NLC - 2020

[YoungBlood]

16 hours ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Seems like I'm just talking to myself at this point....

Over/Under on how quickly the Warsaw vs. Mishawaka game gets finished?

I would put a stop watch on the game tonight.  Might compete for a Guinness World Record.  My best guess is 1 Hour and 38 Minutes. Enjoy the beers at the Downtown after the game.

 

Good luck to both Teams.

 

[YoungBlood]

15 hours ago, NRRaider2001 said:

Mishawaka (0-2) at Warsaw (2-1)

NLC game of the week in my opinion, mentor vs understudy.  Mishawaka has lost 2 close ones to possibly the best team in the North and another very good Marian team.  Warsaw is no pushover either, but I look for the Cavemen to open their NLC debut with a win on the road in a game that will be over before the others start the 4th quarter.   Mishawaka by 10

Plymouth (0-3) at Northridge (2-0)

This game has typically been a toss up in recent years, with Plymouth winning last year at home.  Raiders looked good against 2 teams that are still trying to figure out if they're good or not this year and have both beat up on teams that aren't looking the best. Northridge Defense seems legit so far and we have a strong run game and capable passing game.  Looking for a big win for the Raiders at Interra Fields inaugural game.  Northridge by 24

Wawasee (2-1) at Concord (1-1)

Could be a good game but I'm not sold on either just yet.  Wawasee has some playmakers in the passing game that showed flashes last week.   Wawasee by 7

Bonus area pick for 2 teams that will likely face NLC teams in sectionals.  Looking for East Noble to shock Penn and win by 3.

Wish Northwood and Valpo could've made it happen, would have been great sectional prep for the Panthers. 

I'll give this a shot.

Mishawaka at Warsaw

The game everyone put on there calendar once we new Mishawaka was joining the NLC.  We know there will not be more then 3 pass attempts in this whole game but for the first time in along time Mishawaka will leave Warsaw 0-3.  Warsaw buy 14

Plymouth at Northridge

Plymouth is always a tough team to face and coach Barron will have boys ready to play on the new Turf and will hope to spoil the Raiders inaugural game.  Gentleman this will not happen, Northridge is a legit team and will compete for the NLC title this year.  They are big up front and once the QB has a couple more games under his belt they will be a hard team to beat.

Ridge by 24

Wawasee at Concord

Concord has there moments when they looked good, Northwood kept pressure on the Defense all night and kept Concords offense at bay.  Wawasee played Northridge tough for 3 quarter and are a much improved team from last year. QB show a good accurate arm if the O line gives the receiver time to run there routes.  Run game is also improved but still a weak area of the team.  There Defense is stout and will give a lot of teams fits this year.  Wawasee by 14 

Northwood should get there star player back next week and be one of the teams to beat in the NLC

Goshen rolled in there 1st game, feel for the boys that don't get to lace the straps up tonight. 

[swordfish]

17 hours ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Seems like I'm just talking to myself at this point....

Over/Under on how quickly the Warsaw vs. Mishawaka game gets finished?

It's about time the NLC thread gets back to the first page of the GID gentlemen.  Back in the day (2005 - 2012) when the likes of Kingsmenfan1 and others popped in to throw shade on the likes of the clan that swam in the depths of the NLC thread with SF this thread never left the first page.

SF still likes to swim up from the depths to lurk in this thread, but not having the former connections to the top of the NLC food chain I once had, I can't give accurate in depth predictions anymore.  Now it's just hyperbole (which admittedly, some may argue it was back then as well) which I am not a fan of knowingly doing.

Keep it up guys, keep ole SF in loop!!  Heading back to the depths to lurk........

[Raiderman 2016]

I’m new here but have been following this website for a while now. 

Here are a few predictions for tonight.

NR/Plymouth- This is always a big game. Maybe downplayed a little this year because of Plymouth’s play so far  but I do believe Plymouth will keep it close I’m the first half but NR’s defense and running game will be too much for the Rockies. NR by 17

Wawasee/Concord- This is an interesting matchup. I watched the Wawasee and Ridge game last week and Wawasee should some potential in a passing game but couldn’t put anything together. I don’t know much about concord besides they are usually pretty tough matchup. I think this will be a tight game. Give me Concord by 6

Mishawaka/Warsaw- probably the game of the north this week. I don’t think Warsaw is as good as last year, still good but not last year good. Mishawaka has had to tough losses to good teams. Mishawaka had a week off to get even more prepared for this game. Mishawaka will get their first win of the season. Mishawaka by 10

Hope everyone will have a good and safe Friday. Will be in attendance at Northridges opening game in their beautiful field. 

