NLC - 2023 Season

[NRRaider2001]

We would like to invite all Northridge and Mishawaka fans to wear blue Friday night in honor of Eli Coryn our 17 year old junior Lacrosse player that lost his life after the Elkhart game this past weekend 😭

[PantherPride]

NLCTigerFan, I don’t think you’re off base by saying that about Northwood.   This is a put up or shut up year in Nappanee. Next year they will lose almost everyone making plays on offense and likely have a sophomore QB. So while they may still be good it won’t be a championship level team.  When you have a Senior QB, 20 seniors and 2 power 5 recruits on a team in northern Indiana it’s a year that you absolutely have to take advantage of. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by PantherPride

[NRRaider2001]

51 minutes ago, NRRaider2001 said:

We would like to invite all Northridge and Mishawaka fans to wear blue Friday night in honor of Eli Coryn our 17 year old junior Lacrosse player that lost his life after the Elkhart game this past weekend 😭

 

[NRRaider2001]

 

 

[Coach Lou]

Should be some really good games tonight in the NLC.

Northwood vs. Concord

Northridge vs. Mishawaka

Should be interesting to see who gets a leg up on the title chase.

Wawasee vs. Goshen should be interesting to see who can get their first win.

 

 

[NLCTigerFan07]

Really looking forward to see how the Northridge vs. Mishawaka game shakes out. I think that has the potential to be a really really good game. A true measuring stick for both teams.

I think NorthWood crushes Concord. The Minutemen are 2-0 this season, but I don't think Elkhart or Jimtown are going to end up being that good this year.

Toilet Bowl of the Year, part 1 tonight in the Maple City. Part 2 will take place next week in Syracuse. The trilogy ends September 29th in Plymouth.

Warsaw needs to make sure they play more disciplined football on the offensive side of the ball tonight. They should have no trouble with Plymouth, but if they keep putting the ball on the ground, who knows what can/will happen at that point. If they play clean, they'll win by multiple scores. If they stay sloppy, the Pilgrims just might hang around.

[PantherPride]

Northwood ends up winning in a blowout after things started out really shaky on defense. And I realize that the Panthers have weapons all over the field in the passing game, but it seemed like Northwood didn’t even pretend to care about trying to run the ball. Going to have to get something in the run game as it gets colder out. I wouldn’t count on Roeder passing for 400+ yards in November. 

[00NWP]

Only 1 real shocker to me last week.  I wasn't expecting the Mishawka / Northridge score.  The other games went pretty much as expected.  On to a week where I feel 3 of the 4 will be entertaining.

Concord at Warsaw: This game will test Warsaw's secondary and I feel we will know a lot more about their squad after Friday.  Concord played about as good as they could against NW's offense.  I feel like Warsaw being home will get that running game going and will win an entertaining game.  Warasaw 28 Concord 14

Goshen at Mishawaka: Its going to be a long season for the boys in Goshen.  Mishawaka had a great comeback game and took care of business against a good Northridge team. Its going to be a bad evening for Goshen.  Mishawaka 49 Goshen 0

Northridge at Northwood: Northridge's didn't fare well last week and will probably come back and give it their all this week (like Mishawaka after Penn).  NorthWood did what everyone thought they would last week at Concord.  This series is an interesting one, NorthWood typically has Northridge's number and then its vise virsa in the playoffs.  This year may be different as I don't see Northridge's secondary keeping up with NW's offense (and the weather is supposed to be great this Friday).  I think it will be a high scoring game as NW's run defense still suspect and NR will have some running success.  Ill take NW at home.  NW 49 NR 35

Plymouth at Wawasee: Two streaks will be lengthen...Wawasee will have a 2 game win streak and Plymouth will have a 3 game loosing streak.  I still feel as if this will be a close game.  I don't have a lot to say here other than I hope both teams make strides to get better! Wawasee 24 Plymouth 17

[Coach Lou]

Was shocked that the week 3 sinning margins were as big as they were. 

