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Top Public Programs by Class - The Best of the Best


Guest DT

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What makes a high school football program the best, or elite?

In my view, its a combination of the following factors that contribute to overall high level success :

* Consistent, stable coaching staff

* High goal orientation 

* Alignment of feeder system throughout the program at all levels.

* High level of athletic talent in the building

* Multi sport participation encouraged

* Strong administrative support for football

* Top notch facilities

* High level of community support

* Alumni support and involvement

 

My top picks by class :

6A - Center Grove

5A - Zionsville

4A - New Palestine

3A - West Lafayette

2A - Western Boone

1A - Adams Central

 

 

 

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40 minutes ago, DT said:

Multi sport participation encouraged

The value of this is largely underestimated. In addition to making more athletes available, you build an athletic culture that translates to all sports. Sure, you can work out all year round, concentrating on a single sport. But it’s the competition of actually playing that builds the culture.

Edited by Bobref
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42 minutes ago, DT said:

1A - Adams Central

The Starfires are great, no doubt. But it’s hard to overlook Pioneer at this level. Their girls have won titles this year in basketball, volleyball, and softball. We know what the football team has done. They are becoming the “Carmel” of 1A. But then you get to their facility. 😂🤣

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48 minutes ago, DT said:

What makes a high school football program the best, or elite?

In my view, its a combination of the following factors that contribute to overall high level success :

* Consistent, stable coaching staff

* High goal orientation 

* Alignment of feeder system throughout the program at all levels.

* High level of athletic talent in the building

* Multi sport participation encouraged

* Strong administrative support for football

* Top notch facilities

* High level of community support

* Alumni support and involvement

 

My top picks by class :

6A - Center Grove

5A - Zionsville

4A - New Palestine

3A - West Lafayette

2A - Western Boone

1A - Adams Central

 

 

 

Pioneer has the best 1A public program. There's a reason why they are now in 2A for the second classification cycle. Pioneer has the best public small school athletic program in the entire state right now.

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3 minutes ago, AG said:

Pioneer has the best 1A public program. There's a reason why they are now in 2A for the second classification cycle. Pioneer has the best public small school athletic program in the entire state right now.

I deducted points from Pioneer due to poor facilities.  

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57 minutes ago, Bobref said:

The Starfires are great, no doubt. But it’s hard to overlook Pioneer at this level. Their girls have won titles this year in basketball, volleyball, and softball. We know what the football team has done. They are becoming the “Carmel” of 1A. But then you get to their facility. 😂🤣

The nickname for Adams Central is the Jets.  The Starfires are South Adams.  SA played in the 1A state finals this year.  AC won it in 2000 and has historically been more consistent than SA.

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2 hours ago, HoopsCoach said:

The nickname for Adams Central is the Jets.  The Starfires are South Adams.  SA played in the 1A state finals this year.  AC won it in 2000 and has historically been more consistent than SA.

My bad. I should have known that. One of the best games I ever worked was the 2003 semistate, Seeger @ Adams Central. Those people treated us like royalty. A class program.

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6 hours ago, DT said:

I deducted points from Pioneer due to poor facilities.  

Actually the fact that they continue to churn out great teams, despite having poor facilities, should give them some bonus points, if anything.

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The one hundred has turned into the two hundred dollar handshake...I kid😁..5a has a few historically strong programs..north n south..Zionsville continues to grow n could be 6a eventually..although as a public 5a id put Snider up against anyone... I can see why you picked them. The  film n numbers don't lie. Valpo as well (from what I've seen) can be dangerous..the panthers are going through an upswing in talent yet as we all know it don't mean a thing if u don't have (idk the actual song) a ring..

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4 hours ago, Justasportsfan said:

we all know it don't mean a thing if u don't have (idk the actual song) a ring..

I understand the thought, but don’t agree with it. As a sports society, we have become so enamored of championships, that we tend to view anything short of that as a failure. Every year there are 6 champs — and over 300 non-champs. Championships are, in many ways, a crap shoot. Injuries, travel, weather, a lot of things can affect the ability to win a championship. I don’t think you meant it that way, but too many people have the “Ricky Bobby” mentality of “2nd place is just the first loser.” At the high school level at least, there is so much more to it than that.

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33 minutes ago, Bobref said:

I understand the thought, but don’t agree with it. As a sports society, we have become so enamored of championships, that we tend to view anything short of that as a failure. Every year there are 6 champs — and over 300 non-champs. Championships are, in many ways, a crap shoot. Injuries, travel, weather, a lot of things can affect the ability to win a championship. I don’t think you meant it that way, but too many people have the “Ricky Bobby” mentality of “2nd place is just the first loser.” At the high school level at least, there is so much more to it than that.

Great point.  I chose AC over Pioneer in 1A because they were a better overall match to the criteria I set up for the evaluation.  

Carmel would certainly object to finishing behind CG, but in my view, coaching consistency and feeder program as well as the influence of track on the football program give the trojans the nod over the Hounds.    Center Grove does what Carmel does with half the student resources.  That cannot be overlooked or taken for granted

Many schools run into the PP juggernauts along the tournament trail, but that does not diminish their overall accomplishments at the program level.

