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Hoosier High School Football - Pre Season Top 20


Guest DT

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HHF All Class Pre Season Top 20
Its a bit early, but we know enough about where teams finished last year and who is coming back to take an initial shot at our first statewide poll. I will come back with Top 12 Class Polls as we approach the season openers
1. Center Grove - clearly the top team and the top program in the state. Loaded with D1 talent. Back to Back state titles have been predicted for this senior group for some time. It will be a shock if they dont pull it off.
2. Roncalli - The Royals (I need to get used to that new name) were the most impressive and most dominating team in the state finals last year. They bring back a ton including a very impressive and huge offensive line. Overwhelming favorites to repeat in 4A
3. Cathedral - Irish will reload and open the season as 5A championship favorites
4. Carmel - The Hounds open up with Louisville Trinity and Detroit King before the Week 3 Copper Kettle matchup with Center Grove.
Carmel just a slight notch below the Top 3
5. Chatard - Pound for Pound, strongest program in the state. The 2 time defending state champs bump up to 4A and open the season with Brebeuf, Warren Central, Roncalli and Cathedral . You gotta love that schedule.
6. Westfield - The program just keeps improving and suddenly finds itself at the top of The HCC. Jake Gilbert may be the most underrated coach in the state and Popeye Williams will be one of the states top players this season.
7. Warren Central - great numbers and a stable full of athletic talent will always keep the Warriors in anybodys Top 10.
8. Ben Davis - exact same thing goes for the Giants.
9. Zionsville - great showing in the tournament as the Eagles have quietly snuck past several of their peers in the HCC. Notre Dame bound offensive lineman Joey Tanona should be a fun one to watch this season.
10. New Palestine - Things have settled down a bit around the New Pal program after the great state championship runs of 2015, '18 and '19. But the Dragons are now an established force and will have a say in who takes home the 5A hardware
11. Avon - The Os slipped a bit last year to 5-5 and generally underperformed to expectations. Still lots of talent and Mark Bless is likely to get the ship turned back in the right direction quickly.
12. Brownsburg - The Bulldogs are a very good 6A program, but not quite yet elite. Clearly that is their goal, as they open with Ben Davis and Cathedral in non con play this season. Some unexpected transfers may negatively impact the program, but the roster is loaded with talent and depth as usual.
13. Lawrence North - It took Pat Mallory 8 years to finally put together a winning season at LN, as the Wildcats went 7-4 last season behind a great offense lead by Donaven McCulley. McCulley is graduated but his receiving corp returns intact , lead by Omar Cooper.
14. Fort Wayne Snider - The Panthers have been a bit quiet over the past few seasons, but should make some noise this year and return to their dominating ways. Snider is 12-8 over its last 20 games. Snider will be a factor in 5A and should return to the top of The SAC this season. Offensive lineman Demon Moore may be the best ever to come out of The SAC
15. Fort Wayne Dwenger - The Saints are riding stride by stride with the Panthers to remain top dog in The Summit Conference. Some things never change.
16. Elkhart - Josh Shattuck took the consolidated Elkhart program to a 9-1 record last year. The Lions won their sectional and lost a close regional showdown with Merrillville. Things are only going to get better from here. City of Elkhart always has great athletes. This program is primed to potentially be the Top 6A school in the upper north.
17. North Central - steady progress has been the story at NC under Kevin O'Shea. Now in his 5th season, the Panthers are solid and deep, but have a mountain to climb in The MIC. NC may not finish with a sparkling record, but they are a tough out every Friday night during the season.
18. Hamilton Southeastern - The Royals flew under the radar last year in a Covid impacted season and finished 6-3 under first year coach Michael Kelly. Just too much talent and depth to keep this program down for long.
19. Homestead - The Spartans will always be on the periphery until they can figure out a way to get past the northreast regional, which has been a burial ground for the program. Homestead has great athletes, tremendous numbers , solid coaching, everything you could want out of a big school program. Mentally, they need to get past the northside Indy powers before they can advance to the next level.
20. Penn - The Kingsmen are an enigma. Are they a program stuck in the 80s mindset? Are they hurt by a soft conference schedule? Do they have less talent than what they've had to work with in the past? Penn will continue to win because they are so much bigger than everyone they play. But the program is not likely to see Lucas Oil any time soon.
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18 minutes ago, DT said:

The 2 time defending state champs bump up to 4A and open the season with Brebeuf, Warren Central, Roncalli and Cathedral . You gotta love that schedule.