[NRRaider2001]

1 hour ago, Raiderman 2016 said:

Hope everyone will have a good and safe Friday. Will be in attendance at Northridges opening game in their beautiful field. 

same here, really looking forward to not staring into the sun tonight

[NRRaider2001]

1 hour ago, Raiderman 2016 said:

Hope everyone will have a good and safe Friday. Will be in attendance at Northridges opening game in their beautiful field. 

same here, really looking forward to not staring into the sun tonight

Also for anyone visiting from Plymouth, the Middlebury Fall festival started today downtown and there will be a really good fireworks show across the road from our school complex on the Essenhaus property around 830 or 9

[NRRaider2001]

[NRRaider2001]

Warsaw with a really good close win over an always tough Mishawaka team last night. 

Concord leading Wawasee by 2 scores when the transformer caught on fire.  Game will be resumed today, but unless something drastically changes, I look for Concord to pull out a win over a decent Wawasee team. 

Northridge became the first Elkhart County team to shut out their first 3 opponents since Jimtown in 2012 (per Chuck Freeby).  Northridge has outscored their opponents 106 to 0 this season.  Next week should be a great game at Interra Field when Warsaw comes to town. 

 

[NLCTigerFan07]

Just realized my post for predictions last week did not go through. Whoops. For what it's worth, I picked Concord to win by 14 and Northridge to win by 28, so those were good. However, I picked Mishawaka to win by 2. Glad to see my Tigers proved me wrong.

That being said - extremely worried about Warsaw's defense. They continue to give up big plays. Mishawaka's QB is a stud and even though they've started 0-3, it would not surprise me in the least to see them run off 5 straight victories to end their season. They have defensive issues much like the Tigers. The only way either team loses another game throughout the year is if they turn the ball over or kill themselves with penalties.

@NRRaider2001 - thank you for sharing the photos of the new stadium and field. What a gem they have up there now. Disappointed I probably will not ever see it in person, but wow!

This week's game between Warsaw and Northridge is the only one I expect to be close, and who knows if that will even happen. It will definitely be a good eye opener for Northridge. While I do not doubt they are a good team, SB St Joe, Wawasee and Plymouth are possibly the 3 worst teams (outside of possibly Goshen) the Raiders will face. As well, even though it's already week 5 for Warsaw, I think it will be a great litmus test for the Tigers. In previous years, victories over Plymouth and Mishawaka would be a great indicator of the type of season you are having. However, Warsaw's opponents' combined record so far is 3-11. That is.... not good.

I expect Goshen, Mishawaka and NorthWood to roll this week easily. I'll make a more detailed post later on.

 

 

[NRRaider2001]

1 hour ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Just realized my post for predictions last week did not go through. Whoops. For what it's worth, I picked Concord to win by 14 and Northridge to win by 28, so those were good. However, I picked Mishawaka to win by 2. Glad to see my Tigers proved me wrong.

That being said - extremely worried about Warsaw's defense. They continue to give up big plays. Mishawaka's QB is a stud and even though they've started 0-3, it would not surprise me in the least to see them run off 5 straight victories to end their season. They have defensive issues much like the Tigers. The only way either team loses another game throughout the year is if they turn the ball over or kill themselves with penalties.

@NRRaider2001 - thank you for sharing the photos of the new stadium and field. What a gem they have up there now. Disappointed I probably will not ever see it in person, but wow!

This week's game between Warsaw and Northridge is the only one I expect to be close, and who knows if that will even happen. It will definitely be a good eye opener for Northridge. While I do not doubt they are a good team, SB St Joe, Wawasee and Plymouth are possibly the 3 worst teams (outside of possibly Goshen) the Raiders will face. As well, even though it's already week 5 for Warsaw, I think it will be a great litmus test for the Tigers. In previous years, victories over Plymouth and Mishawaka would be a great indicator of the type of season you are having. However, Warsaw's opponents' combined record so far is 3-11. That is.... not good.

