike Gillin

Pike will never run thru the MIC powers.  But they might be able to fly over them.

Hence the master of the forward pass.  He would have Pike competitive rather quickly.  He has the track record to prove.  And imagine Gillin with Pike talent.  

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1 hour ago, DT said:

Mike Gillin

Pike will never run thru the MIC powers.  But they might be able to fly over them.

Hence the master of the forward pass.  He would have Pike competitive rather quickly.  He has the track record to prove.  And imagine Gillin with Pike talent.  

It takes two to tango. Mike Gillin was in Pike's conference a couple decades back and had Decatur Central one of the top programs in Marion County, but there's a really good chance he's content where he is. 

And if you've ever watched Ech's offense, he runs a really good spread scheme that maximizes the passing game (but also handles the run) and is incredibly difficult to defend. He's also significantly younger and relates very well to players and can get people out of the hallways and onto the field. He also knows the school and the football culture and has been a part of a Pike team that has played for a state championship. 

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30 minutes ago, crimsonace1 said:

It takes two to tango. Mike Gillin was in Pike's conference a couple decades back and had Decatur Central one of the top programs in Marion County, but there's a really good chance he's content where he is. 

And if you've ever watched Ech's offense, he runs a really good spread scheme that maximizes the passing game (but also handles the run) and is incredibly difficult to defend. He's also significantly younger and relates very well to players and can get people out of the hallways and onto the field. He also knows the school and the football culture and has been a part of a Pike team that has played for a state championship. 

Its all there right in front of him.  Probably his dream job.  Nowhere to go but up at Pike, so expectations are probably low.  

I would still be concerned however about that very lackluster record at Zionsville.  That jumps off his resume, in my view.  It would probably disqualify him from many positions.  And the sectional championships were a breeze compared to the grind of the HCC.  

Pike had a taste of state championship calibre football recently.  I would think they would like to get back in the mix quickly.  Jury is out on this hire.  I give it a C+

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10 hours ago, DT said:

Mike Gillin

Pike will never run thru the MIC powers.  But they might be able to fly over them.

Hence the master of the forward pass.  He would have Pike competitive rather quickly.  He has the track record to prove.  And imagine Gillin with Pike talent.  

I’m pretty sure that Gillin is happy where he is and that Mooresville is his last stop.

I’m not sure that the grass is always greener on the other side and why you pretend to think you know what is best for particular coaches and programs.

Though they might be tough for some to wrap their minds around, the MIC is not the Holy grail of coaching and is not everyone’s dream destination.  You’ve even said yourself that the HCC will surpass the MIC sooner rather than later.

This has been proven at the other two levels as well although the jury is still out on some.

Take Scott Frost at Nebraska (maybe not a good analogy as he is an alum) for example. Could’ve stayed at UCF and probably eventually had a statue built in his honor but left for the “Big Time” of the Big Ten.

They are light years behind the conference powers and he wasn’t even bowl eligible in year 1.

Saban and Harbaugh both prefer college over the NFL...

Money and prestige isn’t everything to some.

Plus, like with Kirschner at BD, coaching in a demographic where over 2/3rds of your student population is on free and reduced lunch and where parental involvement is minimal takes its toll...

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12 hours ago, DT said:

 Pike had a taste of state championship calibre football recently.  I would think they would like to get back in the mix quickly.  Jury is out on this hire.  I give it a C+

Right away, you disqualify your own comment. Pat Echeverria was the DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ON THAT STATE FINALIST TEAM ... and then coached his own team to the State Finals a couple years later.  

Zionsville was likely the second-best team in 5A this year and was the only team on New Pal's schedule (including Center Grove) where the game was in doubt in the fourth quarter. If you actually watch football, Zionsville is one of the better-coached, better-prepared teams around. 

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On 1/14/2019 at 12:27 PM, DT said:

 

Hmmmm

 

He went 27-31 at Zionsville, a very strong football school with a rich tradition.

Very skeptical about this hire.  Was hoping to see Pike reach a little -lot higher 

This smells like the current situation in the NFL.  Severe lack of head coaching talent.  

http://pastfb.homestead.com/coaches/PatEcheverria.htm#loaded

27-31 record in a 6A dominant conference and New Pal and Columbus East in your Sectional/Regional is nothing to hang your head about. This is a great hire for the Pike Red Devils. I bet if you spent some one on one time with Coach Echeverria you would retract your statement. But it is probably easier to be a keyboard warrior!

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He won 3 consequitive sectional championships at Zionsville. His record against Pike was 2-1. 

Just looking at overall record with no consideration for the changes in the level of competition isn’t going to give an accurate picture of Zionsville. The previous coach struggled his last few years as well.

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Why does everyone get stuck on win-loss records?  Don't you have to consider WHERE these guys put that record together at?   Some places getting your squad above .500 might be much more impressive than winning a sectional somewhere else.    Still everyone loves to post about win-loss records and why these coaches aren't great hires for this or that job. 

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On 1/16/2019 at 11:25 AM, crimsonace1 said:

Zionsville was likely the second-best team in 5A this year and was the only team on New Pal's schedule (including Center Grove) where the game was in doubt in the fourth quarter. If you actually watch football, Zionsville is one of the better-coached, better-prepared teams around. 

Bingo.  Agree 100 %.  Zionsville is gonna bump to 6A anyway.  Might as well go somewhere that will have a lot of athletes to compete in that class.

 

Zionsville competed as a 5A team with a 6A schedule.  Record be damned.

