It's a new season, everybody starts 0-0, we get a clean slate. This is the time of the year when high school football coaches try to downplay the significance of what happened during the regular season and get their players focused on the post-season. Coaches of teams who finish unbeaten try to get their kids to put those accomplishments aside, while those who did not meet expectations, emphasize how much improvement can be made in the playoffs.
While I am certainly looking forward to the IHSAA Football State tournament, I must take a look back at the final week of the regular season, some impressive performances by a couple teams, some surprise seasons by a few others.
Time for the Week 9 Edition of the Football Friday Rewind:
Martinsville's Major Improvement: Anytime you can win 5 more games than the previous season, you've done something right. When you mention Martinsville football to most area fans, the first name that probably comes to mind is Earl Haniford. I know, it's hard to believe that his last high school football season was 14 years ago! (Mine also) Haniford's 11,110 yards is currently second most in state history (behind Evansville Mater Dei's Jake Schiff, who I covered at Indiana State)
Anyways, enough about the past, these Artesians are a force to be reckoned with in the present. Fred Kutruff's next victory will be the 100th of his coaching career, but even more remarkable is the job he's done in his third season at Martinsville. The Artesians won two games in 2007, three in 2008, but posted an 8-1 regular season record this season. While the Arties have their work cut out for them, participating in Class 5A, it should be interesting to see if they can make some noise in the highly competitive and wide-open Sectional 7.
Not Just a Tennis School: Speaking of 5-win improvements, props to the Park Tudor Panthers. They put on quite a show for Ken Sothman and D.J. Zaccagnini during Week 4, an impressive 40-18 victory at Lapel. Park Tudor failed to win a single game in 2008. They finished the 2009 season with a winning record (5-4). While they did encounter a rocky road after starting 4-1, then losing three straight, Park Tudor rallied for a 36-16 victory over Shenandoah on Senior night. It will be difficult for the Panthers to finish the season with a winning record, they travel to Heritage Christian in a Sectional 29 opener.
When you mention Park Tudor this week, we are obligated to congratulate the Panther Tennis team. The Boys won the schools' seventh state championship. Ken Sothman provides as extensive of IHSAA Tennis coverage as you'll find anywhere. Perhaps that positive Park Tudor momentum spur the football team on to a post-season upset on Friday.
Tradition Never Graduates: I remember talking to a Carmel Assistant coach during the summer. I was asking him if he thought it might be a rebuilding season. He didn't take too kindly to that question. Shame on me for assuming that just because Morgan Newton and a strong senior class had graduated, that the Greyhounds would come back to the pack. The 2009 Carmel Greyhound accomplished something Newton never could. They did something no Carmel team had done since the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference was formed back in 2006. They finished conference play undefeated.
Each of the last two seasons, Carmel lost in the season finale to Ben Davis. The Giants were primed for another upset, but the Carmel defense turned in yet another dominant performance, a 21-7 championship clinching victory. Coach Mo Moriarity's team doesn't have quite as easy a road through the sectionals as they did the last two years (Fishers & HSE are quality competition) but you have to say the Greyhounds are the favorite to advance through the North and play at Lucas Oil Stadium Thanksgiving weekend. Forgive me Coach Mo, I'm never doubting you again.
My Kind of Football: Because of IU's Midnight Madness and some staffing shortages, I dusted off the camera and shot highlights of a couple games this past Friday. Even though occasionally people wonder why I'm running a camera instead of landing in a helicopter throwing t-shirts, it's really no big deal. I've shot plenty of high school football in my 9-year television career, and almost feel like I'm part of the action more when I'm shooting rather than just standing taking notes.
While I did enjoy my time at Broad Ripple's IPSAC clinching victory over Tech, my second stop was the truly entertaining game. When I arrived at Heritage Christian High School, the score was 14-14 with just over 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.
To give you a brief idea of the way we think when covering multiple games, I knew I wanted to get a couple of highlights before halftime, because it would be much better if I could leave at halftime in order to get back to the station to edit the highlights and help answer the phones prior to the 10:35 start of Football Friday Night. Heritage Chrsitian and Cardinal Ritter obliged in every way.
Heritage Christian kicker Alex Butterworth started my highlights with an impressive 39-yard field goal. Ritter followed with a long drive, capped off by a Michael Timko touchdown. HC took the lead back when Austin Olvey scores on a fourth down conversion. Then, with a couple minutes to go, the Raiders marched back down the field and scored on another Timko TD run. Heritage Christian almost got close enough for a Hail Mary pass, but to ask for that would have been greedy on my part.
