The Indiana Football Digest's Insider – 2015 Volume Eight
By Paul Condry And Matt Kopsea
HOT OFF THE PRESS
The Tippecanoe Valley football family suffered a pair of losses this past Friday with the passing of former head coaches Charlie Smith and Scott Bibler. Smith, his son Scott Smith, Bibler, and Warsaw businessman and sprint car driver Tony Elliott were killed in a plane crash en route to the Notre Dame vs. Clemson football game. The single engine plane crashed on the South Carolina side of Lake Hartwell in Oconee County and was found on the Georgia-South Carolina border. Charlie Smith was the program's first coach in 1975 and stayed on until 1989, compiling an 88-18 mark. He led the Vikings to the 1977 Class A state runner-up and 1979 Class A state title. Bibler finished with a 99-77 record during his stints from 1990-2005 and 2014.
The Heritage Hills and Tell City communities were both grieving with the passing of Don Hitz last week. Hitz was the head coach at Tell City during the 2008 and 2009 campaigns where he compiled a 3-18 mark and most recently was the freshman coach at Heritage Hills.
Delta's Grant Zgunda earned his 200th coaching victory in the Eagles' 28-20 decision over Pendleton Heights.
Roger Dodson of Greenfield-Central picked up his 100th coaching win as the Cougars edged Yorktown, 14-13.
Linton-Stockton was forced to forfeit its 45-0 victory over North Daviess for the use of an ineligible player. The Miners had their 13-game regular season winning streak snapped in the process.
Concord snapped Plymouth's 18-game regular season and 14-game Northern Lakes Conference winning streak with a 35-6 triumph at the Rock Pile.
Defending Class 4A state champion New Palestine extended its school-record winning streak to 22 games with a 45-0 blanking of previously unbeaten Shelbyville.
Sullivan ended South Putnam's 15-game West Central-Western Indiana Conference winning streak with a 42-34 triumph.
TOURNEY TIME
The pairings for the 43th annual Indiana High School Athletic Association Football Tournament Series will be unveiled on Sunday, October 11 starting at 5 p.m. EDT. It will be televised on Fox Sports Indiana and broadcast on the IHSAA Champions Radio Network. Sectional action around the state gets underway on October 23.
AWARDS GALORE
The 2016 Griddys Awards program will take place on Sunday, March 20, 2016 at the Indianapolis Colts' Indiana Farm Bureau Center. There will be more details coming on the ninth annual affair that celebrates the heroes and champions of the 2015 Indiana high school football campaign
OFF AND RUNNING
These coaches earned their first win at their new place of employment.
Grant Lewis – Franklin Central (27-14 over Bloomington North)
Andy Mappes – Indianapolis Washington (34-20 over Rock Creek Academy)
Josh Teague – Tell City (25-19 over North Posey)
HIGHS AND LOWS
Here is the last time these clubs started 7-0
Adams Central (1999), Bloomington South (2000), Center Grove (2007), Columbus East (2014), Eastbrook (2010), Evansville Mater Dei (2014), Evansville Reitz (2014), Fort Wayne Snider (2012), Gibson Southern (2013), Kokomo (2010), Lafayette Central Catholic (2011), Lowell (2009), New Palestine (2014), North Harrison (first time), North White (1999) Northfield (first time), Northview (2006), Pioneer (2011), Tri-Central (2012), West Lafayette (2013), West Washington (1994), Wheeler (2011), Woodlan (1973).
Here is the last time these clubs opened 0-7
Blackford (2012), Centerville (1992), Clarksville (2013), Cloverdale (2012), Fort Wayne Wayne (2011), Frontier (0-6-2012), Hammond Bishop Noll (2001), Hammond Clark (2004), Indianapolis Marshall (first time), Lake Station (2009), Madison (2010), Manchester (1995) Marion (1978), Martinsville (first time), North Central (Indianapolis) (2014), Norwell (2012), Portage (1965), Prairie Heights (2014), Riverton Parke (2014), South Bend Clay (1984), South Bend Riley (2004), Switzerland County (first time), West Central (1994), West Noble (2007), Wood Memorial (2014).
UPS AND DOWNS
LONGEST CURRENT WINNING STREAKS
New Palestine has won 22 games in a row.
LONGEST CURRENT LOSING STREAKS
Riverton Parke has 25 straight setbacks.
North Central (Indianapolis) and Wood Memorial have 18 straight losses
Cloverdale and South Bend Riley have lost 16 games in a row.
Frontier and Clarksville have a 12-game losing streak.
Hammond Bishop Noll has lost 11 straight games.
Indianapolis Marshall, Portage, and West Central have dropped 10 straights contests.
CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON WINS
Columbus East 41, New Palestine 25, Evansville Mater Dei 24, Pioneer 15, Eastern Hancock 13, Center Grove 12, Wheeler 12, Bloomington South 11, Tri-Central 11, Gibson Southern 10, Northfield 10, Northview 10, West Lafayette 10, Kokomo 8, North White 8, Woodlan 8, Adams Central 7, Eastbrook 7, Evansville Reitz 7, Fort Wayne Snider 7, Lafayette Central Catholic 7, North Harrison 7. West Washington 7.
CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON LOSSES
Riverton Parke 23,* *Marion 22, North Central (Indianapolis) 16, Wood Memorial 16, Cloverdale 15, South Bend Riley 15, Clarksville 11, Frontier 11, Hammond Bishop Noll 10, Indianapolis Marshall 9, Norwell 9, Portage 9, West Central 9, Centerville 8, Hammond Clark 8, Manchester 8, Prairie Heights 8, Fort Wayne Wayne 7, Lake Station 7, Martinsville 7, South Bend Clay 7, Switzerland County 7, West Noble 7.
LONGEST CURRENT CONFERENCE WINNING STREAKS
Columbus East has run off 61 consecutive Hoosier Hills Conference games.
Penn has won 29 straight Northern Indiana Conference games.
East Central has won 28 straight Eastern Indiana Conference games.
North Vermillion has won 27consecutive Wabash River Conference games.
Evansville Mater Dei has won 19 straight Southern Indiana Conference contests.
New Palestine has won 18 Hoosier Heritage Conference contests.
Northeastern has captured 15 straight Tri-Eastern Conference games.
LONGEST CURRENT CONFERENCE LOSING STREAKS
Riverton Parke has lost 35 consecutive Wabash River Conference games.
Cloverdale has run off 24 straight West Central/Western Indiana Conference losses.
Washington has suffered 24 straight Big Eight Conference losses.
Park Tudor has dropped 20 consecutive Indiana Crossroads Conference games.
Marion has lost 20 North Central Conference games in a row.
Benton Central has lost 16 consecutive Hoosier Conference games.
North Central (Indianapolis) has dropped 15 Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference games in a row.
COACHING MILESTONES
CLOSING IN ON 400
Larry Wright (Sheridan) 394
CLOSING IN ON 300
Mike Gillin (Indian Creek) 296
CLOSING IN ON 100
Andy Dorrel (Culver Academy) 99
Chad Zolman (Homestead) 97
Andy Thomas (Angola) 97
Brian Glesing (Floyd Central) 95
John Barron (Plymouth) 94
