IMG-Ben Davis: Why is this game being played?

[Footballking16]

Just scoured through On3 recruiting rankings and for the life of me cannot figure out why this game is being played. 

IMG currently has 10 seniors who are 4 and 5* recruits and another 8 juniors who are either 4 or 5* in their respective classes. I stopped looking at recruits ranked past 300 nationally but would imagine there's at least another 10-15 kids in both the 2024 and 2025 classes who hold committable offers to more than at least 1 P5 school. 

Ben Davis has one kid, Mark Zackery a JR, who is rated in the top 1000 nationally (171 in the class of 2025) in either class who I'm guessing would be a special teams player at IMG at this point in his career. 

Is this game being televised? 

[AllGutsNoGlory]

Because the game was scheduled and BD accepted. Why is this such a big deal they are kids at the end of the day you act like they are playing kids much older than them at the end of the day it's a game. Mark would be more than just a special teams player 🤣

[Impartial_Observer]

Because it’s on the schedule. 

[Donnie Baker]

Because the Giants aren’t wussies and they’ll say it right to your face 

[Footballking16]

1 hour ago, Impartial_Observer said:

Because it’s on the schedule. 

I’m aware. Why was it scheduled?

[Coach Dowell]

If you wanna BE somebody you gotta BEAT somebody!

[BTF]

8 hours ago, Coach Dowell said:

If you wanna BE somebody you gotta BEAT somebody!

Beating somebody might entail beating Center Grove, not the Dream Team of high school football (an all star team put together with kids from all over). It's not exactly "our community vs yours." This game screams mercy rule in the 3rd quarter. Credit to the Ben Davis coaches and administration for going all in though. 

[temptation]

15 minutes ago, BTF said:

Beating somebody might entail beating Center Grove, not the Dream Team of high school football (an all star team put together with kids from all over). It's not exactly "our community vs yours." This game screams mercy rule in the 3rd quarter. Credit to the Ben Davis coaches and administration for going all in though. 

Agree on all points.

I’ll ask a similar question as I did in the Warren/Snider thread…

Ben Davis keeps this game within XX points and can walk away with their head held high?

Also, excuse my lack of knowledge but since this contest is on Indiana soil it’ll be played with the IHSAA mercy rule specifics in place?

[BTF]

30 minutes ago, temptation said:

I’ll ask a similar question as I did in the Warren/Snider thread…

By the way, my number in that game is down to 10. Make no mistake, Snider is planning on winning that football game.

Ben Davis is being thrown into a no win situation. I think the Giants can chalk it up as a HUGE win if they can stay withing three touchdowns. They can leave with their heads held high if they lose by 63. I would say they could lose by 70 and still be considered contenders for the 6A title. The Warriors will feel like a cupcake game a week later when they play them. 

[Footballking16]

47 minutes ago, temptation said:

Ben Davis keeps this game within XX points and can walk away with their head held high?

I think if Ben Davis can muster more than 100 yards of total offense and/or score (while IMG still has their 1st/2nd team in) that's something they can always hang their hat on.

This game has 42/49-0 nothing at half written all over it with IMG deciding how professional they are in the second half.

I think the biggest win for Ben Davis would be IMG leaving town without poaching someone like Mark Zackery for next year.

 

[BTF]

54 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

I think if Ben Davis can muster more than 100 yards of total offense and/or score (while IMG still has their 1st/2nd team in) that's something they can always hang their hat on.

This game has 42/49-0 nothing at half written all over it with IMG deciding how professional they are in the second half.

I think the biggest win for Ben Davis would be IMG leaving town without poaching someone like Mark Zackery for next year.

 

Hard to debate any of that. Will IMG be promoting their brand when they come to Indy for the purpose of recruitment? I think we'd be naive to think otherwise. I think word has gotten out that certain areas of Indiana are more than just a basketball state. 

[Footballking16]

8 minutes ago, BTF said:

Hard to debate any of that. Will IMG be promoting their brand when they come to Indy for the purpose of recruitment? I think we'd be naive to think otherwise. I think word has gotten out that certain areas of Indiana are more than just a basketball state. 

