The week between the first and second game of the season is always fun.
Why? Well, everyone is ready to write a team off or put them in the conference championship discussion based on one Friday night of football.
Celebrating a dub is a part of the game, but the regular season is only 11 percent complete. Plenty of big games to come that will make or break a team’s campaign long after Week 1 is put in the rearview.
Before we tackle Week 2, let’s look at some of the bigger reactions out of Week 1 and Blitz’s thoughts on them.
SNIDER ISN’T THE SAC FAVORITE AFTER WEEK 1 LOSS: OVERREACTION
One of the primary narratives coming out of last Friday was the disappointing performance of the Class 6A SAC schools against upper-echelon foes, including Snider’s 15-0 loss to Warren Central.
Yes, it wasn’t a good performance by the offense, but Warren Central has a pair of P5 defensive ends who are better than any d-linemen that the Panthers will face the remainder of the regular season. It is likely that Snider won’t see another defense as good as what it just played against.
That doesn’t take away the fact that the Panthers’ offense needs to be better. The mistakes need to be eliminated. But Coach Kurt Tippmann’s team remains the team to beat in the SAC.
KIMAR NELSON IS A FREAK: REALITY
Can this kid get some recruiting love? If the grades are there, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior at Wayne deserves a scholarship offer from an FBS school, perhaps even several.
Wayne coach Sherwood Haydock has seen a lot of high school football over the years, so when he says Nelson is the best defensive player he has ever seen outside of Jaylon Smith, perhaps we should listen.
Nelson’s 27-tackle effort with six tackles for loss and four sacks against Attucks was absolutely mind-numbing. Who cares who the opponent is, a stat line like that is crazy at any level of football.
It’s too early to start talking OTH Player of the Year, but continued efforts like what we saw from Nelson last Friday will put up towards the front of the conversation later in the season.
NORTHROP WILL BE A FACTOR IN THE SAC: OVERREACTION
Let Blitz preface this will congratulating Northrop. It was great to see the Bruins get a Week 1 dub for the first time since they shocked Homestead 25-21 in 2020. With the weapons offensively, the Bruins are going to be a fun watch this season.
It is correct that Northrop was the only team in the SAC’s ‘A’ division, but here are the opponents for the five teams in the division in Week 1:
- Brownsburg
- Hamilton Southeastern
- Carmel
- Warren Central
- New Haven
Which of those five is the outlier? All due respect, it’s New Haven.
And while Carroll surrendered 45 points to HSE and Bishop Dwenger the same to Brownsburg, Northrop allowed 48 points to the Bulldogs, which had to replace a lot of offense from a year ago.
Hey, maybe Blitz ends up being wrong and Northrop can ride its offense to SAC glory. But the hill just seems to steep to climb.
ADAMS CENTRAL IS VULNERABLE IN THE ACAC: REALITY
The more Blitz examines Adams Central’s 20-7 loss to Garrett in Week 1, the more he believes there is an opportunity for a squad to end the Flying Jets’ reign in the ACAC.
Consider that Adams Central scored a single touchdown in the game, the first time that AC has been held to one trip into the end zone since a 29-9 loss to South Adams in 2020. That game just so happens to be the last time a league foe has beaten the Flying Jets.
Bluffton and Heritage combined to score 85 points in Week 1. Those two are expected to be the primary challengers to AC in the league. Now, the competition wasn’t the best with Bluffton beating up on Blackhawk Christian and Heritage taking it to Bellmont, but if Adams Central’s offense turns out not to be as dynamic as in years past, it opens the door at the top.
Note that Blitz isn’t saying that Adams Central DOESN’T win the ACAC, it’s just that maybe a team makes them earn it in a close conference game or two.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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