Football Notes
The news dump that came from the IHSAA on Monday about the football realignments was surprising for Valparaiso and Northwest Indiana.
The Vikings, who were slated to play in Class 6A in 2019 and move to 5A in 2020, received an early present.
They are dropping down to 5A immediately.
Valparaiso athletic director Stacy Adams was caught off guard.
“I didn’t expect it to happen this way,” Adams said.
Adams said it shouldn’t make a difference.
“Our team is good enough to win in 5A or 6A,” he said.
Adams is right about that.
The Vikings won their first regional title since 2010 last year, beating Crown Point 23-6. They came close to making it to the Class 6A title game, losing 14-10 to Carmel in semistate.
Valparaiso coach Bill Marshall said the staff has no control over where the team plays.
“We think of ourselves as a big school,” he said. “We have over 2,000 kids. That’s right where 5A and 6A seem to (intersect). We think the competition is very similar in 5A and 6A.”
The reason the Vikings moved a year earlier involves the success factor.
The IHSAA reduced the number of points a team needs to move down a class from three to two. As a refresher, schools are required to move up one class if they achieve six points in a two-year cycle. A sectional title is worth one point, a regional two points, a semistate three points and a state title four points.
Teams could move back down with two sectional titles under the old rule. Now, two sectional titles means the teams won’t move.
That change was made last month.
In 6A, Fort Wayne Snider was expected to move back to 5A this year. Instead, Snider stayed in 6A after winning sectionals the last two seasons.
The Vikings, the smallest 6A school, got moved to 5A when Snider went back to 6A. Valparaiso now plays in Sectional nine with Michigan City, Munster and LaPorte.
The Vikings should start the season as one of the top-ranked teams in Class 5A. They return six starters on defense and five on offense.
Dinkins, who played next to Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short at East Chicago Central, got his opportunity this month when he was hired as the Cardinals coach.
Dinkins is a 2008 ECC graduate. Dinkins replaced Jay Novak, who resigned two weeks ago after five seasons. Novak was 26-26.
Dinkins won’t have to get familiar with the players.
He was on Novak’s staff, most recently as the offensive coordinator. He was a defensive line coach when he started.
Dinkins said he’s not too concerned with wins and losses.
He wants to make sure he supports his players.
“I want to help make life better for these kids,” he said. “I have to be the best male role model I can for them.”
The Cardinals have had success in the past.
In 2013, Stacy Adams coached them to sectional and regional titles. ECC finished 6-5 last season.
There will be changes.
Dinkins is switching from a spread type offense to one that is focused on rushing the football. Dinkins played football at Manchester University. At ECC, he played linebacker, tight end and he was the Cardinals kicker his senior year.
“I want to get back to the day where we ran the football,” he said. “We want to play smash mouth football. We’ll put it in the air when we need to.”
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