I expect Goshen, Mishawaka and NorthWood to roll this week easily. I'll make a more detailed post later on.

 

 

Thanks we're pretty proud to finally have first class facilities.  Was going to shoot you a message to see if you were going to make the trip north this Friday.  I think our defense is pretty legitimate but haven't been tested with a ground and pound team like we'll see this week.  I still have questions about our offense, but we have a pretty good backfield and a very capable passer that comes from good bloodlines in that regard, he just doesn't have the size of his older brother just yet. 

And for the first time in my adult life, our kicking game is possibly the strongest position on the field!  Here's a link to a story from Ken Fox about our soccer/basketball star turned kicker this year. 

 

http://elkharttruth.in.newsmemory.com/publink.php?shareid=1bc426f7a

[Football Guru 25]

On 9/14/2020 at 11:14 AM, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Just realized my post for predictions last week did not go through. Whoops. For what it's worth, I picked Concord to win by 14 and Northridge to win by 28, so those were good. However, I picked Mishawaka to win by 2. Glad to see my Tigers proved me wrong.

That being said - extremely worried about Warsaw's defense. They continue to give up big plays. Mishawaka's QB is a stud and even though they've started 0-3, it would not surprise me in the least to see them run off 5 straight victories to end their season. They have defensive issues much like the Tigers. The only way either team loses another game throughout the year is if they turn the ball over or kill themselves with penalties.

@NRRaider2001 - thank you for sharing the photos of the new stadium and field. What a gem they have up there now. Disappointed I probably will not ever see it in person, but wow!

This week's game between Warsaw and Northridge is the only one I expect to be close, and who knows if that will even happen. It will definitely be a good eye opener for Northridge. While I do not doubt they are a good team, SB St Joe, Wawasee and Plymouth are possibly the 3 worst teams (outside of possibly Goshen) the Raiders will face. As well, even though it's already week 5 for Warsaw, I think it will be a great litmus test for the Tigers. In previous years, victories over Plymouth and Mishawaka would be a great indicator of the type of season you are having. However, Warsaw's opponents' combined record so far is 3-11. That is.... not good.

I expect Goshen, Mishawaka and NorthWood to roll this week easily. I'll make a more detailed post later on.

 

 

Looks like PLYMOUTH is VERY BAD!!!!!

[NLCTigerFan07]

20 minutes ago, Football Guru 25 said:

Looks like PLYMOUTH is VERY BAD!!!!!

Indeed they look to be down this year and currently on a 5 game losing streak (including last year's loss in the Sectionals). Previously, they had not lost 5 straight games since 2011 season. The last time they lost 6 games in a row was in 2001 during a 7 game skid that year. Interesting enough, they ended winning a sectional and regional title that year, even though they finished the regular season with a 2-7 record.

[NLCTigerFan07]

My weekly uneducated picks for the halfway point in the season!

Goshen (1-0) @ Concord (2-1): The only chance the Redhawks have at staying undefeated is if all of Jake Field goes up in an inferno and the game gets cancelled (not postponed to Saturday morning). Minutemen should win this one easily before next week's showdown at Mishawaka. Concord by 24

Mishawaka (0-3) @ Plymouth (0-4): Quick - who at the beginning of the season would have thought this game would be a battle for each team's first victory? No one??? What a shocker. However, the Cavemen have played a far more and away better schedule and have been in every game. All 3 losses by an average of 5 points. The Mishawaka offense can score points; the Rockies on the other hand... cannot. Will Coach Barron's seat ever get RED hot in Plymouth? At most they'll win 2 games this year. Mishawaka by 21

NorthWood (1-1) @ Wawasee (2-2): After scoring 73 points in their first 2 games, the Warriors have only mustered 7 points in their first two conference games. Even though the Panthers have played 2 less games, that Black Crunch defense is STOUT. This could be a low scoring affair, but you have to score points to win a game. NorthWood by 16