Now that is what you call a tough ass schedule to mess with.  However, Chatard did go 3-1 against Roncalli( W27-8), Cathedral (L 39-20), and Brebeuf(2 Ws) last year.   

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Carroll..............on the outside looking in. They lose some studs, but they also return some. Some within the program think they might be better than last year. If they can shore up their defense, they'll be right in the mix of things at the top of the SAC. Playing in their new 8 million dollar stadium might rev them up a bit as well. Having one of the top quarterbacks in the state helps. 

Poll looks pretty darn good DT. Thanks for yet another good topic to ponder. 

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8 minutes ago, Bears62 said:

Good list DT… I’m looking forward most to how Elkhart does this season. They really surprised me with how well they played against Merrillville in regionals last year. For a year 1 program they looked fantastic

LOt of talent up there.  Makes the transition much easier.  

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10 hours ago, DT said:
HHF All Class Pre Season Top 20
Its a bit early, but we know enough about where teams finished last year and who is coming back to take an initial shot at our first statewide poll. I will come back with Top 12 Class Polls as we approach the season openers
1. Center Grove - clearly the top team and the top program in the state. Loaded with D1 talent. Back to Back state titles have been predicted for this senior group for some time. It will be a shock if they dont pull it off.
2. Roncalli - The Royals (I need to get used to that new name) were the most impressive and most dominating team in the state finals last year. They bring back a ton including a very impressive and huge offensive line. Overwhelming favorites to repeat in 4A
3. Cathedral - Irish will reload and open the season as 5A championship favorites
4. Carmel - The Hounds open up with Louisville Trinity and Detroit King before the Week 3 Copper Kettle matchup with Center Grove.
Carmel just a slight notch below the Top 3
5. Chatard - Pound for Pound, strongest program in the state. The 2 time defending state champs bump up to 4A and open the season with Brebeuf, Warren Central, Roncalli and Cathedral . You gotta love that schedule.
6. Westfield - The program just keeps improving and suddenly finds itself at the top of The HCC. Jake Gilbert may be the most underrated coach in the state and Popeye Williams will be one of the states top players this season.
7. Warren Central - great numbers and a stable full of athletic talent will always keep the Warriors in anybodys Top 10.
8. Ben Davis - exact same thing goes for the Giants.
9. Zionsville - great showing in the tournament as the Eagles have quietly snuck past several of their peers in the HCC. Notre Dame bound offensive lineman Joey Tanona should be a fun one to watch this season.
10. New Palestine - Things have settled down a bit around the New Pal program after the great state championship runs of 2015, '18 and '19. But the Dragons are now an established force and will have a say in who takes home the 5A hardware
11. Avon - The Os slipped a bit last year to 5-5 and generally underperformed to expectations. Still lots of talent and Mark Bless is likely to get the ship turned back in the right direction quickly.
12. Brownsburg - The Bulldogs are a very good 6A program, but not quite yet elite. Clearly that is their goal, as they open with Ben Davis and Cathedral in non con play this season. Some unexpected transfers may negatively impact the program, but the roster is loaded with talent and depth as usual.
13. Lawrence North - It took Pat Mallory 8 years to finally put together a winning season at LN, as the Wildcats went 7-4 last season behind a great offense lead by Donaven McCulley. McCulley is graduated but his receiving corp returns intact , lead by Omar Cooper.
14. Fort Wayne Snider - The Panthers have been a bit quiet over the past few seasons, but should make some noise this year and return to their dominating ways. Snider is 12-8 over its last 20 games. Snider will be a factor in 5A and should return to the top of The SAC this season. Offensive lineman Demon Moore may be the best ever to come out of The SAC
15. Fort Wayne Dwenger - The Saints are riding stride by stride with the Panthers to remain top dog in The Summit Conference. Some things never change.
16. Elkhart - Josh Shattuck took the consolidated Elkhart program to a 9-1 record last year. The Lions won their sectional and lost a close regional showdown with Merrillville. Things are only going to get better from here. City of Elkhart always has great athletes. This program is primed to potentially be the Top 6A school in the upper north.
17. North Central - steady progress has been the story at NC under Kevin O'Shea. Now in his 5th season, the Panthers are solid and deep, but have a mountain to climb in The MIC. NC may not finish with a sparkling record, but they are a tough out every Friday night during the season.
18. Hamilton Southeastern - The Royals flew under the radar last year in a Covid impacted season and finished 6-3 under first year coach Michael Kelly. Just too much talent and depth to keep this program down for long.
19. Homestead - The Spartans will always be on the periphery until they can figure out a way to get past the northreast regional, which has been a burial ground for the program. Homestead has great athletes, tremendous numbers , solid coaching, everything you could want out of a big school program. Mentally, they need to get past the northside Indy powers before they can advance to the next level.
20. Penn - The Kingsmen are an enigma. Are they a program stuck in the 80s mindset? Are they hurt by a soft conference schedule? Do they have less talent than what they've had to work with in the past? Penn will continue to win because they are so much bigger than everyone they play. But the program is not likely to see Lucas Oil any time soon.
canstockphoto9179631.thumb.jpg.0ff972d4eb52517e721dfc6c7fc16f13.jpgimage.thumb.png.849feb76cdbf7c92af2885c834fa654a.png
 