Not shocked with who won, but thought scores would be closer.

 

 

[NRRaider2001]

Last week was a very emotional week in Middlebury and we clearly had our heads elsewhere, that being said we didn't get it done and Mishawaka did what they needed to win. 

Hearing rumblings about us missing a key player for the next few weeks due to an injury. 

That being said, it's tough to defend the two Power 5 guys and their 5 yard screens that turn into 50yd touchdowns...

[NRRaider2001]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/910199443496643/permalink/1022181832298403/?mibextid=Nif5oz

On my Facebook group I shared some of the Nitro/JoJo highlights straight from their Instagram posts.  Feel free to check them out. 

[NLCTigerFan07]

Should honestly be a beautiful night of decent matchups.

Concord @ Warsaw - should be a telling game for each team. The Minutemen looked good the first quarter last week, but then NorthWood turned it on and never looked back. The Tiger defense has been stout, but they haven't exactly played any offensive powerhouses so far this season. Also, crazy that tonight is the first game at home for Warsaw. I'll take the Tigers by 10

Northridge @ NorthWood - The Raiders lost a tough one last week, and the Panthers are looking like the cream of the crop for both the NLC and 4A North. Northridge has had their number in the postseason each of the last two seasons, but this is a regular season matchup. Panthers by 28

Plymouth @ Wawasee - The last time the Pilgrims won an NLC game was 9/25/2020 against the Warriors. Meanwhile, Wawasee hasn't started 2-0 in NLC play since the 2003 season. Neither team's defense is very good, which could mean a lot points are scored in this game. I will take the home team Wawasee by 6

Goshen @ Mishawaka - not much to say about this game. The Cavemen get two weeks of warm-ups before back-to-back matchups against Warsaw and NorthWood. Staying healthy is the most important goal in this one. Give me Mishawaka by 21

[PantherPride]

Gotta say, last night was the first time in a couple of seasons that I’ve left a game going “what was that?” Credit to Northridge for hanging in there and capitalizing late. 
Maybe now the panther staff will get serious about developing a running game.  We went from having the ball in the red zone to go up 3 scores in the second half to missing a FG, giving up a drive and TD, pick, another drive andTD and pick to basically end the game. We looked completely lost in all phases of the game in the 4th quarter.  It’s a shame because they played really well up to that point and just lost focus. Maybe they can use that going forward. I’m also starting to think that Northridge has someone on staff dedicated to nothing but Northwood. Meyer did that at OSU for Michigan and Northridges game plan for the Panthers seems to always be what’s needed in the big games. 

[NRRaider2001]

[npcougar15]

Congrats to Northridge on the win, they seem to be a thorn in the panther's side as of late. Very impressive when you take into consideration NR was without their starting RB who's going to the best FCS program in the country. East Central appears to be on another level and will be the hands down favorite in Indianapolis if they make it there. But 4A north is shaping up to be an intriguing tournament. Northwood, Northridge, New Prairie, New Haven, Columbia City, Kokomo, East Noble, Hobart all seem to be challenging for that position to get to LOS

 

[00NWP]

Another week in the books for the NLC...My preview for Friday:

Goshen at Northridge:  Goshen lost...again...but on the bright side, they are not just rolling over.  They are making teams work.  Northridge played well last week against NW.  Not knowing a lot about NR this year, I would say once they get their RB back...they need to run off of the Left Tackle...every play...that lineman controlled everyone in front of him. I don't expect this game to be too close and probably a running clock at some point. NR 49 Goshen 14

Mishawaka at Plymouth: Plymouth on their way to a possible 3 win season!?  Not this game, but possibly this season.  I feel as if Mishawaka is now in position to win the NLC outright...I thought that at the start of the season, and still feel that way.  This game is probably the most lopsided of the week.  Mishawaka 49 Plymouth 3

NorthWood at Warsaw:  NorthWood played...well...an interesting game to say the least against NR.  While I am not going to arm chair any coaches or try to tell anyone how to coach a team...I just don't think running the ball 3-4 times a game is a good thing when it comes to balance.  Northridge did a good job of defending the passing game and capitalizing on turnovers.  Im interested in Warsaw...they don't score a lot however they also don't get scored on a lot.  This will be a telling game for NW to see how they handle "Bart Ball".  I don't think they will handle it well.  Im still picking NW in this game if their offense plays mistake free.  NW 35 Warsaw 21.