Warsaw (3-1) @ Northridge (3-0): Game of the week this week in the NLC. This will truly be a litmus test for both teams as I do not think either team has faced a "good" team, although Mishawaka, Michigan City, and SB St Joe are far from bad teams in my opinion. Easily the Tigers and Raiders will be the best oppenent either has seen so far. As easy/simple as it sounds, this game will truly come down to who makes the least mistakes. While Northridge has a fantastic defense, if Warsaw can execute Bart Ball on offense (no turnovers, no/few penalties, no 3rd and longs) like they did last week against Huntington North and Mishawaka, there is no doubt the Tigers will put points on the board. But how will the Warsaw defense play? Time and time again, they continue to give up big plays. I truly do not remember a season in which I've seen so many 20+ yard plays given up by the Orange Crush defense. I'll take the home team in what should be a great game. Northridge by 11

[Wedgebuster]

9 minutes ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

My weekly uneducated picks for the halfway point in the season!

Goshen (1-0) @ Concord (2-1): The only chance the Redhawks have at staying undefeated is if all of Jake Field goes up in an inferno and the game gets cancelled (not postponed to Saturday morning). Minutemen should win this one easily before next week's showdown at Mishawaka. Concord by 24

Mishawaka (0-3) @ Plymouth (0-4): Quick - who at the beginning of the season would have thought this game would be a battle for each team's first victory? No one??? What a shocker. However, the Cavemen have played a far more and away better schedule and have been in every game. All 3 losses by an average of 5 points. The Mishawaka offense can score points; the Rockies on the other hand... cannot. Will Coach Barron's seat ever get RED hot in Plymouth? At most they'll win 2 games this year. Mishawaka by 21

NorthWood (1-1) @ Wawasee (2-2): After scoring 73 points in their first 2 games, the Warriors have only mustered 7 points in their first two conference games. Even though the Panthers have played 2 less games, that Black Crunch defense is STOUT. This could be a low scoring affair, but you have to score points to win a game. NorthWood by 16

Warsaw (3-1) @ Northridge (3-0): Game of the week this week in the NLC. This will truly be a litmus test for both teams as I do not think either team has faced a "good" team, although Mishawaka, Michigan City, and SB St Joe are far from bad teams in my opinion. Easily the Tigers and Raiders will be the best oppenent either has seen so far. As easy/simple as it sounds, this game will truly come down to who makes the least mistakes. While Northridge has a fantastic defense, if Warsaw can execute Bart Ball on offense (no turnovers, no/few penalties, no 3rd and longs) like they did last week against Huntington North and Mishawaka, there is no doubt the Tigers will put points on the board. But how will the Warsaw defense play? Time and time again, they continue to give up big plays. I truly do not remember a season in which I've seen so many 20+ yard plays given up by the Orange Crush defense. I'll take the home team in what should be a great game. Northridge by 11

The idea that a coach would be on the "hot seat" after playing a very good New Prairie team to a 1 TD game in the Sectional Championship game, THE YEAR BEFORE! is somewhat ridiculous to me.  

[NLCTigerFan07]

1 minute ago, Wedgebuster said:

The idea that a coach would be on the "hot seat" after playing a very good New Prairie team to a 1 TD game in the Sectional Championship game, THE YEAR BEFORE! is somewhat ridiculous to me.  

Fair enough - it's a discussion forum for Indiana high school football. Gotta put things out there that drive discussion. That is why I ASKED the question "Will Coach Barron's seat ever get RED hot in Plymouth?" So lets Say the Rockies go 2-9 this year, and then below .500 the next 2 seasons as well. Would that be enough for him to be on a hot seat? Or is Coach Barron's legacy entrenched at Plymouth enough that the last day he coaches for the Rockies will be when he say so?

[Wedgebuster]

 

I would think that many an Indiana HS would really like that coaching record leading their program, BUT....I do appreciate you trying to drive conversation.  I just don't see it happening with Coach Barron.

Will he move on from Plymouth?  Definitely has the resume to go and get a job.  Where would he be a good fit? 

