OK, first of all we are just having a grown up conversation about nchsfb, agree friend? Knotts did recruit while at Indy, maybe not to begin with but he did later. Do you really think it's possible to go undefeated in Meck county for 6 years? Why after having to sit ineligible players in 2007 title game did the title run come to a halt? Why did he not win state at WC? I know more about SC that you might think, our #1 rival. Trust me Bailey recruits or attempts to recruit out of Fay, his old stomping grounds. One player that comes to mind is qb. Trust me Knotts would not make it in an area with only one high school within a 100 mile radius.
CMS hired a third party law firm which brought in a private investigative firm. Spent $106,000 on the Indy investigation alone. The final conclusion was Knotts did not recruit players. There were numerous emails found from parents contacting Knotts directly with replies that they would need to communicate with the AD and principal.
One player in particular was noted as being an issue was communication with a rising freshman's family. Knotts had conversations with the player's father, a former college player (may have had some NFL camp experience). The funny thing about it was that Knotts was not coaching anywhere at the time (had left Duke) and the family lived in the Indy school district. The father stated in the investigative report he reached out to Knotts and also a couple of CMS head coaches. The player went on to start three years in the SEC, was drafted and started some games in the NFL before an injury ended his career. He left Indy the day before practice started his senior season (2008) for another school.
2008 had the potential to be one of their better teams during the streak after being down a bit from 2005-2007. From the day before the first practice they would lose six starters by the Richmond semifinal game. One future NFL (see above), one future FCS two time All American that was on NFL practice squads, another FCS player, and a D2 player. Before 2007 Indy was not put in negative situations due to injury but that changed in 2007.
Anyone that watched or covered Indy and Meck County football saw that Indy was coming down from their peak starting with the 2005 season. 2005 and 2006 were undefeated seasons with close games that could have went either way with a few different bounces of the ball. It did not start with 2007 or 2008, it was just more noticeable due to the losses.
The CMS redistricting that happened from 2000-2007 shrunk the districts with the openings of three new schools. An example, as of 2006 the neighborhood of Hakeem Nicks was no longer part of the Indy district. Indy still had the skill players 2007-2009. They were loaded with them but they did not have the linemen which was really the big difference between Indy and Butler.
Indy's 2007 season changed drastically in the Catholic scrimmage when they lost future NC State TE to a knee injury. He was the only really big target for a 5'7" sophomore QB. They lost in the state title game in 2007 with their two Shrine Bowl players out with injury after losing the season finale to Butler. Indy probably should have lost to West Charlotte in the regional final. Losing the the d tackle on the first defensive play was the New Bern game changer but Indy's coaching staff, including Knotts were not up to their A level. Missed a few chances. 2008 they lost in the regional final to a Richmond club that had transformed itself and gotten healthy and hot at the end of the season. 2009 lost in the regular season final in a nail biter to Butler and again in the regional final. BUtler was better and controled the trenches. The next year Rocky River opened splitting the school.