The only thing I was upset about was the fact I had to leave. That is the kind of game I would've loved to just sat in the stands and watched as a fan. I definately love my job on Friday's, but some games are too good to only watch for a quarter. Perhaps I can be on the assignment in two weeks if the Eagles and Raiders meet again.
What about Cathedral and Chatard? I will admit, Football Friday night has had a bit of an empty feeling the last couple of weeks. We've given the Trojans and Irish a break because we're fully expecting to see quite a bit from them in the next couple months. Chatard is the clear favorite to win the Class 3A South Semi-State, while Cathedral is the prohibitive favorite to win the Class 4A State title. Don't worry CYO football fans, we'll be showing Chatard and Cathedral football very soon, and likely won't stop until Thanksgiving weekend.
While we're talking about the State Finals, how about some very EARLY Championship predictions:
Class A Pioneer The best match-up of the opening week of the Sectionals is in Class A where #1 Lafayette Central Catholic hosts #2 Pioneer. Both have been dominant every single game. The Knights do get the added advantage of playing at home, but something tells me we'll have a repeat of 1997 when the Panthers won the Class A State Championship.
Class 2A Heritage Christian Those who watched the entire Ritter-HC game might think I'm crazy. However, quite a few times I've seen the winner of a regular season game lose the rematch in the post-season. I think perhaps Ron Qualls and Kevin Wright were saving something Friday night. Major props to Ritter and Ty Hunt, but I think the defending 2A champions
Class 3A Chatard The Trojans were upset in the Semi-State last year by Evansville Memorial, who went on to lose to upstart Bellmont in the State Finals. While the Braves returned most of their key players, they finished the regular season with a loss to East Noble and have a 6-3 record. I think Bellmont might be able to pull it together and make another run, but if Ari Pappas and company advance to Lucas Oil Stadium, I think the Trojans will be the ones celebrating a championship.
Class 4A Cathedral The Irish are the only team to have beaten Carmel this season. They also knocked off 5A contender Warren Central. If they played 5A football, they would be the favorite. As it stands, everyone else in Class 4A is playing for second.
Class 5A Warren Central I've thought long and hard about this one. I started the year thinking Ben Davis, but the Giants just haven't had the season many would've expected. I'm not doubting Carmel, but think the champion will come from the South Semi-State. Second-ranked Columbus East is probably a year away. In the end, talent will prevail and the Warriors claim the 5A trophy.
Don't Forget Football Friday Night on Fox 59 at 10:35. We look forward to some outstanding action in the first week of the 2009 IHSAA State Tournament.
While I am certainly looking forward to the IHSAA Football State tournament, I must take a look back at the final week of the regular season, some impressive performances by a couple teams, some surprise seasons by a few others.
Time for the Week 9 Edition of the Football Friday Rewind:
Martinsville's Major Improvement: Anytime you can win 5 more games than the previous season, you've done something right. When you mention Martinsville football to most area fans, the first name that probably comes to mind is Earl Haniford. I know, it's hard to believe that his last high school football season was 14 years ago! (Mine also) Haniford's 11,110 yards is currently second most in state history (behind Evansville Mater Dei's Jake Schiff, who I covered at Indiana State)
Anyways, enough about the past, these Artesians are a force to be reckoned with in the present. Fred Kutruff's next victory will be the 100th of his coaching career, but even more remarkable is the job he's done in his third season at Martinsville. The Artesians won two games in 2007, three in 2008, but posted an 8-1 regular season record this season. While the Arties have their work cut out for them, participating in Class 5A, it should be interesting to see if they can make some noise in the highly competitive and wide-open Sectional 7.
Not Just a Tennis School: Speaking of 5-win improvements, props to the Park Tudor Panthers. They put on quite a show for Ken Sothman and D.J. Zaccagnini during Week 4, an impressive 40-18 victory at Lapel. Park Tudor failed to win a single game in 2008. They finished the 2009 season with a winning record (5-4). While they did encounter a rocky road after starting 4-1, then losing three straight, Park Tudor rallied for a 36-16 victory over Shenandoah on Senior night. It will be difficult for the Panthers to finish the season with a winning record, they travel to Heritage Christian in a Sectional 29 opener.
When you mention Park Tudor this week, we are obligated to congratulate the Panther Tennis team. The Boys won the schools' seventh state championship. Ken Sothman provides as extensive of IHSAA Tennis coverage as you'll find anywhere. Perhaps that positive Park Tudor momentum spur the football team on to a post-season upset on Friday.
