[taxthedeer]

I respectfully disagree.

While that opening drive against Memorial was definitely not good, it's important to remember that the defense was a big part of the reason why the team got off to such a good start and won six games to begin with. South Bend Washington put up just 10 points against City, its lowest output of the season. The same Washington team that gave Mishawaka a beatdown in the regular season finale.

Also remember, and I'm not making excuses for Egofske or anyone else, but in that Elkhart game City was without Harmon, unquestionably their best defensive player. For instance, that third-and-long conversion early in the drive probably doesn't happen with Harmon on the field. He's the guy that made those plays to end drives all season long. It was clear the defense never got going with Harmon on the sidelines.

And the 2-4 in the last six games is hardly Egofske's or the defense's fault. Two of those losses were without the starting quarterback and against Merrillville (the loss that started the string), they led at half and were in that game to the end. The Pirates finished DAC play unbeaten, by the way.

Now, I don't know Egofske that well, and he may very well not be a good coach. I don't know. But I do know that defense played at a high level for most of the season, and the coordinator has to have something to do with that.

You can disagree if you want, but just don't say that you have not been forewarned. Somebody should be held accountable for the team finishing 2-4, without any excuses.

Let me ask this, Do you think City would have won that Washington game if Eric Woods were in the lineup for the Panthers?

[MC Born & Raised]

You can disagree if you want, but just don't say that you have not been forewarned. Somebody should be held accountable for the team finishing 2-4, without any excuses.

Let me ask this, Do you think City would have won that Washington game if Eric Woods were in the lineup for the Panthers?

Well, considering Woods (and the Dieter brothers, btw) should still be at Adams, I'm not sure the answer to that question matters. City still beat a VERY good team that night that had a lot of success throughout the rest of its schedule against quality competition.

The fact is, City just doesn't have the program depth yet to be abel to handle losses like Washington and Harmon, especially Harmon. They didn't have a suitable replacement on offense or defense, and it really showed. And any high school team, I don't care which one, struggles when they lose a QB of Washington's caliber. Valparaiso had the same problem this year when Livovich went down.

[Southsider2k12]

I agree. The problems in the second half of the season fell more on the offensive, than the defensive side of the football. I thought the D carried the load this season. To underscore that point City was second in the Duneland Conference for points allowed during the entire season, and during Duneland play, second only to M-Ville in both occasions.

I think it is a fair statement that any team that lost a QB with the game changing ability of Rodney Washington for a period of about a month would have a large loss, as would a team who lost the region's leading rusher. Another team that had big struggles after their QB was hurt was LaPorte when DeMuth went down.

The only facet of the game that disappointed me this year for the Wolves is the special teams. They were pretty consistently awful this year to be honest. If I am firing any coach, that would be the one.

[Southsider2k12]

It could have been us...

http://www.wndu.com/hometop/headlines/69443887.html

Coming into 2009, it had been 29 years since Mishawaka beat Penn.

Five weeks ago, that changed---the Princess City was turned upside down when the Cavemen topped the Kingsmen, ending Penn's 153 game NIC win streak.

Friday night, the Cavemen did it again---this time for the 5A Sectional Championship.

Tyler Reinoehl's 50-yard touchdown run with 3:54 left in the game put Mishawaka up 24-21 and Penn junior Alan Sinclair missed a 39-yard field goal with 47 seconds left as the Cavemen held on for their 2nd win over the arch rival in five weeks at Steele Stadium.

[Southsider2k12]

Merrillville beat Mishawaka 28-27.

[MC Born & Raised]

Merrillville beat Mishawaka 28-27.

Mishawaka scored late and decided to go for two. Gutsy call ... I don't agree with it, but it's gutsy as hell.

[MCRogers1974]

Doesn’t surprise me Bart Curtis would have gone for the two point conversion for the win. He plays to win as I’ve watched his coaching style during the years he was at New Prairie.

[taxthedeer]

Merrillville beat Mishawaka 28-27.

Heck, Merrillville, Smherrillville, take a look what my crew did to those guys last season, just a sneek preview of what those guys over there have coming in about five or six years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CrTnpIDQLA

[adam78sc]

Heck, Merrillville, Smherrillville, take a look what my crew did to those guys last season, just a sneek preview of what those guys over there have coming in about five or six years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CrTnpIDQLA

Nice.

[Southsider2k12]

http://nwitimes.com/sports/columnists/nate...cfa1cf8746.html

Michigan City stumbled toward the end of its season, but the Wolves were still a pleasant surprise. By going 6-4, they produced their first winning record since 2005. The atmosphere at Ames Field was electric when then-unbeaten Michigan City faced Merrillville in Week 5.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.post-trib.com/sports/highschool...a4-1204.article

Linebacker -- Tyree Wright, Michigan City senior

Stats: 109 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception

Raves: The man in the middle of Michigan City's defense led the Wolves in tackles for the second straight season. The 6-foot, 220-pounder is a two-time all-Duneland choice and helped steer the program's turnaround this season.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.post-trib.com/sports/1920516,sg...es-1204.article

MC turnaround: Speaking of coaches turning around a program, Craig Buzea's rebuilding project at Michigan City is close to being complete. The Wolves started 5-1 before losing three of their last four, including a 23-0 sectional loss to Elkhart Memorial that might have been different is Buzea had a full complement of healthy players.

His squad, like other across the state in multiple sports, fell victim to the flu bug at the worst possible time. But MC's first winning season since 2005 shows Buzea is working his magic once again. The rest of the Duneland needs to watch out.