 

 

Edited by DT
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8 hours ago, Justasportsfan said:

The one hundred has turned into the two hundred dollar handshake...I kid😁..5a has a few historically strong programs..north n south..Zionsville continues to grow n could be 6a eventually..although as a public 5a id put Snider up against anyone... I can see why you picked them. The  film n numbers don't lie. Valpo as well (from what I've seen) can be dangerous..the panthers are going through an upswing in talent yet as we all know it don't mean a thing if u don't have (idk the actual song) a ring..

I have great respect for Snider, one of the blue blood histroic programs in Indiana High School Football.  5 years ago I would have had them at #1.  I think we all see some program slippage at Snider, and the facilities issue is a longer term challenge.  

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8 hours ago, Justasportsfan said:

The one hundred has turned into the two hundred dollar handshake...I kid😁..5a has a few historically strong programs..north n south..Zionsville continues to grow n could be 6a eventually..although as a public 5a id put Snider up against anyone... I can see why you picked them. The  film n numbers don't lie. Valpo as well (from what I've seen) can be dangerous..the panthers are going through an upswing in talent yet as we all know it don't mean a thing if u don't have (idk the actual song) a ring..

There's no could be to it. Z'ville will be 6A in the next classification. They would have been in the last cycle if not for the new Elkhart bumping them down. They are on track to be another "mega" school just like the rest of the HCC.

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1 minute ago, Staxawax said:

There's no could be to it. Z'ville will be 6A in the next classification. They would have been in the last cycle if not for the new Elkhart bumping them down. They are on track to be another "mega" school just like the rest of the HCC.

ZV enrollment growth has been much slower than that of AV, FI, HSE , WF and BB in the HCC.  It could be a long time, if ever that they reach mega school status (3000 students)

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14 minutes ago, DT said:

ZV enrollment growth has been much slower than that of AV, FI, HSE , WF and BB in the HCC.  It could be a long time, if ever that they reach mega school status (3000 students)

That's by design and Zionsville won't ever get to mega school status. Zionsville is a town of old money and has been resistant to change in terms of population growth in comparison to it's Hamilton and Hendricks County neighbors. Whitestown is a very fast growing community however and wouldn't be shocked to see a new high school emerge in the coming years, possibly consolidated with Lebanon. 

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3 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

That's by design and Zionsville won't ever get to mega school status. Zionsville is a town of old money and has been resistant to change in terms of population growth in comparison to it's Hamilton and Hendricks County neighbors. Whitestown is a very fast growing community however and wouldn't be shocked to see a new high school emerge in the coming years, possibly consolidated with Lebanon. 

ZV will be a lot like CG.  A small to moderately sized 6A school that punches well above its weight class.  

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6 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

Whitestown is a very fast growing community however and wouldn't be shocked to see a new high school emerge in the coming years, possibly consolidated with Lebanon. 

Do students in Whitestown go to Lebanon or to Zionsville?

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15 minutes ago, BDGiant93 said:

Do students in Whitestown go to Lebanon or to Zionsville?

Split between the two.

I think you'll see a push from the Zionsville School Corporation in the coming years as Whitestown continues to grow to push all the influx residents to either Lebanon or have Whitestown simply form an independent school corporation. I don't think Zionsville has any interest in taking on another 1000-1500 students. 

 

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12 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

Split between the two.

I think you'll see a push from the Zionsville School Corporation in the coming years as Whitestown continues to grow to push all the influx residents to either Lebanon or have Whitestown simply form an independent school corporation. I don't think Zionsville has any interest in taking on another 1000-1500 students. 

 

I like that way of thinking.  When I made a decision to move to either Avon or Center Grove (White River Township) in 2004, it was CGHS that closed the deal for me.  Avon was going through growing pains at that time, and frankly, they probably still are as they approach 3000 student threshold.  Just too big.  

Carmel, BD and WC and NC are built to handle mega school enrollments.  The others not so much

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2 minutes ago, DT said:

I like that way of thinking.  When I made a decision to move to either Avon or Center Grove (White River Township) in 2004, it was CGHS that closed the deal for me.  Avon was going through growing pains at that time, and frankly, they probably still are as they approach 3000 student threshold.  Just too big.  

Carmel, BD and WC and NC are built to handle mega school enrollments.  The others not so much

In this climate of politics, it's going to be very difficult to add on to school buildings. Requires the referendum, and, while many of those pass, it's a different situation when you're adding on to a school building. Will be interesting to see what happens.

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19 minutes ago, DT said:

I like that way of thinking.  When I made a decision to move to either Avon or Center Grove (White River Township) in 2004, it was CGHS that closed the deal for me.  Avon was going through growing pains at that time, and frankly, they probably still are as they approach 3000 student threshold.  Just too big.  

Carmel, BD and WC and NC are built to handle mega school enrollments.  The others not so much

Zionsville loses its small town charm once they start taking on that many students. I've had family in Zionsville since the 50's and they've been very reciprocated to change. They are very big on the small town atmosphere. The town of Zionsville itself isn't very big, especially when compared to Westfield, Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville but has actually almost doubled in population the last 15-20 years yet still dwarfed when comparing populations of Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville. The influx of students coming into the school district are from neighboring Whitestown. Whitestown is the fastest growing community in the state in there really isn't a close second, population has quadrupled in the last 10 or so years.

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