Tradition Never Graduates: I remember talking to a Carmel Assistant coach during the summer. I was asking him if he thought it might be a rebuilding season. He didn't take too kindly to that question. Shame on me for assuming that just because Morgan Newton and a strong senior class had graduated, that the Greyhounds would come back to the pack. The 2009 Carmel Greyhound accomplished something Newton never could. They did something no Carmel team had done since the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference was formed back in 2006. They finished conference play undefeated.
Each of the last two seasons, Carmel lost in the season finale to Ben Davis. The Giants were primed for another upset, but the Carmel defense turned in yet another dominant performance, a 21-7 championship clinching victory. Coach Mo Moriarity's team doesn't have quite as easy a road through the sectionals as they did the last two years (Fishers & HSE are quality competition) but you have to say the Greyhounds are the favorite to advance through the North and play at Lucas Oil Stadium Thanksgiving weekend. Forgive me Coach Mo, I'm never doubting you again.
My Kind of Football: Because of IU's Midnight Madness and some staffing shortages, I dusted off the camera and shot highlights of a couple games this past Friday. Even though occasionally people wonder why I'm running a camera instead of landing in a helicopter throwing t-shirts, it's really no big deal. I've shot plenty of high school football in my 9-year television career, and almost feel like I'm part of the action more when I'm shooting rather than just standing taking notes.
While I did enjoy my time at Broad Ripple's IPSAC clinching victory over Tech, my second stop was the truly entertaining game. When I arrived at Heritage Christian High School, the score was 14-14 with just over 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.
To give you a brief idea of the way we think when covering multiple games, I knew I wanted to get a couple of highlights before halftime, because it would be much better if I could leave at halftime in order to get back to the station to edit the highlights and help answer the phones prior to the 10:35 start of Football Friday Night. Heritage Chrsitian and Cardinal Ritter obliged in every way.
Heritage Christian kicker Alex Butterworth started my highlights with an impressive 39-yard field goal. Ritter followed with a long drive, capped off by a Michael Timko touchdown. HC took the lead back when Austin Olvey scores on a fourth down conversion. Then, with a couple minutes to go, the Raiders marched back down the field and scored on another Timko TD run. Heritage Christian almost got close enough for a Hail Mary pass, but to ask for that would have been greedy on my part.
The only thing I was upset about was the fact I had to leave. That is the kind of game I would've loved to just sat in the stands and watched as a fan. I definately love my job on Friday's, but some games are too good to only watch for a quarter. Perhaps I can be on the assignment in two weeks if the Eagles and Raiders meet again.
What about Cathedral and Chatard? I will admit, Football Friday night has had a bit of an empty feeling the last couple of weeks. We've given the Trojans and Irish a break because we're fully expecting to see quite a bit from them in the next couple months. Chatard is the clear favorite to win the Class 3A South Semi-State, while Cathedral is the prohibitive favorite to win the Class 4A State title. Don't worry CYO football fans, we'll be showing Chatard and Cathedral football very soon, and likely won't stop until Thanksgiving weekend.
While we're talking about the State Finals, how about some very EARLY Championship predictions:
Class A Pioneer The best match-up of the opening week of the Sectionals is in Class A where #1 Lafayette Central Catholic hosts #2 Pioneer. Both have been dominant every single game. The Knights do get the added advantage of playing at home, but something tells me we'll have a repeat of 1997 when the Panthers won the Class A State Championship.
Class 2A Heritage Christian Those who watched the entire Ritter-HC game might think I'm crazy. However, quite a few times I've seen the winner of a regular season game lose the rematch in the post-season. I think perhaps Ron Qualls and Kevin Wright were saving something Friday night. Major props to Ritter and Ty Hunt, but I think the defending 2A champions
Class 3A Chatard The Trojans were upset in the Semi-State last year by Evansville Memorial, who went on to lose to upstart Bellmont in the State Finals. While the Braves returned most of their key players, they finished the regular season with a loss to East Noble and have a 6-3 record. I think Bellmont might be able to pull it together and make another run, but if Ari Pappas and company advance to Lucas Oil Stadium, I think the Trojans will be the ones celebrating a championship.
Class 4A Cathedral The Irish are the only team to have beaten Carmel this season. They also knocked off 5A contender Warren Central. If they played 5A football, they would be the favorite. As it stands, everyone else in Class 4A is playing for second.
Class 5A Warren Central I've thought long and hard about this one. I started the year thinking Ben Davis, but the Giants just haven't had the season many would've expected. I'm not doubting Carmel, but think the champion will come from the South Semi-State. Second-ranked Columbus East is probably a year away. In the end, talent will prevail and the Warriors claim the 5A trophy.
Don't Forget Football Friday Night on Fox 59 at 10:35. We look forward to some outstanding action in the first week of the 2009 IHSAA State Tournament.
