I believe it is just a matter of time before the effects of open enrollment start to happen at Reitz when it comes to football. Not only do I think Reitz will see kids from all over Evansville, but I believe it will affect Posey county also. Especially since they are having financial problems. Who knows, we might end up with some kids from across the river, like one of the other schools in town does from time to time.

I don't know if this is a good thing, but it sure gives us the possibility of a more even playing field when it comes to other schools we have to go up against in the playoffs. Ideally I feel it would be better if every school did operate by boundaries, but it will never be that way. So I guess we just join em and try and take that advantage away that they have been enjoying over the years.

even playing field? Unless i missed something we have won 2 of 3 4A state championships in the last 3 yrs

It sure would help us match the Cathedral program. I'm not sure if all p/p schools are like Mater Dei, some of the schools might be players from all over, and other schools.

Now with that being said, it wil hurt the other siac schools if Reitz gets their best players. Reitz already gets enough crap for not playing a tougher regular season schedule, I don't see how it could help Reitz, by playing North and Central with their best players. Or having a Stemple qb for Reitz?

I don't like it, and as much as it could help us it could hurt us even more.

Plain and simple, when open enrollment hits, you are going to see sport specialization at the schools in Evansville. Football players and wrestlers will go to Reitz, Basketball players to Bosse and Harrison, Baseball players to North and Central. We may not like it, but it is going to happen. Will the Reitz football program get a little beat up over it? Absolutely. But will the other schools get beat up over the other sports? Of course they will. It is just one of those things that will happen. Programs get left behind in some areas and make great strides in others.

I don't like it so much either, but times are changing. What are you going to say when that "stud" from Castle transfers in because he feels Reitz has a better chance of getting him a ring and getting noticed by colleges because his parents went to Reitz, and he wants to follow in their footsteps on the hill? What about the player from another school in the city, including a possible MD student. I know it doesn't seem right, but Indiana is way behind on football, and is trying to claw for respect in the region and nation. You hear of states having 3 or 4 powerhouse programs all the time, but the thing that you don't hear about is the 10 to 20 schools that those students left from to go to those powerhouse teams. For one team to be great, two or three have to be really bad, but that one great school can do wonders for an entire area in getting exposure.

I would rather have one great team and 4 mediocre teams then have 5 teams that are just above average and not getting any notice or respect. Just my thoughts though.

The freshman team has transfers, one each from North, Bosse, and Central. I also saw a big kid from Henderson inquire about transfering but I guess that didn't work out since he is not on the frosh squad.

I guess it is already happening then? I didn't realizr the frosh team had kids from other cub teams. This could turn the Reitz football program into a powerhouse. I read on the courier press the other day that a couple Bosse kids are at Reitz now and I couldn't believe that. I guess I should be more open minded.

IMO this dimishes the meaning of being a Panther.

No argument here. Two of the 3 kids are "legacies," so they have family history at Reitz. We'll see if the influx of new players continues.

Reitz is having a good run now, that is for sure, but over time you cannot always keep up at that level when other schools have an open type of enrollment and Reitz is limited. Reitz is now enjoying the perfect storm; great program, great coaching, and several great classes in a roll, along with some talented players. Reitz like it or not, will now be able to have what other schools have enjoyed for years and that is to have players from outside their boundaries. That is what it will take to be successful for years to come, as far as state championships go.

It doesn't have to be 20-30 new guys, but 2-3 well-placed players per class can make a huge difference. That's what we're seeing on the Reitz freshman team this year who has 5-6 guys that play both ways who were not on Reitz cub last year. Some of them were on other school cub teams and some just didn't play football last year. Last year they won just 2 (both very close) games as cubs, now they're 2-0 outscoring Henderson and Castle 50-0 so far.

As I've posted in other threads, the only "pro" I see to this, albeit a big one:), is the scoreboard results/product quality on the field. The "cons" include diminished playing time for the blue-blooded westside kids who come up through the EJFL, camps, & attend RHS games as youngsters, too many creampuffs on the regular season schedule if the gap widens between Reitz and the other SIAC schools, increased bad feelings by others towards Reitz, and the suffering of other sport programs at Reitz which are already below average on the whole, if westside non-football athletes start transferring to other EVSC "magnet sport" schools. I think reasonable people will disagree on whether the one pro outweighs the cons - which is where the issue lies at the moment.

