The Indiana Football Digest's Insider – 2015 Volume Nine
BY PAUL CONDRY AND MATT KOPSEA
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Northfield's dreams of its first unbeaten regular season took a severe hit this past week when the Norsemen were forced to forfeit wins over Peru, Southwood, Tippecanoe Valley, and Manchester for the use of an ineligible player. Following a 19-7 setback to Whitko, the Norsemen now stand at 3-5.
Brown County was forced to forfeit its 39-28 victory over Cloverdale on September 25 because of the use of an ineligible player. It marked the first win of the season for the Clovers and new coach Tony Meyer.
West Central ended its 10-game losing skid with a 26-0 blanking of Frontier.
Boone Grove snapped Wheeler's 12-game regular season winning streak with a 14-13 triumph.
TOURNEY TIME
The pairings for the 43th annual Indiana High School Athletic Association Football Tournament Series were unveiled on October 11. 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
HERE'S TO THE WINNERS
These teams have either clinched or earned a share of their respective conference championships. Bolded teams are outright champions.
Big Eight – Jasper
Central Indiana – Eastbrook
Conference Indiana - Bloomington South
Eastern Indiana (3A) – Batesville
Eastern Indiana (4A) - East Central
Great Lakes - Hammond Morton
Hoosier (East) - Hamilton Heights
Hoosier Crossroads - Hamilton Southeastern
Hoosier Heartland (East) - Tri-Central
Hoosier Heartland (West) - North White
Hoosier Heritage - New Palestine
Hoosier Hills - Columbus East
Hoosier North- Pioneer
Indiana Crossroads - Beech Grove
Metropolitan - Center Grove
Mid-Indiana Football - Eastern Hancock
Mid-Southern - North Harrison
Mid-State - Whiteland
Northeast Corner (Big) – Garrett and Fairfield
Northeast Corner (Small) - Eastside
Northeast 8 - Bellmont
Northern Indiana (North) – Penn
Northern Lakes – Concord
Northwest Crossroads – Lowell
Patoka Lake - West Washington
Pocket - Gibson Southern
Sagamore - Western Boone
Southwest - Eastern Greene
Three Rivers (North) – Whitko, Rochester, and Tippecanoe Valley
Three Rivers (South) – Peru and Southwood
Tri-Eastern - Northeastern
Wabash River - North Vermillion
Western Indiana (East) - Owen Valley
Western Indiana (West) - Northview
OFF AND RUNNING
These coaches earned their first win at their new place of employment.
Tony Meyer – Cloverdale (forfeit against Brown County)
Jeff Dorman – Anderson Prep Academy (34-0 over Indianapolis Tindley)
HIGHS AND LOWS
Here is the last time these clubs started 8-0: Adams Central (1999), Bloomington South (2000), Center Grove (2007), Columbus East (2014), Eastbrook (2010), Evansville Mater Dei (2014), Evansville Reitz (2014), Gibson Southern (2013), Kokomo (2010), Lafayette Central Catholic (2011), Lowell (2009), New Palestine (2014), North Harrison (first time), North White (1999), Northview (2006), Pioneer (2011), Tri-Central (2012), West Lafayette (2013), West Washington (1976), Woodlan (1973).
Here is the last time these clubs opened 0-8: Blackford (2012), Centerville (1992), Clarksville (2013), Fort Wayne Wayne (2011), Frontier (0-7-2012), Hammond Bishop Noll (2001), Hammond Clark (2004), Indianapolis Marshall (first time), Lake Station (2009), Madison (2010), Marion (first time), Martinsville (first time), North Central (Indianapolis) (2014), Norwell (2012), Portage (1965), Prairie Heights (2009), Riverton Parke (2014), South Bend Riley (2004), Switzerland County (first time), West Noble (2007), Wood Memorial (2014).
UPS AND DOWNS
LONGEST CURRENT WINNING STREAKS
New Palestine has won 23 games in a row.
LONGEST CURRENT LOSING STREAKS
Riverton Parke has 26 straight setbacks.
North Central (Indianapolis) and Wood Memorial have 19 straight losses
Cloverdale has lost 17 straight games on the field.
South Bend Riley has a 17-game losing streak.
Frontier and Clarksville have a 13-game losing streak.
Hammond Bishop Noll has lost 12 straight games.
Indianapolis Marshall and Portage have dropped 11 straights contests.
CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON WINS
Columbus East 42, New Palestine 26, Evansville Mater Dei 25, Pioneer 16, Eastern Hancock 14, Center Grove 13, Bloomington South 12, Tri-Central 12, Gibson Southern 11, Northview 11, West Lafayette 11, Kokomo 9, North White 9, Woodlan 9, Adams Central 8, Eastbrook 8, Evansville Reitz 8, Lafayette Central Catholic 8, Lowell 8, North Harrison 8, West Washington 8.
CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON LOSSES
Riverton Parke 24,* *Marion 23, North Central (Indianapolis) 17, Wood Memorial 17, #Cloverdale 16, South Bend Riley 16, Clarksville 12, Frontier 12, Hammond Bishop Noll 11, Indianapolis Marshall 10, Norwell 10, Portage 10, Centerville 9, Hammond Clark 9, Prairie Heights 9, Fort Wayne Wayne 8, Lake Station 8, Martinsville 8, Madison 8, Switzerland County 8, West Noble 8. #-on the field
LONGEST CURRENT CONFERENCE WINNING STREAKS
Columbus East has run off 62 consecutive Hoosier Hills Conference games.
Penn has won 30 straight Northern Indiana Conference games.
East Central has won 28 straight Eastern Indiana Conference games.
North Vermillion has won 28 consecutive Wabash River Conference games.
Evansville Mater Dei has won 20 straight Southern Indiana Conference contests.
New Palestine has won 19 Hoosier Heritage Conference contests.
Northeastern has captured 16 straight Tri-Eastern Conference games.
LONGEST CURRENT CONFERENCE LOSING STREAKS
Riverton Parke has lost 36 consecutive Wabash River Conference games.
Cloverdale has run off 25 straight West Central/Western Indiana Conference losses on the field.
Washington has suffered 25 straight Big Eight Conference losses.
Park Tudor has dropped 21 consecutive Indiana Crossroads Conference games.
Marion has lost 21 North Central Conference games in a row.
Benton Central has lost 17 consecutive Hoosier Conference games.
North Central (Indianapolis) has dropped 16 Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference games in a row.
COACHING MILESTONES
CLOSING IN ON 400:Larry Wright (Sheridan) 395
CLOSING IN ON 300:Mike Gillin (Indian Creek) 297
CLOSING IN ON 200:Mark Bless (Avon) 195, Kevin O'Shea (Lafayette Central Catholic) 195
CLOSING IN ON 100:Andy Dorrel (Culver Academy) 99, Chad Zolman (Homestead) 98, Andy Thomas (Angola) 97, Brian Glesing (Floyd Central) 95, John Barron (Plymouth) 95, Tom Dilley (Guerin Catholic) 95, Mike Roeder (Northeastern) 95
