What we learned from the 2023 high school football season in SW Indiana
It's crazy how quickly the high school football calendar goes.
The 2023 season concluded with the state championships at Lucas Oil Stadium this past weekend. Southwestern Indiana was represented at the final stage for the sixth time in the past seven years. Although it feels like a grind week to week, it's still a stark change when the final whistle blows.
Before we know it, August will roll around. But here's what we learned from the '23 season.
More: Complete coverage from the 2023 high school football season in SW Indiana
The PAC had historic postseason
I'd argue the past month ranks up there with any in the history of Pocket Athletic Conference football.
It matched its best ever sectional showing with three champions. Those three programs (Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, North Posey) also advanced to semistate. This was the first time the PAC had two representatives on the final weekend in the same season.
I've admittedly never experienced peak Reitz-Mater Dei, but the Gibson Southern-Heritage Hills semistate is possibly the best football atmosphere I've experienced. Others that came to mind: Memorial-Chatard 2018, Reitz-Central 2017.
The final scores at the state championship are what they are. I thought both would be closer, but Chatard and Luers were both good. You also can't win a state title unless you get there. The PAC was one of two conferences with multiple state finalists (Summit Athletic Conference).
The SIAC was still the deeper conference
An annual topic of argument. Too bad we won't see any matchups except in the sectional. But the SIAC still had a solid to good year.
Much of that goes to the depth of the league. Reitz was clearly the best team when viewing the season in total. It won 11 games and took the SIAC championship by three full games once again. Five teams also tied for second place. That's definitely not happened since it went to 10 schools in 2020.
North and Memorial produced the best November showings ‒ the 60-50 score in the 5A final remains wild. Vincennes Lincoln had its best season since joining the league. Castle and Reitz all played for sectional championships. Jasper looked like a sleeper sectional pick late in the year. Throw in Mater Dei's near win over North Posey. Bosse had the league's best offense statistically with the Player of the Year.
The SIAC didn't have a team advance past the regional. It still showed its strength.
There was still plenty of individual talent
The Courier & Press will announce its All-Metro and All-SW Indiana Player of the Year, plus the accompanying teams, in the coming weeks. Those decisions aren't final yet, but a few individuals stood out.
First off, Elijah Wagner. When your name comes up alongside other program greats like Jalen Pendleton and Levron Williams, something went right. It didn't matter who from other schools I spoke to, head or assistant coach, it became a nightmare to game plan for the Bosse quarterback.
More: Here's the 2023 Evansville All-City football team, headlined by Bosse's quarterback
Roland Vera Jr. (Reitz), Antonio Harris (Castle) or Kaleb Harris (North) would be my other "finalists" if such a thing actually occurred. Just look at the numbers for any of them. The All-SW Indiana choice is more difficult. I can think of several up for discussion, in alphabetical order: Tanner Boyd, Sean DeLong, Braydon Durham, Jed Galvin, Jett Goldsberry, Brody Klem, Liam Stone.
Class 3A will remain tough next fall
Who knows how the next classification realignment from the IHSAA will go. But Class 3A appears destined for another interesting season.
Heritage Hills will be among the frontrunners and deservedly so after advancing to Indianapolis. The Patriots return several notable players including Goldsberry. There is still Gibson Southern, Southridge and Vincennes Lincoln to contend with locally. Heritage Hills coach Todd Wilkerson also mentioned Batesville, Lawrenceburg and whoever advances from the Indy area.
The one to make it interesting is Memorial. After playing in Class 4A since 2019, it appears the Tigers drop back because of a recent success factor rule change dated July. Three points (the equivalent of winning a regional and sectional in two consecutive years) are now required to stay up a class. Memorial earned two points for winning back-to-back sectionals. The IHSAA also passed a change in June where success factor points will be looked at annually beginning in 2024-25 rather than a set two-year period.
Who are the top teams looking ahead to 2024?
Yes, the ink has barely dried on this season. That's no fun though. Why not a very, very early look at next year?
Heritage Hills is an obvious choice but will need to replace a few vital spots. Memorial appears ready for another solid year after grinding out its sectional title. Reitz, Castle, Gibson Southern and North also remain in a good spot despite graduation losses. North Posey loses a lot from its state runner-up roster but difficult to bet against Waylon Schenk at this point. Same for Jasper.
One to keep an eye on will be Mater Dei. The Wildcats took their lumps this fall but did so with several sophomores. Another strong team could be on the horizon in a year or two.
Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What we learned from the 2023 high school football season in SW Indiana
