Published: October 04, 2007 10:34 pm            

Kats eye lock on NCC crown

Berries visit Walter Cross Field for league’s Game of the Year

Eleven years ago tonight, Kokomo High School’s football team wrapped up a share of the North Central Conference championship by beating Logansport.

As it turns out, the Wildkats haven’t had the opportunity to play an NCC game of that magnitude since.

Until now.

Kokomo, 6-1 overall and 5-0 in the NCC, takes on Logansport (6-1, 4-1) at 7 o’clock tonight at Walter Cross Field. Perhaps the largest crowd in a decade is expected as the Wildkats once again need a win over the Berries to gain at least a piece of the pie.

Logansport has even more at stake. The Berries, whose only loss came against Huntington North, need a win to stay in the title run. A loss tonight means second place at best, likely third.

History also adds a little spice to tonight’s game. While Kokomo has dominated the longtime series 56-23-3, it’s recently been all Berries. Over the past three seasons, Logansport has not only beaten Kokomo, but kicked them around to the tune of 146-26.

And then there’s the final minute of last year’s game. With 1:05 remaining and trailing 28-6, Kokomo ran out of downs near midfield. Rather than take a knee on two plays and call it a night, Logansport chose to rub the Kats’ noses in it a bit — throwing three passes in 31 seconds, scoring on the last to bump the final score to 35-6. The Berries had attempted just two prior passes in the game.

Wildkat coach Brett Colby wasn’t at Kokomo last season and is downplaying those closing seconds and the hard feelings that resulted. He said his players shouldn’t need any extra incentive when they are already playing for the conference championship.

“We told our players to keep their feelings in check — you can’t worry about the past,” he said. “They need to focus on what’s at hand. I’m sure [last year’s game] is in the back of their minds, but we need to look where we are this year and put pride in what’s at stake for our team.”

Colby has great respect for the Logansport program.

“The reason they’ve been successful is they’re running a system, just like we are here,” he said. “Elmer [Britton] started it over there and Bucky [Kramer] has done a good job carrying on with it. Their kids bought in over there several years ago just like ours are now. [The Berries] have turned the corner. They were one of the teams we knew we would need to beat to win the conference [title].”

The Berries are sound. They offer the NCC’s top ground game (274 yards per game) and its best defense against the run (97 per game). Kokomo ranks second in both at 241 and 100.

Colby sees a hard-nosed game that will be won in the trenches.

“Our goal and their goal is to take away the other team’s run,” he said. “We want to run the football just like they do. Our offenses are different, but our philosophies are pretty much the same.”

Matt McIntire leads the Berries’ ground game, averaging 104 yards per game, 6.8 per rush.

“He’s 6-foot-1, 235 pounds and strong,” Colby said. “He’s explosive and is a forward-lean kind of runner. Ninety percent of his yards will come between the ends.”

Logansport has allowed the least number of points in the conference (12 per game) and that unit is headed by linebackers David Hayden (8.3 tackles per game) and Grant McCloskey (6.6).

Kokomo’s ground game is keyed by Justin Patterson and Braxton Shelton, who have combined for nearly 200 yards per game. Curt Hutchins (10.3) and Alston Andrews (9.7) rank third and fifth in league tackles.

Colby is pleased that this marks Senior Night.

“It’s really appropriate,” he said. “These seniors had to learn a new system with a new coach and there were demands placed on them. I give them credit for what success we’ve had and it’s great on [Senior Night] that they have a chance to get a share of the title.”

        

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