Aren’t you glad you live in Hamilton County? Really, as a high school sports fan is there any better place to be than here in Hamilton County?

This Saturday, weather permitting, there will be 31 sporting events involving Hamilton County high school teams. That number may be a little low because in some of the scheduled meets, tourneys, etc., teams will play more than one time.

For example, in South Bend girls soccer teams from Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern each will play three matches. The Lady Royals will on Friday take on Mishawaka Marian and Carmel will play the host school, South Bend St. Joe. On Saturday Southeastern will face Chesterton and Lake Central and Carmel will battle Penn and Evansville Reitz. It’s competition which will draw state-wide attention. In the preseason girls soccer poll Camel is No. 2, Penn No. 4, Evansville Retiz No. 5, Lake Central No. 10, South Bend St. Joe No. 15 and Hamilton Southeastern is ranked No. 19.
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Peyton Manning, you’ve got to think,  will hold most of the passing records in the Colts’ new Lucas Oil Stadium when he retires some day.

Not all. There are a couple records he will not hold.

Who will be the first quarterback to toss a pass, complete a pass at Lucas Oil? Not Manning.

Those honors, likely, will belong to Jake Bates or Alex Hines.
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It is a debate which surfaces every football season. What is the strongest football conference in Indiana?

There are a couple of ways to debate. One, which conference wins the most state championship? Two, which conference is strongest from top to bottom?
Either way, in my opinion the strongest football conference in Indiana is the Metropolitan Conference. The MIC is the “super conference” of Indiana high school football, a league which is loaded with many of the largest schools in the state.

Fifteen times in the 23-year history of Class 5A football, MIC teams have won state championships. Jim Belden’s Carmel club won two of those crowns in the late 1980s. Mo Moriarity’s Greyhounds won last season.
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If you think Carmel will split into two high schools, three high schools, think again. Not in my lifetime. Likely, not in your lifetime.

So it matters not, in Carmel’s situation, if Indiana high school football, as some would like, goes to a sixth class. That’s the prediction by many once the number of football playing schools exceeds 320. Currently, 318 schools play football. The number is increasing.

It won’t happen before the next realignment by the IHSAA, which will come some time this school year and be in effect for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. We could be looking at six classes by the 2011 season.

Carmel always will be at the top of the largest class, understanding always is a long, long period of time. Carmel, currently, is the second-largest school in the state. According to IHSAA enrollment figures released for high school football two years ago, Ben Davis is No. 1 with 4,495 students and Carmel is No. 2 with 4,001.

So, if there is a sixth class in the future not much will change for Carmel. One thing that would change for Carmel, if, as projected, Class 6A would include only 32 teams, are the opponents Carmel would be facing at tourney time.

The present five-class system has 64 teams in each class. A sixth class would bring what some have labeled a Super Class of the top 32 teams.
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Lance Scheib, following the Millers’ controlled scrimmage with Ben Davis at Hare Chevrolet Stadium Friday evening, wasn’t exactly smiling from ear to ear. But, the new Noblesville football mentor was far happier on this night than he was a few days back at NHS’s team scrimmage.

Sure, Ben Davis, thought to be one of the state’s best in Class 5A, was bigger and stronger and faster and, yes, more talented than Noblesville.
That’s not the point Scheib made following his first of what will be many wars on the Hare Chevrolet turf.
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Bo Belden, in the midst of preparing his Westfield Shamrocks for the start of the 2008 football season and also, as a teacher, preparing for the opening of the school year, found a little time to talk about the future.

The future being the 2009 season and whether or not Westfield, with the IHSAA’s next football realignment, will move from Class 4A to Class 5A. That realignment, which will be good for two years, will be for the seasons of 2009 and 2010.

“I think we will be 5A next season,” Belden said.

IHSAA commissioner Bobby Cox, who is in charge of the football program, agrees.

“I think Westfield will be 5A,” Cox said.
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Years ago, I was taught to be a sports writer by the Neal family. Don’t hold that against Charlie, Ralph, Jim and John.

They gave me three tips I’ve never forgotten.

Get it right. Get it first. And, make sure you include lots of names in the stories you write.

They also stressed good spelling and grammar, etc. Like I wrote, don’t hold that against the Neals. I’ve tried, but I did flunk a course in proof reading during my days at Butler University.

In the last 50 years I’ve seen state championship teams. I’ve seen great players, many whom went on to great college and great professional careers. I’ve watched great coaches.

I’ve seen a lot and written about a lot in 50 years.

Nothing I’ve seen compares to what today we’re all seeing in David Boudia’s participation in the Olympic Games.

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Hamilton Southeastern and Fishers, sister schools in the Southeastern district, will play on new artifical turf football fields this season.

Southeastern sooner than Fishers.

“Our field may not be ready much before our third game (a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game with Westfield),” said Fishers coach Rick Wimmer. “That’s hurting us because our practice facility is so bad. Yes, we’ll hold all of our practices on the new field once it is ready.”
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There may not be another Indiana high school sport which can match girls’ golf in early season showdowns. The golfers come out swinging from the opening gun.

Last week was a great example as so many top-rated teams went head to head. That type of competition was scheduled to continue today as No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern No. 6 Noblesville and No. 12 Carmel headed to the Center Grove Classic.

Southeastern, last week, got off to a slow start. Not on the course, but off the course. First, a season-opening meet with Anderson was called off because Anderson didn’t have enough golfers. Then, the Southeastern Invitational was rained out.
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How would you like to be a sports writer? Me, too. I promised myself a few years ago that I would stick with it until I get it right. My wife thinks I’m nuts.

How would you like to have a seat in the press box while covering a great high school football team in action? Free ticket! I enjoy that, especially when going to Hamilton Heights and taking advantage of the great food available to press box workers.

How would you like to cover a game in the new Lucas Oil Stadium, cover it from the press box? Free ticket! That’s not a bad gig.
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