Replies

[Southsider2k12]

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/613986...ick-around.html

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

New football coach at Michigan City. Really excited about the gig. Sees unlimited potential in the “sleeping giant.” Plans to stick around and really build something at Ames Field.

Sound familiar?

Craig Buzea said all that in 2007 when he stunned Portage by leaving for the downtrodden Wolves. After three years and some significant progress, he left for Homewood-Flossmoor, and the program once again was in tatters.

Eric Schreiber said all that last summer when he took over for Buzea. One season and one win later, he left to take the top job at Hammond High.

Enter Michael Karpinski, Michigan City’s new head coach, who was approved last week by the school board. He’s really excited about the gig. He sees unlimited potential in the “sleeping giant.” He plans to stick around and really build something at Ames Field.

And he means it. Honest.

“I’m excited to add some stability,” he said. “I’m not planning on going anywhere. By no means am I looking at this as a stepping stone. I’m looking to build something here. I understand people have heard that before, but you don’t understand — my wife will kill me if we move again.”

Indeed, Karpinski’s no nomad. He’s no football mercenary. Heck, he only went after this job because he lost his teaching job at Franklin Central during a reduction-in-force that gutted the school district. The 43-year-old spent the last eight years coaching at Franklin Central — a former powerhouse that won four state championships between 1980 and 1990, but has fallen on hard times lately. After six years as an assistant, he was the head coach the past two years, going 7-13 with a pair of close losses in sectional openers.

Before that, Karpinski coached for six years at the University of Indianapolis, where he wound up after playing cornerback at Hillsdale College. Hillsdale is about 90 miles from his hometown of Hastings, Mich., where he was a high school quarterback.

Moving to Michigan City brings him much closer to home — and gives him a teaching job and an exciting opportunity.

“I just feel real blessed to be right here,” he said.

The Wolves can only hope he sticks around and helps the moribund program (no conference or sectional titles since Rogers and Elston were consolidated in 1995) realize the potential it briefly showed under Buzea.

After just four practices, Karpinski has been particularly impressed with the enthusiasm the players have for the game, for him and for his new system.

It’s easy to assume that the Wolves would be jaded and cynical while dealing with yet another new coach making the same old promises.

But Karpinski was thrilled to find that they’re not like that at all.

“I sure haven’t noticed it,” he said. “They sure haven’t shown it if that’s the case. They’ve been working their tails off and have done everything I’ve asked of them. I’ve come in with a lot of enthusiasm, and they seem to have responded.”

Karpinski made a good impression with his first practice. Rather than the usual morning workout, he brought his team to Ames Field — probably the coolest football stadium in the region — under the lights on Monday night. And while it took more than a half hour just to teach the kids how to warm up and break the huddle — “baby steps,” Karpinski said — things quickly came together.

He introduced the players to his offense — a traditional power-I. Not as complicated as Buzea’s multiple-set spread offense, not as one-dimensional as Schreiber’s option.

“It’s basic football,” Karpinski said. “In today’s game, it seems like a lot of coaches try to get too cute. We’re going to come out and run the football, be physical, and we’re really going to stress blocking and tackling — shoot, that’s usually what it comes down to. We’re going to play power football, fire off the ball and really be physical out there.”

Karpinski insisted he’s not daunted by the enormity of the task, trying to wake up the sleeping giant. But he’s got his work cut out for him. The football program always has taken a backseat to basketball. And the relentless losing has made it even tougher to convince kids to come out for the team. Karpinski said he’s ready for all of that.

He also said he’s not intimidated by the meatgrinder that is the Duneland Conference, a brutal schedule that makes rebuilding difficult — and painful. He knows the drill; at Franklin Central, he played state powers Lawrence Central, Pike and Columbus North every year.

“I just know it’s an unbelievable conference, and I’m excited,” Karpinski said. “I’m ready for the challenge.”

Heard that before, too, right? Every coach has said that. But the hard truth is nobody in the 16-year history of Michigan City High School has proven to be up to that challenge. Not for any extended period of time, at least.

Will Karpinski be any different? He sure seems to think so. But, of course, it’s too early for anyone to tell.

He won’t really get a feel for how well his new players can handle his system until they put on the pads in August. And the Wolves won’t really get a feel for Karpinski until they sweat their way through those two-a-days.

But Karpinski feels good about what he has. And while he knows these kids and this community have been burned before, he hopes the feeling is mutual.

“Kids are the same all over,” he said. “I think these kids are really looking for someone to step up and lead and fight for them. And I’m that guy.”

[taxthedeer]

Nice article talking about Ryan Isaac at Purdue.

http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/football/co...37660aadb6.html

AL HAMNIK: Purdue cashing in on region football pipeline
Story
Discussion
By Al Hamnik Times Columnist | Posted: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 10:00 pm | No Comments Posted
Font Size:
Default font size
Larger font size

The region plays some mean high school football and while Indiana University seems to have fallen asleep at the recruiting switch, Purdue won't let go.
Coach Danny Hope loves the toughness and commitment our kids bring to his program in West Lafayette and his 2011 roster shows that.
You'll find safety Albert Evans (Portage); 6-foot-3, 320-pound defensive tackle Kawann Short (EC Central); 6-5, 270-pound defensive tackle Ryan Isaac (Michigan City); 6-8, 306-pound offensive tackle Dennis Kelly (Marian Catholic); 6-7, 324-pound guard Connor Snapp (Valparaiso); and 6-4, 305-pound defensive tackle Michael Rouse III (Homewood-Flossmoor).
Listening to Hope speak about each, you feel he'd adopt them all if needed.
"Albert's really important to us as a player on the field. He's a sure tackler. He has a lot of game experience so we expect him to execute his line assignments to a degree of excellence," Hope said.
"He's a real tough guy who can back it up. All the guys we got from the region are tough guys. They represent the region very well."
Hope called Isaac the "surprise signing" of last year's freshman class and he knew why.
"Albert and Ryan had the same high school coach -- Craig Buzea -- and he's a tough guy, too," Hope said. "His players exemplify that."
Isaac recently bench-pressed 460 pounds. For his next trick, he'll rip the New York City phone book in half and tie a crowbar in knots.
"Tough guy. Loves football. He'd cut his right arm off for his coaches or teammates," Hope said.
Short was a beast in high school, particularly under the basket when playing hoops, but always had a teddy bear image in public.
He came to Purdue looking like the Michelin Man but has since "rebuilt" his body, according to Hope.
"Kawann's very, very athletic and changes directions well," Hope said. "He's a very good pass rusher for an inside guy and has the potential to be one of the top defensive tackles in the country.
"He's a better football player going into his junior year than Mike Neal was at that stage."
Only a sophomore, Snapp remains a promising "project" while Kelly is one of the biggest offensive linemen Hope has ever been around as a coach.
"He's one of those guys you'd want to pull in a foxhole with you. If a bar room brawl broke out, you'd want a Dennis Kelly on your side," Hope said.
Buzea also coached Rouse in his first year at H-F.
"I'm a big fan of his and he knows it," Hope said of Buzea. "He was the best thing that happened to Michael, who became a lot more physical player when his intensity level almost doubled."
Hear that, IU and Notre Dame?
There's a pipeline here with Purdue fingerprints all over it.
This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at al.hamnik@nwi.com


Read more: http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/football/co...l#ixzz1U3x2F9Ac