 

[NRRaider2001]

Goshen (1-0) @ Concord (2-1): Hopefully no transformer fires tonight, Goshen will struggle having only played 1 game early on.  Look for Concord to bring the series to 34-33 in favor of Goshen.  Concord by 18

Mishawaka (0-3) @ Plymouth (0-4):  First time since 1934 these two teams will play, and first time since 1925 its been at the Rockpile.  I think it gets ugly fast leaving Plymouth as the last NLC team without a win.   Side note, Mishawaka has now lost 2 NLC soccer games by a combined 36 points.  Mishawaka by 35

NorthWood (1-1) @ Wawasee (2-2): Glad to see Wawasee start out hot this year, but NorthWood wins easy tonight.  Warriors have some weapons in the passing game, but NorthWood is still NorthWood.  NorthWood by 20

Warsaw (3-1) @ Northridge (3-0): Should be a great game at Interra Field tonight.  This game could go a long way in deciding the conference this year, but can't count out NorthWood either.  Sounds like Warsaw is healthier than they have been, Northridge needs to keep cleaning up the penalties.   A good group of running backs and a capable passer should make it interesting for the Raiders.  Northridge flips the normal script tonight and the kicking game wins it in a close one.  Also don't think we will shut the Tigers out tonight,  however I'm told Northridge is the last team in the state to not give up a single point.  Northridge by 3

[NLCTigerFan07]

Extremely impressed with the Tigers last night and glad their defense stepped up and was much improved! I am sure Coach Curtis will keep the team focused, but as a fan, it's hard not to look forward a few weeks at the potential of Warsaw being 6-1 and 5-0 in the confernce with the title on the line the last two weeks at NorthWood and then home against Concord.

Speaking of that Week 8 matchup - one thing that will be in the favor of NorthWood is that they face Mishawaka and Warsaw back to back weeks.

Other than that, no real surprises with the results. Plymouth scored late a few times to make that game look closer that it was. Concord rolled over Goshen. And after scoring 73 points and giving up 0 in non-conference action, Wawasee has only scored 7 points in their 3 NLC games and have given up 87 points. The Warriors still have a good chance to win at least 4 games this year, and perhaps even have a winning regular season record for the first time since 2014.

[Slick John Picanos]

I'm sure you all have been anxiously waiting for Slick John's return with a similar anticipation of a COVID vaccine being developed....well...the good news is, Slick John seems to be more reliable than our government and I'm also going to give you a much more honest opinion about things than any of them will.  So let's rip these mid-season evaluations like Ric Fliar ripping some of the Devil's Dandruff off the back-side of a Charlotte stripper back the the late 80's!!!

1. Warsaw- 3-0: Their wins over Mishawaka and Northridge are debatably the best pair of wins of the season so far in the NLC.  A couple easy tune-ups to get ready for the last two weeks vs. NorthWood and Concord that will play a major role in this year's champion.  Slick John believes that the difference in the season will be if/when Warsaw's offense has an off night, will their defense be able to stop anybody?

2. NorthWood- 2-0: A missed game against Goshen keeps them from a 3-0 record.  They survived Concord without their QB which could be a very underrated victory come the end of the season.  So far, NorthWood's defense has been the class of the conference.  It will be interesting to see their performances vs. Mishawaka and Warsaw. 

3.   Concord- 2-1:  One tough loss and two easy wins for the Minutemen.  The Mishawaka game is going to be a telling result.  Their defense so far has shut out a poor Goshen team, gave up 7 to Wawasee and another 14 to NorthWood's backup QB.  Their defensive point total could be the most overrated statistic in the conference up to this point.  We will find out tomorrow. 

4. Northridge- 2-1:  Just like I stated above about Concord, Northridge's defense showed some vulerability against Warsaw after easily handling Wawasee and Plymouth.  Still so much to find out about the Raiders

5. Mishawaka- 1-1: After a 1-3 overall start, Mishawaka, all of a sudden has an opportunity to get themselves back in the NLC title chase with a win over Concord Friday.  Their offense has been beyond impressive point scoring wise, but their defense leaves quite a lot to be desired.  Should be fun Friday vs. Concord. 

6. Goshen- 0-1: Goshen has beaten Clay and lost to Concord in a season as plagued by COVID as it has been by poor football.  I can't imagine a trip down SR 15 is going to be kind to the boys from Goshen.  I've heard Rick Mirer owns a vineyard.  Does he give Goshen patrons discounts on his wine?  They may need it.  

