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SAC potential matchups


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13 minutes ago, BTF said:

Expose the SAC how?

I guess we all know that the SAC is the 3rd or 4th best football conference in state? I would think they can prove that on the field. I know they will not match the MIC, but hope they can be decent vs the HCC. Can the Duneland be considered the 3rd best in state over the SAC? Does the SIAC have a claim for the 4th spot, probably not at this point. Just hope the SAC can hold its own. 

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1 hour ago, psaboy said:

I guess we all know that the SAC is the 3rd or 4th best football conference in state? I would think they can prove that on the field. I know they will not match the MIC, but hope they can be decent vs the HCC. Can the Duneland be considered the 3rd best in state over the SAC? Does the SIAC have a claim for the 4th spot, probably not at this point. Just hope the SAC can hold its own. 

No. All the respect in the world for the Duneland, but I think the SAC holds onto the third position. 

The SAC will hold it's own. Westfield didn't exactly embarrass Carroll this year. I can't think of the last time Snider didn't at least put up a fight against Indianapolis. 

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Look for Snider to add a 6A powerhouse as that second non-conference game. And Carroll and Homestead both are not going to pass up the opportunity to schedule at the 6A level to prep them better for the postseason. 

Also, Bishop Dwenger may have already secured its two games, as it is now seeking JV and 9th grade games ONLY for 2023. 

Patience folks. We will see the top of the SAC play some big-time matchups. Coaches backing this new format want to be able to play big games against top teams in the state. As sexy as out of state games look, they do nothing to draw extra fans locally and fans don't travel well to the road games. And why play a team out of Ohio or Michigan to prep you for a Cathedral, Center Grove or Carmel when you can go schedule, oh I don't know, Cathedral, Center Grove and Carmel?

Suffice to say that the SAC squads, the majority anyway, have been answering a lot of phone calls the last week or two...

 

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39 minutes ago, Blitz said:

Look for Snider to add a 6A powerhouse as that second non-conference game. And Carroll and Homestead both are not going to pass up the opportunity to schedule at the 6A level to prep them better for the postseason. 

Also, Bishop Dwenger may have already secured its two games, as it is now seeking JV and 9th grade games ONLY for 2023. 

Patience folks. We will see the top of the SAC play some big-time matchups. Coaches backing this new format want to be able to play big games against top teams in the state. As sexy as out of state games look, they do nothing to draw extra fans locally and fans don't travel well to the road games. And why play a team out of Ohio or Michigan to prep you for a Cathedral, Center Grove or Carmel when you can go schedule, oh I don't know, Cathedral, Center Grove and Carmel?

Suffice to say that the SAC squads, the majority anyway, have been answering a lot of phone calls the last week or two...

 

Maybe I'm not the average fan. I'd jump at the chance to see some Ohio and Michigan football in person. That being said, there are plenty of good quality opponents in Indiana that our SAC schools to schedule games against. And I maintain that Fort Wayne vs Toledo could produce some rivalries 🙂

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29 minutes ago, BTF said:

Maybe I'm not the average fan. I'd jump at the chance to see some Ohio and Michigan football in person. That being said, there are plenty of good quality opponents in Indiana that our SAC schools to schedule games against. And I maintain that Fort Wayne vs Toledo could produce some rivalries 🙂

Part of the rationale with the new format was to pit the SAC against the best Indiana has to offer. I don't foresee teams in the SAC seeking out opponents outside of the state before they have exhausted all opportunities with teams inside Indiana that will give them a proper challenge. 

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49 minutes ago, Blitz said:

Part of the rationale with the new format was to pit the SAC against the best Indiana has to offer. I don't foresee teams in the SAC seeking out opponents outside of the state before they have exhausted all opportunities with teams inside Indiana that will give them a proper challenge. 

Absolutely. This is an epic move for the SAC. When it was announced that that new format was being discussed, lots of discussion ensued regarding the possibilities. There's no doubt that the state of Indiana is loaded with marquee programs outside of the SAC to match themselves against. And I get the idea that in-state games gives you a better evaluation of how you stack up against your playoff counterparts. That was the goal. Goal realized. Schedule the games. But the fans do appreciate the border wars..............for what it's worth. Looking forward to seeing who is matching up with who. Keep the updates rolling in!

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Also remember that during the time between Elmhurst/Harding out and Carroll/Homestead in, each team in the SAC had 2 non-conference openings but they were spread all over the schedule. One team it was Week 2 and 6. Another it was Weeks 4 and 5. 

Point being, with the new format having the non-conference weeks being the first two of the season, it makes it a lot easier to schedule Indiana opponents. 

While some of those Toledo Whitmer, Cincinnati LaSalle games were exciting to look at on the schedule, they basically came about because of the inability to find anyone in the state to play. 

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6 hours ago, Knightsfan_01 said:

I hear ya there.  I'm honestly surprised Snider scheduled EN so quickly. 

