Season preview: Breaking down high school football conference races in South Bend area

The 2024 high school football season brings changes to some of the conferences in the South Bend area.

With South Bend Clay closing and Bremen, Jimtown and John Glenn departing, the Northern Indiana Conference is down to eight teams. This has eliminated divisions in the NIC, making it a true round-robin to determine the conference champ.

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Bremen, Jimtown and Glenn have joined the new Indiana Northern State Conference, alongside LaVille, Knox and Tippecanoe Valley. Both LaVille and Knox left the Hoosier North, while Tippecanoe Valley left the Three Rivers Conference.

One new conference champion is guaranteed with the INSC. Will there be others this fall? Here is a breakdown of South Bend area teams across four different conferences.

Northern Indiana Conference

• Members: Elkhart, Mishawaka Marian, New Prairie, Penn, South Bend Adams, South Bend Riley, South Bend Saint Joseph, South Bend Washington
• Defending conference champion(s) : Penn (East-West Division) and Riley (North-South Division)

It’s hard to not consider Penn a favorite, as the program’s reputation precedes them. There is so much change for the Kingsmen this fall, however, headlined by first-year head coach Pete Riordan . Replacing almost 18 starters won’t be an easy task, especially against Valparaiso and Mishawaka in back-to-back weeks to start the season.

Elkhart has plenty of talent on paper, including defensive end and Tennessee commit Mariyon Dye. They, too, have a new head coach in Travon Curry. Both he and Riordan were promoted from defensive coordinator roles and have been with their respective programs for decades now, so they have plenty of familiarity in their new gigs. If the Lions can stay healthy, they’ll be a dangerous team in both the NIC and Class 6A.

New Prairie is also very talented. Its biggest question mark is the transition of junior Reed Robinson from running back to quarterback . If Robinson fills the void smoothly, the Cougars will once again be one of the area’s best Class 4A teams.

Marian and Saint Joseph feel like mirror images of each other. Both have 20-plus seniors and 10-plus starters returning from teams that went 5-5 and 4-6, respectively. If either gets good quarterback play, they’ll have as good a shot as anybody to win the conference.

Both Adams and Washington are growing programs under head coaches Frank Karczewski and Jay Johnson, respectively. The Eagles are projected to play mostly sophomores and juniors , while the Panthers are hoping to achieve an above-.500 record for the first time since 2019.

Riley feels like the wild card of the conference this fall. They went 8-2 last year but graduated the bulk of the production off that team. The Wildcats have some talented players back , but it’s a matter of putting it all together against a much more difficult schedule than the one they faced last season.

Indiana Northern State Conference

• Members : Bremen, Jimtown, Glenn, Knox, LaVille and Tippecanoe Valley
• Defending conference champion(s) : None

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better small school conference in northern Indiana than the new INSC.

Knox is probably the favorite after going 13-1 and reaching the Class 3A semistate round a season ago. They have the bulk of its talent back as well, making them a threat to reach Lucas Oil Stadium in late November.

Tippecanoe Valley only has one regular season loss the last three years combined, but it has no postseason hardware to show for it after getting some unkind sectional alignments from the IHSAA. Lumped in with Indianapolis-based powerhouses, the Vikings lost to Guerin Catholic in 2022 and Bishop Chatard in 2023 to end those respective seasons.

LaVille beat Bremen to win a 2A sectional last year. The Lancers have moved down to 1A this year , though, due to enrollment size. The Lions have a dynamic quarterback-wide receiver duo in seniors Silas Laidig and Tyrus Graverson, making them dangerous in any game they’re in this season. Both LaVille and Bremen could be back in sectional finals once again this fall given the talent both rosters have.

Both Glenn and Jimtown have new head coaches in Ron Brown and Cody Vincent, respectively. The Falcons are coming off a sectional championship game appearance, while the Jimmies look to rebound from a 4-6 season, its first below-.500 campaign since 1979.

Northern Lakes Conference

• Members: Concord, Goshen, Mishawaka, NorthWood, Northridge, Plymouth, Warsaw and Wawasee
• Defending conference champion(s) : Mishawaka and Warsaw

Recent history does not favor Mishawaka or Warsaw, as the NLC has not had a repeat champion since Concord won four straight from 2010-2013.

That being said, the Cavemen and Tigers are amongst the favorites to win the conference. Mishawaka might have the top defense in the area returning , headlined by seniors Jackson Snyder, Xavier Juarez and Brady Newsome. The week seven showdown in Warsaw may ultimately decide who wins the NLC.

NorthWood is coming off a Class 4A state runner-up finish but has to replace the bulk of the production from that team. Northridge hasn’t won the NLC since 2017 but has been in the mix for conference and postseason hardware nearly every season since.

Concord has talent, highlighted by Purdue running back commit Jaron Thomas. Junior quarterback Bo Brunner is also an interesting collegiate prospect as well. With a strong nucleus back, it's hard to discount the Minutemen.

Plymouth, Goshen and Wawasee have occupied the bottom of the NLC standings in recent seasons. The Rockies have taken their lumps in the first two seasons under coach Adam Handley, but they have one of the more experienced rosters as far as Friday night experiences go because of it. The RedHawks and Warriors have new head coaches in Joseph Hecklinski and Matt Thacker, respectively.

Duneland Athletic Conference

• Members : Chesterton, Crown Point, LaPorte, Lake Central, Merrillville, Michigan City, Portage and Valparaiso
• Defending conference champion : Crown Point

Crown Point was the Class 6A state runner-up in 2023 and likely will be in the mix to repeat that success this fall.

As for the two South Bend area teams in this conference, Michigan City went 6-5 in coach Cody French’s first season there last year. The Wolves graduated its leading passer, rusher, receiver and tackler from 2023, so replacing that production is priority number one for them.

LaPorte hopefully has some head coaching stability, as Austin Epple is the first head coach to get a second season leading the Slicers since 2020. They went 2-8 a season ago but return several key pieces, including junior quarterback Aiden Penziol and senior linebacker RJ Carnes.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Season preview: Breaking down high school football conference races in South Bend area