[taxthedeer]

City Football: Blowout Win No Big Deal, Really
Home Cookin'

Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor, The News-Dispatch

Michigan City's football team opened the 2009 season with a bang, beating Gary Roosevelt 63-0 at Ames Field.

Pardon me for saying so, but so what?

The Wolves set consolidated school records for most points in a game and biggest margin of victory.

Who cares?

City also improved to 15-0 in season-opening games.

Eh ... not a big deal, really.

Now before you get all page-turny on me and call me names, know that I'm not the only one who holds this opinion about Friday's win.

Purdue-bound lineman Ryan Isaac said the level of domination achieved Friday was expected. According to him, Friday's game was simply "business."

City coach Craig Buzea was more happy that six different City players scored touchdowns and that everybody got a chance to play.

There's a reason why beating Roosevelt is really nothing to write home about, and it's supported by fact.

Sure, City is 15-0 all-time in season openers against Roosevelt, Elkhart Central and Chicago Leo (Ill.). But only three times has City ended its postseason with a winning record.

In fact, for me at least, the best part about Friday's win was that it's probably the last time City will ever play Roosevelt. The athletic department is efforting a new Week 1 opponent for next season and beyond, and good riddance, I say.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but as I've argued in the past, there's nothing to be gained from this game. Your star running back had just five carries and your first-year quarterback threw only five passes. And I applaud Buzea for getting those guys out of the game and spreading the wealth. But heck, the defense couldn't even run the way you'd like it to because the Wolves tend to blitz the Panthers less due to their line not being good enough to block that many people effectively. In short, you call off the dogs so someone doesn't get hurt.

The idea of playing Roosevelt in Week 1 has passed its time. When City was always expected to be bad, it was nice to get that win right away so the threat of a winless season didn't hang over you the rest of the year. In six of City's 14-plus seasons, the Wolves only won one other game. In another, Roosevelt was its only win.

But Buzea is trying to usher in a new era. An era where not only his player, but teachers, adminstrators and fans can all aim higher and expect victories against schools that field competitive teams.

It's a vision to help build the program to respectability, which frankly hasn't existed here for some time on the gridiron.

To get there, the idea of needing a team like Roosevelt on the schedule to guarantee at least one win needs to be vanquished. Just erase it from your mind.

Sure, 63-0 looks nice in the paper and it's a nice score to say to others. But, to me, there's much more to be gained from playing a competitive opponent to start the season.

The real season starts next week. South Bend Washington will bring a tough team to Ames and then play in the Duneland Conference gets underway in Week 3.

That's when the men get separated from the boys.

Good luck in Week 2, Wolves.

Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

Looks like it didn't happen, According to John Harrell's site the Wolves are again scheduled to host Roosevelt on 08/20/10:

http://indianahsfootball.homestead.com/files/logs173.htm

CLASS SECTIONAL ORDER YOUR INDIANA FOOTBALL DIGEST RECENT SEASONS
5A 2 E-MAIL CORRECTIONS MAP TO SCHOOL 0-0

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

MICHIGAN CITY

WOLVES

DATE OPPONENT CENTRAL TIME OA 0.0, DA 0.0
Aug. 20 Gary Roosevelt {4A} 7:00 pm
Aug. 27 at South Bend Washington {4A} 7:00 pm
Sep. 3 at Chesterton {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Sep. 10 Valparaiso {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Sep. 17 at Merrillville {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Sep. 24 Lake Central {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Oct. 1 at Portage {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Oct. 8 LaPorte {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Oct. 15 Crown Point {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
‡DUNELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE GAME

[MC Born & Raised]

Looks like it didn't happen, According to John Harrell's site the Wolves are again scheduled to host Roosevelt on 08/20/10:

http://indianahsfootball.homestead.com/files/logs173.htm

CLASS SECTIONAL ORDER YOUR INDIANA FOOTBALL DIGEST RECENT SEASONS
5A 2 E-MAIL CORRECTIONS MAP TO SCHOOL 0-0

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

MICHIGAN CITY

WOLVES

DATE OPPONENT CENTRAL TIME OA 0.0, DA 0.0
Aug. 20 Gary Roosevelt {4A} 7:00 pm
Aug. 27 at South Bend Washington {4A} 7:00 pm
Sep. 3 at Chesterton {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Sep. 10 Valparaiso {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Sep. 17 at Merrillville {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Sep. 24 Lake Central {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Oct. 1 at Portage {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Oct. 8 LaPorte {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
Oct. 15 Crown Point {5A}‡ 7:00 pm
‡DUNELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE GAME

What a shame. That game's completely worthless. I'll have to look into that and see what happened. I knew they were having some trouble finding someone. See, the problem is (I suspect) they'd prefer to keep Week 1 as a constant home game, but that's a hard sell to most schools. Roosevelt was willing to do it, 99 percent of other schools aren't.

[taxthedeer]

What a shame. That game's completely worthless. I'll have to look into that and see what happened. I knew they were having some trouble finding someone. See, the problem is (I suspect) they'd prefer to keep Week 1 as a constant home game, but that's a hard sell to most schools. Roosevelt was willing to do it, 99 percent of other schools aren't.

That's one of the things that bothers me about boasting that starting out 4-0 in '09. Yeah, in reality City started 4-0, but in all intensive practicality City started out only 3-0.

[MC Born & Raised]

That's one of the things that bothers me about boasting that starting out 4-0 in '09. Yeah, in reality City started 4-0, but in all intensive practicality City started out only 3-0.

True, but 3-0 definitely better than 1-2 or 0-3. Still progress.