It looks like EN was one of many teams that they reached out to. The Knights jumped on it quickly and boom, one of the open weeks is secured. I imagine we'll come to find that the next opponent will be at the highest level of 5a or a 6a opponent from the Indy area. If that doesn't come to fruition, it's certainly not because Snider didn't reach out and try. 

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As a fan, I can see East Noble play anytime I want to.   Just to drive to Kendallville or wait for them to play locally here.   However, a chance to see Toledo Whitmer, Coldwater, or Marion Local play close would be nice.   In addition, why would you want to play an Indiana team that you may play again in the playoffs?     Sometimes it helps to think outside the box.

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6 hours ago, whiteshoes said:

As a fan, I can see East Noble play anytime I want to.   Just to drive to Kendallville or wait for them to play locally here.   However, a chance to see Toledo Whitmer, Coldwater, or Marion Local play close would be nice.   In addition, why would you want to play an Indiana team that you may play again in the playoffs?     Sometimes it helps to think outside the box.

Coaches are masters of preparation. To prepare for Westfield, for example, who do you think Homestead is better off playing in the regular season, Coldwater or Westfield? 

Like Blitz said earlier. This new format was not made to appease fans who want to see out-of-state matchups. It was to give SAC teams the ability to play in-state teams that will better prepare them for the postseason. 

You will only see inter-state matchups if a team was not able to find a suitable opponent in Indiana. 

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28 minutes ago, Blitz said:

Coaches are masters of preparation. To prepare for Westfield, for example, who do you think Homestead is better off playing in the regular season, Coldwater or Westfield? 

Like Blitz said earlier. This new format was not made to appease fans who want to see out-of-state matchups. It was to give SAC teams the ability to play in-state teams that will better prepare them for the postseason. 

You will only see inter-state matchups if a team was not able to find a suitable opponent in Indiana. 

To prepare for Westfield, they could schedule Lakewood St. Edward, Columbus Upper Arlington or one of the Cincinnati powerhouses.   Coldwater would be a good matchup for Luers, Concordia or Northside.    I understand Homestead or Carroll not wanting to schedule a Division VI or VII team but there are plenty of high quality opponents within the 300 mile travel limit.

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On 1/13/2022 at 5:25 PM, Prospect said:

East Noble and Snider will begin a 4 year contract starting August 25, 2023.

 

East Noble, under the leadership of Coach Amstutz, absolutely knows that this is a GREAT opportunity to prepare them for the juggernaut that the NE8 has/will be for seasons to come.  

For those that think this is a 'step back' for Snider....PULEEZE!   East Noble is formidable is every way!  

I would suspect that other NE8 schools will choose to play SAC schools in the 2 'free weeks' and we can see cross-conference rivalries flourish in NE Indiana.  

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36 minutes ago, Yuccaguy said:

For those that think this is a 'step back' for Snider....PULEEZE!   East Noble is formidable is every way!   

Who said it was a step back? I don't recall anyone saying that. I do recall a couple of posters saying they were surprised. I don't think anyone was expecting a 4a school. But hey, I'm sure the Snider staff knows what they are doing. 

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3 hours ago, BTF said:

Who said it was a step back? I don't recall anyone saying that. I do recall a couple of posters saying they were surprised. I don't think anyone was expecting a 4a school. But hey, I'm sure the Snider staff knows what they are doing. 

I agree.  Perhaps I over-spoke in saying it was a step back.  

Coach Tippmann is well aware of what's best for the program.  And I am totally in step with this competition!  

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On 1/17/2022 at 6:05 PM, BTF said:

Who said it was a step back? I don't recall anyone saying that. I do recall a couple of posters saying they were surprised. I don't think anyone was expecting a 4a school. But hey, I'm sure the Snider staff knows what they are doing. 

I agree.  It was a great get for EN to get Snider on the schedule for 4 years.  I know the coaching staffs of both teams have tremendous respect for each other so I knew this was a possibility.   I'm just surprised at how quickly it was announced, and wonder what other schools Snider had to consider. 

And like someone above said I would expect Snider to now look for a bigger/tougher school to play in week 1.

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4 hours ago, Knightsfan_01 said:

I agree.  It was a great get for EN to get Snider on the schedule for 4 years.  I know the coaching staffs of both teams have tremendous respect for each other so I knew this was a possibility.   I'm just surprised at how quickly it was announced, and wonder what other schools Snider had to consider. 

And like someone above said I would expect Snider to now look for a bigger/tougher school to play in week 1.

I like what Luke Amstutz is doing at East Noble. Going after schools like Cathedral, Penn, Snider, and Warsaw goes to show that he's serious about building and maintaining a program. 

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Yeah I will chime in here that East Noble is no joke. They are as good of a program as any school Warsaw has scheduled in past years in their out of conference schedule. Part of me wishes that game could have stayed on the schedule for the foreseeable future while Warsaw shifted the other game to more of a rotating team, but I also like Warsaw's additions of Michigan City and Chesterton.