7. Wawasee- 0-3: It can be argued that Wawasee has had the toughest conference schedule so far.  Which also can't be too comforting with Warsaw and Mishawaka still left.  There is a chance for two wins out of the last four, though.  This week brings us to the pillow fight of the week at (gasp!) Plymouth!  I have to be honest- I don't know the route from Wawasee to Plymouth, nor do I care to.  I would suggest anybody from Wawasee not look it up, either and head to the closest liquor license carrying establishment to Syracuse. 

8. Plymouth- 0-3: Just like I'm still trying to figure out why Plymouth didn't set their scoreboard cocked to the endline in their renovated stadium (see for yourself), John Barron is trying to figure out just what in the world is occurring in Rockie Land.  They showed some late life against Mishawaka last week--could that be the momentum it takes to take down a typical Wawasee team?

[swordfish]

Atta boy Slickster.  Felt whispers of the old GID there, my man......Thanks......

[NLCTigerFan07]

Halfway point of the regular season... here are my picks for Week 5:

Concord (3-1) @ Mishawaka (1-3): The Cavemen finally picked up that elusive first victory of the season at the Rock Pile last week, as well as their first ever NLC victory. Their offense has had no issues scoring points this season, but after giving up a few late scores to Plymouth that made the game look closer than it was, their defense is now giving up over 37 points a game. Hard to win many games when you do that. As Slick John pointed out, Concord's defense has given up an average of 11 points this season, but their last 3 opponents weren't exactly world beaters. Tonight will be very telling for the Minutemen at Steele Stadium. I expect this to be a close game and after last week's victory, the Cavement keep up their momentum... Mishawaka by 6

Goshen (1-1) @ Warsaw (4-1): Honestly not much to write about this game. Very impressed with Warsaw's performance up in Middlebury including some key plays by the Tiger's defense. As I said last week, if their offense can play turnover free and limit penalties, they will be able to score enough (and play keep away) to win games against anyone. After defeating a terrible SB Clay team, the Redhawks had 2 weeks off then laid an egg against Concord. I cannot imagine they will fair much better this week against the Tigers. Here's to hoping both teams stay healthy and no injuries or COVID related issues occur... Tigers by 27

Northridge (3-1) @ NorthWood (2-1): This game could turn out to be a sluggfest. Both defenses are averaging giving up only 7 points per game; first to 14 win? It will be interesting to see how the Raiders bounce back after giving up their first points and suffering their first loss last week to Warsaw. That was their first test of the season, and here comes test #2. Are they pretenders or contenders? As well, I think this will be a telling game for the Panthers as they gear up for the toughest stretch of their NLC season. Coach Andrews stated after last week's game it didn't feel very organized and the Panters were very sloppy at times and that they did not execute very well. If he felt that way after a 39-0 victory... NorthWood by 8

Wawasee (2-3) @ Plymouth (0-5): Again, as Slick John mentioned, Pillow Fight of the Week in the NLC this week. After the Warriors scored 73 points their first 2 weeks, they've managed to score 1 touchdown the last 3, while giving up and average of 29 points on defense. Plymouth scored late in each half against Warsaw to make that game look closer than it was, and then again scored twice late last week when they were down 39-16 to make that game look closer than it was. The Rockies have not won fewer than 2 games in a regular season since 1989, and if they do not pick up the victory tonight, I am not sure I see them winning 2 of their final 3... Wawasee by 4

[NRRaider2001]

Didn't get to post my predictions in time this week, but it worked out well for my Raiders.  Maybe I should skip it every week. 

Goshen put up more of a fight than I would have thought, Mishawaka looked good over a good Concord team, Wawasee seems to be choking now that their NECC schedule is over and AP #13 Northridge wins a defensive battle 7 to 0 over #12 Northwood.  Its always great any time you come home from Nappanee with a win, but that's my kind of football, none of this score on every possession type of stuff. 

[Crusty]

Mishawaka had a few key defensive stops to help an improving Cavemen team get a nice win.

[Crusty]

Mishawka at Northwood Friday night,  Should be a good one.

 

[NLCTigerFan07]

Per the Concord High School Athletics Twitter:

We have been informed that Plymouth will be unable to play us in varsity football this Friday (same for JV on Saturday). We are searching for a replacement opponent. Please stay tuned.