Alright, with Spring Sports about to get into full swing, the NCAA tournament over (congratulations to Villanova), and winter sports finally at a close, I think I will use this pause in momentum to finally bring a 2-year old debate to a close.

Yes, I speak of North Central, which is only a short drive from here. Over the past couple of years, a debate here at the high school has occurred as to whether or not North Central should remain in the conference.

Now, to be fair, if North Central did get thrown out, it will not be the first time. Some of us may recall a few years ago when Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South were tossed out due to enrollment numbers and travel reasons. Pike and Lawrence Central have joined us and remain very competitive.

I spent the past week tracking down various people to get as many varied responses as possible about this subject.

Let me start with the pro side of this debate. These folks argue that North Central should be tossed out of the conference. Many of these folks point to their dismal 0-20 football record over the past 2 seasons. In fact, some don’t even need to point to the dismal record, they only need point to the Homecoming game this past year between Carmel and NC, where Carmel pulled all of their starters midway through the 3^rd quarter and everyone in Varsity jerseys played at least 3 or (for most people) 4 plays. The final score of that game was 56-0, with NC only getting inside the Carmel 20-yard line once and even then got stopped at the 5.

Here’s what someone from the pro camp had to say:

Senior RJ Martin: “Their competiveness sorely lacks, I think North Central needs to be tossed out, their football record is appalling.

Now, let’s look at the other side of the argument. These folks argue that North Central should not be judged just by football, even though it is the most dominant sport in the IHSAA. Many of these folks point to their status as regular contenders for the Tennis State Championship for both boys and girls, as well as their boys basketball conference record, which is usually an undefeated record.

Here’s what someone from the con camp had to say:

Coach Jones, Defensive Line Coach and Engineering Teacher: “No, they meet the school size requirement, and they are good at basketball. The only reason we tossed out Terre Haute North and South is because of an enrollment gap and travel reasons. Just judging NC by their football record is not enough reason to toss them out. And besides, look at LN. People thought they should be thrown out too, and they now have a dominant offense that our defense has trouble at times containing.”

So, after spending the past week interviewing folks, and pooling together arguments, I have finally come to the following conclusion: They should remain in the conference.

Yes, their football record is not the best, but they are great in other sports. And besides that, who would you replace them with?

Cathedral? No, because they are a private school and do not meet the public school requirement that the MIC has.

Fishers? No, because they have only won 1 Sectional title and not many teams from the MIC have faced them.

Noblesville? No, because they have lost more games than they won and don’t have the powerhouse to be in the MIC.

HSE? No, because although they are a strong team, they are inconsistent. They have only concentrated on defeating one school (Carmel) and have no experience against the other MIC schools.

Overall, with no replacements that are practical, and the fact North Central is good at other sports, is more than enough reason to not toss them out.

Catch you all next week.