 

Good stuff DT.  I’d make some minor tweaks in a couple of places but see nothing egregious.

(I would like to point out that 8 of your top ten boast some of the lowest SES rates in the state and are well below the state average; and the other two are mega schools of 3800+...)

(Sorry, I had to.)

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I think we have to reward the Morgantown Road Bunch for their collective body of work over the past several seasons and understand that we are seeing one of the most highly regarded teams in state history prepare for another championship run.

I dont remember ever the sheer amount of nationwide recruiters that are swarming all over this program.  It seems like every other week we discover another D1 prospect coming out of nowhere.

The CG Bantam program has these kids lined up 5 and 6 deep waiting for their shot at Varsity glory.  

It is what it is.  Lets recognize a helluva job by the CG staff and rank them accordingly.

 

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31 minutes ago, psaboy said:

"Offensive lineman Demon Moore may be the best ever to come out of The SAC"

I would think Mr. Woodson and Mr. Smith may disagree. 

Best ever "lineman"

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1 hour ago, Bobref said:

It did not escape notice that there was no one from the 1/4 of the state north of Hamilton County and west of South Bend.

Did I overlook anyone, in your opinion?

The best team up that way this year might be a little 2A school

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I know right now this is what may be the top 20 or close to it….

 

but I think Gibson Southern will be in the top 20 by seasons end…the team has a lot of talent for a 3A school and this year they can actually implement their offseason program.

 

last summer they didn’t get to do their 7on7 work and still managed to have a great year despite the huge increase in SOS.

This year they have already won the mooresville 7on7 against some of the bigger indy schools and are really putting it all together to start out the year with strong showings.  
 

Brady Allen is a senior and primed for his best year 

Rory Heltsley has developed into a D1 WR

the OL is going to be a big group

strong committee of WRs LBs and RBs….not entirely sure who is the starter but the group seems better than in years past.

strong SoS for 3A too…probably just behind just the Indy Catholics and West Lafayette when it comes to SoS.

 

lots of promise with this group and I think they have a shot at cracking the top 20…something that they havent really done since 2015 when they were arguably the best 3A team and earned the respect of the Chatard faithful after giving them one hell of a ball game. 

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1 hour ago, DumfriesYMCA said:

something that they havent really done since 2015 when they were arguably the best 3A team and earned the respect of the Chatard faithful after giving them one hell of a ball game.

