The first week of high school football is here!
This Friday night, high schools all over the state of Indiana will turn on the lights and kick-off a brand new season. Here are five things for northern Indiana fans to keep an eye on in 2011:
1. Mishawaka moves to Class 4A
The Cavemen have won the last two NIC titles and dethroned Penn as the team to beat in the NIC. Now, the 5A powerhouses no longer stand in between the Cavemen and winning a state title. Mishawaka has already won consecutive sectional crowns in class 5A. Would you expect any less from them now that they’re in a smaller class?
2. College-bound stars
There are several of them in the area, and South Bend Washington’s Gehrig Dieter might be the best of them all. Perhaps the most polished receiver in the entire state, he’s gotten the attention of some of the top football coaches in the country. Wisconsin wants him badly, and they’re the 10th ranked team in the country. I feel bad for the nine cornerbacks who get lined up against him on Friday nights this fall.
3. Can Craig Redman bring stability to South Bend Adams?
The current senior class at Adams is getting used to their 4th coach in four seasons. They deserve better, and hopefully they get it in Redman. It’s not gonna be an easy turnaround, for a program that’s hasn’t had a winning season in nearly 20 years. But the turnaround doesn’t need to be measured strictly in terms of wins and losses either. A coach who wants to be there and who’s committed to fixing things is a good start.
4. Several traditional powers are rebuilding
At programs like Jimtown and Plymouth, they don’t use words like rebuilding. So let’s just say I’m looking forward to these guys retooling. The Jimmies lost their entire offense and defensive line. Nevertheless, it’s almost impossible to imagine them not competing for another sectional crown isn’t? Plymouth’s senior class has experienced just six losses in their three years as Rockies. Just one problem: there’s only a handful of them. Plymouth has just seven starters back. And South Bend-St. Joe goes from the state title game to five starters returning. On that note, Mishawaka also has just five starters returning. It’s gonna be fun to watch these teams figure it out. They always seem to.
5. Friday Nights
Do you know what I’m most looking forward to? Friday nights. There’s nothing like football under the lights. The sounds. The smells. The passion and the excitement. And whether all of the things I just listed come to fruition – or none of `em – it’s still going to be fun to sit back and watch it unfold. Don’t forget to watch the highlights every week at 11:00 on WSBT Friday Night Fever. Are you ready for some football Michiana?