I know there are certain high school state athletic associations who have barred their teams from playing schools like IMG for this exact purpose, Georgia specifically. I think Texas in another. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Footballking16

[Footballking16]

11 hours ago, Coach Dowell said:

If you wanna BE somebody you gotta BEAT somebody!

Beating IMG and winning the 6A title aren't mutually exclusively. You could take the top 70 players in Indiana, form an all-star team, and they still wouldn't come within 3 TDs of IMG. The talent disparity between IMG and Indiana, let alone just Ben Davis, is on a different planet. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Footballking16

[foxbat]

1 hour ago, Footballking16 said:

I think if Ben Davis can muster more than 100 yards of total offense and/or score (while IMG still has their 1st/2nd team in) that's something they can always hang their hat on.

This game has 42/49-0 nothing at half written all over it with IMG deciding how professional they are in the second half.

I think the biggest win for Ben Davis would be IMG leaving town without poaching someone like Mark Zackery for next year.

 

IMG's new board has indicated that it's not taking one-semester transfers anymore, so IMG's "poaching" would be limited to current sophomores and freshmen.

[BLACKGOLD2007]

I have seen my share of lopsided defeats, mainly to MIC/central Indiana schools. Ben Davis being one of them. 

Warren and Carmel coached by the same guy, decided to make a Joke of Penn in two state finals. It was ugly, it was also unnecessary. We don't get style points or a chance a national title amongst the other state title winners. Then Penn gets thumped by Ben Davis in state, the two head coaches are supposedly friends. We sit here and throw out words like professionalism, from my understanding, is the kids play the game, if our own coaches wont call of the dogs on our own state rivals, why should we expect and outsider to do so?

I don't think Ben Davis, Warren or Carmel have ever suffered embarrassment like that, but maybe they should.

It is one thing to score until half pull the starters and the back ups score....it is unprofessional to throw the ball up 35+ points in the second half with starters on the field. 

Sorry, I am coming off as a cry baby, but perspective helps....especially if you have never been handed your butt on a platter and then read on these very threads you don't deserve to play in games like that.

If Ben Davis holds IMG to less than 50 points, and scores more than once....great freaking game. But, if they get 50, 60 or 70 hung on them... I empathize with them....it sucks.

[foxbat]

51 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

I know there are certain high school state athletic associations who have barred their teams from playing schools like IMG for this exact purpose, Georgia specifically. I think Texas in another. 

Don't know about Texas unless it's just recently.  Back in 2015 or so, there were requests for Texas schools not to play IMG, but as recently as 2020, IMG had played Duncanville which was a Top-20 national team.

[Footballking16]

15 minutes ago, foxbat said:

IMG's new board has indicated that it's not taking one-semester transfers anymore, so IMG's "poaching" would be limited to current sophomores and freshmen.

Well in that case it's already a win for BD lol!

[temptation]

42 minutes ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

I have seen my share of lopsided defeats, mainly to MIC/central Indiana schools. Ben Davis being one of them. 

Warren and Carmel coached by the same guy, decided to make a Joke of Penn in two state finals. It was ugly, it was also unnecessary. We don't get style points or a chance a national title amongst the other state title winners. Then Penn gets thumped by Ben Davis in state, the two head coaches are supposedly friends. We sit here and throw out words like professionalism, from my understanding, is the kids play the game, if our own coaches wont call of the dogs on our own state rivals, why should we expect and outsider to do so?

I don't think Ben Davis, Warren or Carmel have ever suffered embarrassment like that, but maybe they should.

It is one thing to score until half pull the starters and the back ups score....it is unprofessional to throw the ball up 35+ points in the second half with starters on the field. 

Sorry, I am coming off as a cry baby, but perspective helps....especially if you have never been handed your butt on a platter and then read on these very threads you don't deserve to play in games like that.

If Ben Davis holds IMG to less than 50 points, and scores more than once....great freaking game. But, if they get 50, 60 or 70 hung on them... I empathize with them....it sucks.

Wow.  Folks on here with dire predictions.  I was gonna say 35, lol.