That they most certainly do.  I'm looking forward to following GS's season this year as a casual observer for once, rather than a potential opponent.  It'd be great to see Allen get them over the hump and win that elusive state championship that GS has been so close to in recent seasons.

This is a great list DT.  I wouldn't change much, other than regrettably I'm not sure Chatard belongs there this year.  They graduated something like 80% of their two-deep from last year, so it could be tough sledding for the Trojans, especially with that meat grinder at the start of the season.  Time will tell though, I just can't wait for a "normal" season to get started!

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As previously stated, no real qualms with the list though I’d shuffle the top 6 (I agree with the teams just not the order) a bit.

Can’t justify Roncalli above Cathedral/Carmel heading into the season in my opinion though I’d say results as the season progresses will tell the tale.

The Hendricks County dynamic should be interesting with the attrition suffered by Brownsburg.  I’m feeling like the Bulldogs may have peaked as a program.  Their last two teams were way too talented for their seasons to end the way they did.  
 

In 2019, they celebrated a sectional SEMI FINAL victory over Avon like they’d won the state title and then laid an egg against an average Zionsville team a week later.

In 2020, they celebrated a regular season win over a Ben Davis team that won THREE games the previous season in the same way and then looked like a deer in headlights in the sectional title game against Carmel.

Not saying you have to act like you’ve been there before, but watch the college football playoff semifinals closely next time...

How the semifinal winners react after their victory can tell you a lot about what to expect in the title game.

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12 hours ago, DT said:

Did I overlook anyone, in your opinion?

The best team up that way this year might be a little 2A school

Considering you have Penn and Elkhart on the list, I would put Valparaiso, Merrillville, and Michigan City ahead of both of them. 

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7 minutes ago, DACNUT said:

Considering you have Penn and Elkhart on the list, I would put Valparaiso, Merrillville, and Michigan City ahead of both of them. 

Why?   Given the huge graduation losses at MV and VA?

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53 minutes ago, DACNUT said:

Considering you have Penn and Elkhart on the list, I would put Valparaiso, Merrillville, and Michigan City ahead of both of them. 

Sorry, after 2020 Merrillville has to earn their way back on to ANY list.  Transfers, D1 talent galore and got embarrassed on their home field in the semi state.

City and Valpo have shown well on the big stage recently, even in losses.  Merrillville doesn’t get that same benefit.

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-I believe Center Grove and Cathedral are hands down the two best teams with a considerable gap between the rest.

-Ben Davis is too low. Extremely young team last year and got off to a tough start with a bunch of COVID issues. Think they are biggest threat to Center Grove.

-Chatard loses a ton but that has never stopped them before. Would not be shocked to see them beat Roncalli.

-Bullish on Roncalli but Rodenberg has done a great job rebuilding that team and they will have a very good offensive line. Amazing that it takes an influx in talent down on the southside to get Cathedral back on the schedule. 2023 can't come soon enough, they are due for a whoopin. 

 

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10 minutes ago, temptation said:

Sorry, after 2020 Merrillville has to earn their way back on to ANY list.  Transfers, D1 talent galore and got embarrassed on their home field in the semi state.

City and Valpo have shown well on the big stage recently, even in losses.  Merrillville doesn’t get that same benefit.

The Chatard loss was particularly disappointing in my view.  MV looked bad in every facet of the game that night.  They had a chance to show what they could do on the big stage with lots of people watching, and they just laid an egg.  It goes to reinforce the narrative that the Pirates fold when they hit the big stage.  The label sticks.  They wont shake it until they get to the 6A title game.

 

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6 minutes ago, DT said:

The Chatard loss was particularly disappointing in my view.  MV looked bad in every facet of the game that night.  They had a chance to show what they could do on the big stage with lots of people watching, and they just laid an egg.  It goes to reinforce the narrative that the Pirates fold when they hit the big stage.  The label sticks.  They wont shake it until they get to the 6A title game.

 

Agreed.  No shame in LOSING to Chatard, but they were DOMINATED.

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