Wawasse at Concord: Not a whole lot to say about this game.  I see Concord winning with little to no problems.  Its going to be a long rest of the season for they boys in Syracuse...its getting colder, lake season is coming to an end, and they arn't beating anyone the rest of the season.  Concord 47 Wawasee 7

[Coach Lou]

Only competitive game this week is Northwood at Warsaw. Big contrast in styles. Air warfare vs. Ground attack.

My prediction is Northwood gets back to their winning ways. Look for their QB to rebound.

[PantherPride]

On 9/11/2023 at 8:53 AM, 00NWP said:

Another week in the books for the NLC...My preview for Friday:

Goshen at Northridge:  Goshen lost...again...but on the bright side, they are not just rolling over.  They are making teams work.  Northridge played well last week against NW.  Not knowing a lot about NR this year, I would say once they get their RB back...they need to run off of the Left Tackle...every play...that lineman controlled everyone in front of him. I don't expect this game to be too close and probably a running clock at some point. NR 49 Goshen 14

Mishawaka at Plymouth: Plymouth on their way to a possible 3 win season!?  Not this game, but possibly this season.  I feel as if Mishawaka is now in position to win the NLC outright...I thought that at the start of the season, and still feel that way.  This game is probably the most lopsided of the week.  Mishawaka 49 Plymouth 3

NorthWood at Warsaw:  NorthWood played...well...an interesting game to say the least against NR.  While I am not going to arm chair any coaches or try to tell anyone how to coach a team...I just don't think running the ball 3-4 times a game is a good thing when it comes to balance.  Northridge did a good job of defending the passing game and capitalizing on turnovers.  Im interested in Warsaw...they don't score a lot however they also don't get scored on a lot.  This will be a telling game for NW to see how they handle "Bart Ball".  I don't think they will handle it well.  Im still picking NW in this game if their offense plays mistake free.  NW 35 Warsaw 21.

Wawasse at Concord: Not a whole lot to say about this game.  I see Concord winning with little to no problems.  Its going to be a long rest of the season for they boys in Syracuse...its getting colder, lake season is coming to an end, and they arn't beating anyone the rest of the season.  Concord 47 Wawasee 7

I’m in the same boat. I hate to arm chair coach when I never played.  But I’ve felt for awhile that the offense is waaay too pass heavy to make a state title run when weather can turn later in the year. I get that it’s the strength of the team. But the Panther offensive staff has completely abandoned the run to the point you wonder if we are that bad at it or they just don’t see the need? I hope that Coach Andrews has sat down and had a discussion with his OC this week on how to find some balance. Don’t get me wrong, Owen is great. But I don’t like having that much of the team’s success on his shoulders. 

[PantherPride]

Not really anything competitive it sounds like tonight. For the most part that’s not too surprising. However, what happened down in Warsaw was. And I know it’s high school football being played by kids so I’ll restrain my thoughts. That said, I could see that happening if you waltzed in there undefeated thinking your stuff don’t stink and you get popped in the mouth. But this was after a loss. I was looking forward to seeing how this team responded to as and I got my answer…they didn’t.  After a loss we came out and committed 5 turnovers, nearly had the Warsaw single game rushing record set, gave up a TD in 17 seconds to end the half against a running team on a reverse! And gave up 45 points to a team that scored 35 points in 3 games combined and only 41 to Plymouth…they scored more than they did against the freakin Rockies!  We’ve been outscored 59-21 in the last 5 quarters and committed 8 turnovers in 6 quarters! This team is completely lost and if nothing changes will beat the cellar teams of the conference and that’s it. Rant over. 

