Random Thoughts: lots of football

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

This week’s Random Thoughts center around football at all levels. Next week, I promise I’ll share thoughts about different sports.

Great games on tap this weekend

It doesn’t get much better than this – Coldwater (No. 1 in Division VI) will host Minster (No. 1 in Division VII) this Friday. It should be an absolutely packed house.

While those two MAC teams are sparring, an outstanding matchup is brewing in the Western Buckeye League. Wapakoneta (No. 5 in Division III) will travel to Kenton, in a game featuring two contrasting styles of play, with the Redskins featuring their powerful running game and the Wildcats airing it out most of the time.

Statewide rankings

The first Ohio high school football poll of the season was released on Monday, and 10 area teams were ranked in the poll.

As it turns out, Van Wert has played two of the top teams in the state, back to back, (Wapakoneta, No. 5 in Division III) and St. Marys (No. 1 in Division IV). To top it off, the Cougars will play a ranked team for the third consecutive week (Ottawa-Glandorf, No. 19 in Division V).

Some people take the poll as gospel. I don’t, and allow me to explain. It does show your team has earned respect as one of the better teams in the state, so I’m certainly not disregarding it. However, it’s not always accurate, simply because the poll is made up of somewhere between 19-30 writers/broadcasters. So it’s up to a very small amount of media members to decide which of Ohio’s roughly 700 high school football teams should be ranked.

A lot of times, a school’s history will suffice in being ranked, while other schools who might be deserving of a ranking get left out.

The poll is fun to look at and it’s nice to see your school listed in it, but it’s not always a true indicator of how good certain schools really are.

Indoor football is back

Indoor football is returning to Fort Wayne in 2019. In case you missed the announcement, the Indiana Blue Bombers will participate in the 12-team National Gridiron League, starting in March at War Memorial Coliseum.

Indoor football isn’t new to Fort Wayne. The city was home to the Freedom from 2003-2006 and 2008-2009, and the Firehawks in 2010.

The new NFL season is underway

Note to the NFL: please stop with the Thursday night games. They almost always seem difficult to watch.

Another note to the NFL: please consider Monday Night doubleheaders throughout the season. It won’t happen, but it’s still nice to think about.

Chalk it up as a non-loss for the Browns, who somehow forced a bunch of Steelers turnovers, but could only muster a tie on Sunday. While it’s not a loss, the Browns somehow haven’t won a season opener since 2004.

Cincinnati’s comeback win over the Colts was impressive, unless you’re a Colts fan. The Bengals are tough to read, and I think the Colts are going to struggle this season, even with the return of Andrew Luck. He’ll keep them in a lot of games, but there are too many holes elsewhere.

College football takes forever

Why do televised college football games now take upwards of four hours to complete? I can answer that – commercials to pay for the broadcast. Regardless, four hours for a single game can be a bit much for even the most diehard football fan.

I wish there was a way to shorten things up, but outside of trimming commercials (which won’t happen), I don’t see how.

If you have thoughts on any of the above topics, feel free to email me at sports@thevwindependent.com.