EVANSVILLE — Does the high school sports calendar truly take a break?
If you want the answer, look how quickly football season is approaching. I swear we just completed spring sports in June. It's suddenly only six weeks until Friday nights will be spent on the gridiron. And soon enough, we'll be arguing about the blind draw again.
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There will be a lot to break down between now and opening night. But for starters – and to get myself back in football mode – it’s time to look ahead. Here are six storylines/things to note/observations I'll be looking for throughout the 2024 season.
How will Heritage Hills and North Posey reload after reaching the state championship?
The 2023 season was capped by the pair of Pocket Athletic Conference teams ending the year on Thanksgiving weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium. How will both look this fall after leaving Indianapolis as the state runner-up?
It could be an interesting season in Lincoln City and Poseyville but for different reasons. Heritage Hills still views a window of opportunity despite the state championship loss to Chatard and graduating a small but impactful senior class.
The optimism begins with three returning All-State players (Jett Goldsberry, Parker Hart, Tyler Ruxer) and several more starters, including two-way impact players Hunter Meredith and Alex Smith. All of the pieces fell into place a year ago, but the pieces remain for another strong season.
North Posey is a wildcard after graduating 17 seniors including its quarterback, top receiver, an All-State lineman and top two tacklers. The good news: a talented core returns, notably running back Jed Galvin. Time will tell if the next group is ready to complement them and compete for the PAC or sectional title.
Will there be a new SIAC champion?
The past two years in the conference have been largely the same. Reitz won the title by three full games to leave a crowded group battling for second. Will 2024 see someone else claim the championship by Rivalry Week?
There are two early contenders based on returning talent: Castle and Memorial. No surprise considering both are among the top programs annually in Southwest Indiana. There's a possible scenario where their game at Bosse Field in October comes with the title at stake.
I'm not counting out Reitz yet despite its numerous graduated starters. The Panthers haven't lost a conference game since 2021 and shouldn't drop as far as opponents may hope. They'll probably still one of the clear contenders in Sectional 24, too. North and Jasper, especially the former, are the wildcards depending on who emerges in the trenches.
What about the PAC?
The same teams have generally competed since the conference went to divisions in 2020. Perhaps it continues.
Heritage Hills should get the early nod in the Big School Division after its 13-2 season a year ago and all of the returning talent as previously stated. I'm still circling the visit from Gibson Southern on Sept. 27. The Titans have a few holes to fill on offense but should field a strong front seven, led by Brody Klem and Beau Rose, on the other side. Throw in Boonville and Mount Vernon, maybe Washington, with spoiler potential.
The Small School Division is more up in the air. North Posey has its questions to answer, but Waylon Schenk has built a winning program. I'm also never counting out Scott Buening at Southridge even if the Raiders face a similar scenario. The team to watch is Tell City with Landon and Noah Terry, both 1,000-yard rushers.
More: The new IHSAA sectionals are out. Here are the changes for Southwestern Indiana.
The new IHSAA football sectionals across SW Indiana
The biggest story from the offseason. November is going to look different around Evansville.
Start with the obvious: Sectional 32 in Class 3A will be ridiculous. Five of the now eight-team field have played for a state championship since 2017. That conglomerate – Memorial and Mater Dei joined Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, Mount Vernon, Princeton, Southridge and Vincennes Lincoln – also affected others. Sectionals 24 and 40 lost annual contenders. North Posey was also moved to Sectional 39.
It's 100 percent too early to talk postseason when pads have yet to be worn. But those changes will be a major talking point in this reclassification cycle.
Will we see a rebound from Mater Dei?
A step back for the West Side program was somewhat expected after winning the state championship. Last year was still a struggle historically speaking.
The Wildcats went 3-8 to finish with only the second losing season ever for coach Mike Goebel. It included six straight losses, the longest in-season streak at Mater Dei since 1993. Much of this can be attributed to the depth of the SIAC and needing several underclassmen in key positions.
Let's also be honest — the season provided some optimism with competitive losses to Memorial and Reitz. The Wildcats were also one play from beating North Posey in the sectional semifinal. All of that experience, especially for this junior class, could see Mater Dei on an upswing with continued improvement.
Which players will emerge across SW Indiana?
Going to leave this answer a bit open ended. I've yet to really dive in or even attend a scrimmage yet.
It's still worth pondering with less than a month until official practices commence. We know who the known quantities should be (think Goldsberry, Galvin, Max McCool at Castle or Alex Broshears at Memorial) but who else will emerge?
For example, was it assumed Elijah Wagner would produce one of the better individual seasons around Southern Indiana? Imagine where the Bulldogs would have been without his year-to-year improvement. There's going to be a few emerge but I'll give you one potential name: Castle defensive lineman Benny Patterson. The Cincinnati commit has the look (listed at 6-4 and 245 pounds) and potential for a bigger season following 70 tackles and four sacks as a junior.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Six storylines to follow in SW Indiana high school football