At the same time - just because Warsaw added a 6A Chesterton team doesn't mean the Tigers schedule is any better. One could argue over the last decade, 4A East Noble has been a much better program than Chesterton, so who is really making Warsaw better? The 4A Knights or 6A Trojans?

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2 hours ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Yeah I will chime in here that East Noble is no joke. They are as good of a program as any school Warsaw has scheduled in past years in their out of conference schedule. Part of me wishes that game could have stayed on the schedule for the foreseeable future while Warsaw shifted the other game to more of a rotating team, but I also like Warsaw's additions of Michigan City and Chesterton.

At the same time - just because Warsaw added a 6A Chesterton team doesn't mean the Tigers schedule is any better. One could argue over the last decade, 4A East Noble has been a much better program than Chesterton, so who is really making Warsaw better? The 4A Knights or 6A Trojans?

It looks like over the last decade they were about equal five years and EN the better team five years. East Noble is the better program it appears. For Warsaw, Chesterton is a step down. I'd like to hear thoughts from someone closer to the Duneland conference. HHF maybe. 

I think some Snider fans are wondering why they would schedule a program that would rank 5th or 6th in the SAC most years. That's not an attack on East Noble and it's a fair question. Snider, Dwenger, Homestead, Carroll, and Luers are pretty good programs.  Personally, I like the idea of playing East Noble as long as they pick up a 6a team or a strong 5a team as their other opponent. Another 4a program or a low 5a program would make this all for naught. If that were to happen, it certainly wouldn't be by design. Probably more of an indication that scheduling isn't as easy as we were hoping it would be. 

I have the upmost respect for what Amstutz has done with EN's program. I see the Knights as a team that will, at the minimum, maintain it's level of play or become widely considered one of the Top 5 programs in 4a. 

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5 minutes ago, BTF said:

It looks like over the last decade they were about equal five years and EN the better team five years. East Noble is the better program it appears. For Warsaw, Chesterton is a step down. I'd like to hear thoughts from someone closer to the Duneland conference. HHF maybe. 

I'd disagree with the equal part. Over the last 10 seasons, East Noble is 85-28, consistently competing for conference and sectional championships and a winning record every season. Granted, it was in 4A and in the Northeast 8/Hoosier conference, but during that same time frame, Chesterton has gone 54-51 overall, only 5 winning seasons and most years not competeing for a DAC championship. Again, I won't argue that 6A and the DAC are a step up in competition and skew Chesterton's "potential" and if you swapped the two teams situations who knows what it could look like.

5 minutes ago, BTF said:

I have the upmost respect for what Amstutz has done with EN's program. I see the Knights as a team that will, at the minimum, maintain it's level of play or become widely considered one of the Top 5 programs in 4a. 

This is mostly my point and I think you agree, so I'm sorry for beating a dead horse. Would the Panthers prefer scheduling another 5A or 6A school from Indy or the Region? Sure absolutely. But I think adding East Noble to their schedule is a VERY SOLID pick up and is a benefit for Snider. Personally I'm excited to see this matchup.

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Blitz thinks there is a lazy belief (of which this bear falls into sometimes) that a team from an equal or larger class automatically helps a team prepare for the playoffs. 

It's easy to say "Oh 6A Team A is gonna help get ready for the postseason." It's deeper than that in a lot of instances. 

Maybe a particular scheme needs to be seen to prep for the same challenge in the sectional. Perhaps your offensive line needs to see more in the way of physicality. Perhaps your kids play soft and need a punch in the gut so to speak from a program that is tough. 

A lot of times higher class = bigger challenge. But that's not 100%

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4 hours ago, Blitz said:

Maybe a particular scheme needs to be seen to prep for the same challenge in the sectional.

This 100%. 

There is a reason Warren Central scheduled Warsaw in 2024-2025. It gives them another look at a very run heavy team to help prepare for the inevitable matchup with Center Grove.

In the case of Snider, I imagine they are trying to accomplish the same thing. EN usually has a good mix of run/pass and 2023 (assuming nothing crazy happens) should be year 3 for their QB with a bunch of the upcoming Juniors/sophomores having some good varsity experience. Wouldn't be shocked to see this series end up 2-2 at the end of the 4 year contract.

On 1/19/2022 at 5:50 AM, BTF said:

I like what Luke Amstutz is doing at East Noble. Going after schools like Cathedral, Penn, Snider, and Warsaw goes to show that he's serious about building and maintaining a program. 

Quality guy and coach. He definitely has the kids bought in and isn't afraid to play anyone. I am sure he was very happy when Snider agreed to schedule them. 

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Blitz is hearing some things re: matchups. 

Look for Northrop to lock in Goshen and New Haven. 

Carroll is going big. Like BIG. Center Grove, Warren, HSE and Merrillville all on the table. Perhaps even Fishers. Obviously only two per year but the Chargers want to take advantage of the opportunity to schedule up. 

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