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On 1/14/2019 at 12:27 PM, DT said:

 

Hmmmm

 

He went 27-31 at Zionsville, a very strong football school with a rich tradition.

Very skeptical about this hire.  Was hoping to see Pike reach a little -lot higher 

This smells like the current situation in the NFL.  Severe lack of head coaching talent.  

http://pastfb.homestead.com/coaches/PatEcheverria.htm#loaded

Easy to look at his record and say he has had an average career, but numbers only tell half the story. He took over a 4-6 team that played a 6a schedule and turned them into a sectional contender every year. Plus, he's finished with three straight .500 or better seasons at Zionsville. Not enough? This was basically an exact clone of what he did at Eastern Hancock. When he took over at EH that program was one of the worst in the entire state, with only 6 wins in 4 years. Went 3-7, 6-6 and then 14-1 with a state championship appearance. It's clear he won't take this Pike program and make them competitive overnight, but if history is any indication by 2021 Pike will be back. 

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2 hours ago, QB said:

Easy to look at his record and say he has had an average career, but numbers only tell half the story. He took over a 4-6 team that played a 6a schedule and turned them into a sectional contender every year. Plus, he's finished with three straight .500 or better seasons at Zionsville. Not enough? This was basically an exact clone of what he did at Eastern Hancock. When he took over at EH that program was one of the worst in the entire state, with only 6 wins in 4 years. Went 3-7, 6-6 and then 14-1 with a state championship appearance. It's clear he won't take this Pike program and make them competitive overnight, but if history is any indication by 2021 Pike will be back. 

Appreciate your insight and overview.

To the contrary , the below FACTS sway my opinion considerably :

Record at Zionsville 

Larry McWhorter  90-45 / 67% winning percentage

Pat Echevarria   27-31   /  46% winning percentage

These are in successive coaching tenures.

Huge performance gap between the two at the same school, hence my skepticism.

 

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How many sectional title games has Coach McWhorter coached in since he left Zionsville in his last one 10 years ago?

A lot of that success of Zionsville was when they were playing 3a/4a schedule.   Last sectional title under Coach McWhorter was 2008.   

Coach Ech coached Zionsville to 3 sectional titles in class 5a

Want to still be skeptical, sure, but have some context or research in your analysis and skittish based on random counting stat as career W-L record

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4 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

How many sectional title games has Coach McWhorter coached in since he left Zionsville in his last one 10 years ago?

A lot of that success of Zionsville was when they were playing 3a/4a schedule.   Last sectional title under Coach McWhorter was 2008.   

Coach Ech coached Zionsville to 3 sectional titles in class 5a

Want to still be skeptical, sure, but have some context or research in your analysis and skittish based on random counting stat as career W-L record

I think you are short changing McWhorter's accomplishments.

The HCC is a tough nut, and Zionsville is the smallest school in the conference.  They more than hold their own.  But the record is the record.  Im happy with the content of my analysis.  Certainly don't need your approval in that regard.  

 

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6 hours ago, indycoach10 said:

No, but when he pokes glaring and obvious holes in your analysis, it is interesting how you switch to a straw man argument about approval. I digress. You said it yourself the HHC is a tough nut, and you are absolutely right about Zionsville being the smallest. However, I guarantee you that conference was no where near the strength it currently is 10-15 years ago. Pat is an excellent coach and for whatever reason you picked this mole hill. 

You bring up Mike Gillian on almost every single Indy area coach opening. You do realize that he has 4 sectional titles in the last 24 years!? You see how anyone can cherry pick stats to downplay a coaching hire? Don't get me wrong, I think Mike is a great coach.

Pat was a great choice for Pike and it's time for you to move on from this topic.

I'm in response mode and I feel an obligation to provide a response to those who read and follow my comments.

The original premise of my argument was based on the suggestion that Pike needed to make a big, impressive hire in order to make a move in The MIC.

This hire does not fit that description, in my view.  You and others may disagree, which you have every right to do.  Those who are challenging my use of regular season and all time records as a comparison between the two coaches are primarily basing their argument on post season results.

Who is to say which set of data is more relevant?

It's too bad we don't have more members to weigh in this topic.  The GIDs self implosion has run off the vast majority of the membership, most of which will never be seen here again.  

It's now up to us to do the heavy lifting and keep this site off of life support

 

 

 

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9 hours ago, DT said:

I think you are short changing McWhorter's accomplishments.

The HCC is a tough nut, and Zionsville is the smallest school in the conference.  They more than hold their own.  But the record is the record.  Im happy with the content of my analysis.  Certainly don't need your approval in that regard.  

 

I thought you would want "responses"  to your "viewpoint"       I think you have shortchanged Coach Ech's as well.   

1 hour ago, DT said:

It's too bad we don't have more members to weigh in this topic.  The GIDs self implosion has run off the vast majority of the membership, most of which will never be seen here again.  

It's now up to us to do the heavy lifting and keep this site off of life support

 

 

 

Our Savior!!!    Good thing you signed back with over 400 people since we've opened up back after only a month off on rebuild.    I believe its been 12 days since we've opened back up.   Not bad for Off Season numbers thus far:    

 

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43 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

I thought you would want "responses"  to your "viewpoint"       I think you have shortchanged Coach Ech's as well.   

Our Savior!!!    Good thing you signed back with over 400 people since we've opened up back after only a month off on rebuild.    I believe its been 12 days since we've opened back up.   Not bad for Off Season numbers thus far:    

 

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Good luck with the rebuild.  Always happy to do my part to generate traffic.  😀

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