[BDGiant93]

It's my understanding that the previous BD HC, Jason Simmons, has a relationship with someone on the IMG staff. I believe that's what got the ball rolling. Listen, I don't know what's going to happen that night or if Ben Davis has any shot, but I think it speaks well for the program and for Indiana High School Football that IMG wanted to come and play here. I also know there has been tremendous interest in the game from not only BD folks. If the Giants get shellacked, it will be what many expect. If they are competitive, it will really show the team where they are against one of the country's best.

Edited August 9, 2023 by BDGiant93

[BDGiant93]

1 hour ago, BLACKGOLD2007 said:

Then Penn gets thumped by Ben Davis in state, the two head coaches are supposedly friends. We sit here and throw out words like professionalism, from my understanding, is the kids play the game, if our own coaches wont call of the dogs on our own state rivals, why should we expect and outsider to do so?

I don't think Ben Davis, Warren or Carmel have ever suffered embarrassment like that, but maybe they should.

It was 49-7 at the half in that game against Penn. If BD had left in Reese and the rest of the guys, it would have been MUCH worse. Should the Giants have benched everyone in the second quarter? I mean it was 28-7 after one. I mean, what do you want them to do? That team was one of the best ALL TIME in Indiana. Same for the Warren teams under Kevin Wright and Steve Tutsie that embarrassed everyone (including Ben Davis, 76-7, in '06).

As the 76-7 game and BD football history pre-1977 shows, the Giants have taken plenty of embarrassments...some fairly recently. The 2018 season wasn't fun at all. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by BDGiant93

[BTF]

1 hour ago, Footballking16 said:

You could take the top 70 players in Indiana, form an all-star team, and they still wouldn't come within 3 TDs of IMG. 

The whole state of Indiana? I was thinking an all-star team from just Indy and Fort Wayne could compete with IMG. Fort Wayne has their fair share already committed to Power Five programs. I haven't dug deep on this, I just have a hard time thinking they would lose by 3 touchdowns or more. 

[Footballking16]

5 minutes ago, BTF said:

The whole state of Indiana? I was thinking an all-star team from just Indy and Fort Wayne could compete with IMG. Fort Wayne has their fair share already committed to Power Five programs. I haven't dug deep on this, I just have a hard time thinking they would lose by 3 touchdowns or more. 

The whole state? Indiana as a whole has what, 5-6 guys a class who will play and contribute at major college football programs? Nearly all of IMG's entire 2 deep will have committable P5 offers (multiple) when all said and done. There will be guys standing on the sideline at IMG who won't play until the second half that will commit to SEC and B10 schools by the time they graduate. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Footballking16

[BTF]

2 minutes ago, BDGiant93 said:

It was 49-7 at the half in that game against Penn. 

That makes it even more unsportsmanlike if they threw the ball in the 3rd quarter. I could see on one had that you'd like to give your second stringer an opportunity to throw the ball in the state game, but damn. As a coach, I'm probably setting an example for the second stringer by telling him that were running out the clock. Call some QB runs if you want him to do more than just hand off the ball. 

It doesn't diminish my view of the great program that Ben Davis has built. But I could see how it might piss off a Penn fan. 

[BDGiant93]

2 minutes ago, BTF said:

That makes it even more unsportsmanlike if they threw the ball in the 3rd quarter. I could see on one had that you'd like to give your second stringer an opportunity to throw the ball in the state game, but damn. As a coach, I'm probably setting an example for the second stringer by telling him that were running out the clock. Call some QB runs if you want him to do more than just hand off the ball. 

It doesn't diminish my view of the great program that Ben Davis has built. But I could see how it might piss off a Penn fan. 

They scored 14 in the second half. That's it.

[BTF]

2 minutes ago, Footballking16 said:

The whole state? Indiana as a whole has what, 5-6 guys a class who will play major college football? Nearly all of IMG's entire 2 deep will have committable P5 offers (multiple) when all said and done. There will be guys standing on the sideline at IMG who won't play until the second half that will commit to SEC and B10 schools by the time they graduate. 

Snider and North Side alone have four players with Power Five offers. I'm counting 20 players from Indiana going to Power Five schools according to 24/7.