[NLCTigerFan07]

Former Warsaw Tiger Harrison Mevis hits a 61-yarder at the buzzer to walk off an upset win for Mizzou. Sets an SEC record for longest FG in conference history.

[npcougar15]

While I wasn't 100% bought into the Northwood hype going into the season. I am surprised they are sitting at 3-2 and essentially eliminated from an NLC title 3 games into the conference season. I thought they'd be fine until the weather turns bad during the post-season, didn't think it would happen this early. It will be interesting to see what the Panthers are made of going forward. They have an opportunity to learn and grow from the early setbacks and use this as a wake-up call that leads to a nice playoff run (essentially reversing last years fortunes). Or have one of the biggest let-downs of a seasons I can remember from a Michiana area team. 

[ASJCPUMA]

Why does it seem that N'wood seems to have the team that could do things and something happens or goes array?  On paper they always look good and promising and then whether it be chemistry or other issues something happens and what was promising ends up no where near where near the potential.  This is just an observation.  You have take what potential there is and transform it to the field.  Just seems like something is lacking or missing.

[PantherPride]

That is the question isn’t it? Last year it was poor decisions by some important players. This year there’s a bunch of small issues that combined make for a mess when they don’t overwhelm the opponent in talent.  They have issues at center and cant consistently snap the ball well, they have issues in stopping the run on defense against everyone, they commit a lot of penalties and have had 9 turnovers in 2 games.  I’m refraining as well from giving out any other info I know about effort in practice from some of the important players. Definitely ot the recipe for a team that will have any sort of success unless major changes happen. Plenty of time to but since many of these issues were there earlier this year we just overlooked them cause they were beating down inferior teams, so I’m not overly optimistic. Not that we will get many answers with Plymouth, Goshen and wawasee coming up. Mishawaka will give us a glimpse of what postseason possibilities there are.

[00NWP]

This years NorthWood team is built like the early Manning years with the Colts.  They have to score a lot of points and get on top early as they will get scored on.  I believe I said this earlier in this thread, teams like Warsaw and Mishawaka will beat NorthWood and their undersized defense.  I will say against Warsaw, it was nice to see the defense move out of a 3 man front and start putting bodies on the los.  Looking to the rest of the season, they will have another loss to Mishawaka...beat Goshen, Wawasee and Plymouth.  The interesting thing will come during playoffs.  For a team people were picking to with the north...they have lots of teams who run their ball in their way.  In sectional 18, they will have to get by Northridge (which I think if they would have run the ball the 1st meeting...they would have won).  Then comes regionals...Sectional 17 has NP...while NP my be a bit down this year, they can still run that "bart ball" pretty good. Hobart runs that pigskin pretty good as well.  Then if some chance...they make it to the winners of 19 and 20...all of the top tier schools run the ball pretty good.  Its going to be a struggle for NorthWood in the playoffs this year.

Edited September 18, 2023 by 00NWP

[00NWP]

Annnndddd....here are my predictions for the week...I think there is only going to be 1 good game this week.  Maybe the most lopsided week of the year.

Concord at Goshen: While I am choosing Concord to win, I think Goshen has come along way and will keep it close...for a half.  I expect Concord to pull away in the 2nd half.  Concord 38 Goshen 17

Northridge at Wawasee: This game will have a running clock.  Not a whole lot more to say about this game.  Northridge 49 Wawasee 7

Plymouth at NorthWood: See previous comment above.  NorthWood 49 Plymouth 7

And the game that will decide the NLC!

Warsaw at Mishawaka: Both teams mirror one another in just about every aspect.  Warsaw capitalized on turnovers last week and ran all over NorthWood.  Mishawaka (other than the Penn game) has looked pretty good. This game could be a toss up however I think being at home will help.  Mishawaka 28 Warsaw 13