What qualifies a kid to be a panther? I got news for many of you....alot of the key players over the last 10 years or so are not your traditional west side kids. I am sure those complaining about kids coming from other schools would be complaining even louder if Reitz were 6-3 or 5-4 every year with no playoff success. Every kid has the right to come to Reitz in my opinion. Reitz is by far the top public high school in the EVSC when you take academics, athletics, and community support into consideration. The other public schools do not compare. If I lived on the east side and my son had a bright future in football....I would send him to Reitz. Who cares what some old dude leaning on the rail on top of the Bowl thinks.

[ If I lived on the east side and my son had a bright future in football....I would send him to Reitz. [i]Who cares what some old dude leaning on the rail on top of the Bowl thinks[/quote]

Careful, it happens to us all sooner than you think. I left a secure job with a great retirement plan in Illinois and moved back to the west side so that all four of my children could go to (and have graduated from) Reitz. I am glad I did.

TROMBONE 58

It doesn't matter if we like it or not, the change has come and we might as wll take advantage of it. It doesn't take being born on the west side to be a Reitz Panther. Once you step on the field and put on the uniform, you are representing Reitz High School and every other player who has ever worn the uniform. Nobody needs to check on where you were born or where you grew up. I have followed Reitz football for over forty years and people have hated our success forever. Jealousy of our success is not something new. I don't see how it could be any worse than it already is. There are many panther alums who do not live in the Reitz district but would love to send their kids here. If this is the new future, then so be it. I welcome any and all who want to become part of the Reitz nation.

noone said you have to be born on the west-side or even live over here. Its a matter of pride among past/present/future panther players and students to be a true panther means you come from the original school district and you dont have to get "welfare" by-laws and rules to make you one. I think it truly does deminish what being a panthers is and has always been about.

Now with that being said it will bring in a lot of talent that we otherwise might not have had.

....With that being said, It is not needed. Will it be welcomed? of course. I am not totally against this. If it improves the program I'm all for it. People say we need it to continue to compete in 4A playoffs. I believe this to be untrue.

What I consider to be a "Panther" player-wise is someone who has put in the time and effort to be there from day 1 of their 8th grade year learning the system. Putting in time after school or during the summer with the other players in the weight room or on the practice field. During the summer doing 2 a day practices. Bleeding, sweating, winnning, losing next to their brothers (Panthers) Panthers in my mind is a "family" not meant to be derrogatory towards people that do come here. IMO you have to earn it and if you transfer due to wanting to be on the best team in SW indiana...Im sorry but i feel that is a lame a$$ excuse to transfer. Which 90% of kids who will transfer that will be their main reason.


Being a Panther is a lifestyle and a priveledge not a right.

In a way, I agree with this statement. But we must remember, the best players in all aspects will play. If a player can not get the playbook, they will not play because not only is there a chance for them to get hurt, but a blown assignment can also put you teammates in danger of getting hurt too. If a kid has a bad work ethic in the weight room or on the practice field, you can't honestly believe that they will see the field. Our coaches demand a lot from these young men, and if you can't meet those demands, you will not get the chance to play on Friday nights.

I understand where someone who grew up in the Reitz system feels that it isn't fair that they came up through EJFL, but does that mean that they have the right to be a starter on the Reitz varsity football team? Being a starter on the varsity is earned by the player, not given. There are plenty of opportunities to earn your spot. I've heard many kids say "I'm going to Such and Such high school, and I will be the starter at said position." I like the attitude of it, but I would like to hear them say I will earn the starting position.

On a unrelated topic, I saw on the roster that Tyrone Browning is an assistant coach. Does he have a son coming up? I think this has been discussed before, but I don't remember. Can someone help me out?

Tyrone has a four year old daughter, no boys as of today!

The new laws that triggered much of this debate are state laws of Indiana and how the state now funds approx $6-7K to the school corp where the resident student attends, instead of previously to the school corp where the student resided. That's why the EVSC and other corporations are now pursuing students to attend their corporation's schools regardless of where they live - to receive the money they all need. However the state of Indiana wouldn't fund any $ to EVSC for a student from Henderson KY. That student would have to pay the $6-7K tuition to attend Reitz just like they do to attend Memorial, except I don't know of any scholarships/grants we would have to assist payment as I hear Memorial can offset some of the costs. Maybe this student had the money and it still just fell through, but it would be false to say that any student can now attend Reitz tuition-free - they do have to be from Indiana the way I understand the law.

If they are looking to save money they can drop the Superintendants 450k a year salary or the car that he gets paid for or the gas or a number of BS things he gets. IMO this has always been the most controversial thing surrounding the "monetary" issue in the EVSC

I think what a lot of us are thinking is that we are open to non-westsiders so long as they buy into the program and buy into the community. What makes Reitz unique is the fan support and sense of identification with neighbors and families, and tradition - and this tradition does involve to a great extent the Westside. I realize as someone else posted that yes we have had a degree of non-westsiders play and contribute significantly on the field to Reitz football over the last decade. My question (and I truly don't know the answer) is are these families still involved with RHS? Are they season ticket holders or still attend games, Big Blue Boosters or R-Men? Did they volunteer to help out at Camp Rantoul or sacrifice time/money for other RHS events besides football like so many of the traditional westside families do? Will/did all of their kids including daughters attend Reitz as opposed to just the football-playing sons? If those answers are generally "yes" then I think they've bought into the program/community and I think we should say Welcome! If the answers are all "no" and they just sent their kids or part of their family to Reitz only for football, and not attend or support other sport's games or school functions, and have disappeared since their kids got their ring or playing time, then I think the program will eventually suffer over the longer term if that type of dispostion increases with a greater number of out-of-district transfers. Team chemistry and unity are critical to success and it's hard to tell case-by-case what impact transfers-in will have on potential team animosity or how they mix with kids who've grown up playing together. I heard that 3 would-be Reitz soccer starters dropped soccer this year to play football to "get a ring" - (hearsay but from a good source) - there will be football transfers who seek the same thing. Part of what makes Reitz special is the bond of having westside ties. Even though the old Blue Cats had John and Nick Hart and some people with Evansville ties, part of why they failed was they couldn't generate a bond or sense of identification with the fans they needed. I know it won't happen overnight but I don't want Reitz supporters to lose that bond or identification if we start getting 1/2 the team from New Harmony to Rockport UNLESS those players and families embrace the overall school and westside community and not just the football team.

Valid comments other that the jab at the Panther elders.

Most of those "old dude's" leaning on the rail are part of Panther history. If all parents and transfers are looking for is what's in it for them, they are missing the point. The Reitz experience is more than a good education or being on a winning football team. It is about community and tradition. The "old dude's" do a lot for the Reitz community and tradition. There's nothing like seeing someone take their grandchild or great grandchild to the Bowl for a game.

Lets all be honest. Look at Ft Wayne Bishop Luers. They have what 9 or 10 state titles, and you know good and well those boys aren't catholic. All the powerhouse programs, Warren Central, Cathedral, Jimtown, Roncalli, Ben Davis have always had transfer athletes. If Reitz wants to be a state championship team year in and year out they will need to get the best players. If not they will be like all other schools and make state runs when they have Mcintosh, Schiff, Saleptria, Cooper, Schmitt(Jasper) type athlets, every 5 to 10 year great classes. I agree that it would be great to have a Brunson every year, but that isn't going to happen. I'm ok with winning the siac and being a top 10 program in 4a every year, ut it would be even better to build a program like Cathedral that plays for the title every year.

And just for the record I know of four of five of Reitz's best players going back 20 years that lived in the Bosse school district. I'm not going to call anybody out or throw names out, but I think you would be surprised.

I know I'm thinking big time right now, but the bowl would be a great place to have a espn game. First you have to build a top program like St X, Warren Central, Cathedral etc...