Latest / The Central Indiana Sports Report / Class 5A Sectional 12 Championship Preview: Kokomo vs. Lafayette Jeff (2.78.5)

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Class 5A Sectional 12 Championship Preview: Kokomo vs. Lafayette Jeff (2.78.5) · The Central Indiana Sports Report

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: You are listening to a special edition of the Central Indian Sports Report, our preview of the Class V, a sectional 12 championship game, between the Kokomo Wildcats and the Lafayette Jeff Broncos, with Kokomo Post Sports Editor Jay Stevens, and Kokomo Head Coach, Caleb Small, co-hosted by Tipton Tribune and Elwood Colleater Sports Editor, Michelle Garmin, only
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to a special edition of the Central Indiana Sports Report with myself, your host Greg Mendeau.
• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: The tips and tribunal would call leader sports editor Michelle Garmin, our class 5A sectional 12 preview between the Cocomo Wildcats and the Lafayette Jeff Broncos.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: coming up will be joined by Jay Stevens, the sports editor of the Cogamo Post, and Cogamo Head Coach Caleb Small to discuss Friday, sectional championship game at Cogamo.
• 1:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Then Michelle and I will make our game predictions.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Before we get to all of that, I want to make you aware of what's going on with the central Indian sports report.
• 1:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: this is one of eight sectional championship preview games.
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Please go check out the others and on Thursday, Michelle and I released our preview and prediction show, predicting all of the sectional championship games in central Indiana.
• 1:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: On Friday evening, we'll have the sectional championship scoreboard show with scores and highlights from across Indiana.
• 1:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Also this weekend, we'll have our Colton Falcons preview, our College Football Previews and predictions show with Eric and Ryan Robinson, our IU Penn State in Purdue, Ohio State, Previews and Reaction shows, our Colts Falcons reaction, our IU Marquette basketball reaction show, and our Purdue Oakland basketball.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Reaction shows gonna be a busy weekend.
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• 2:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Also, basketball season is right around the corner, and we'll have boys and girls basketball, scoreboard shows multiple times a week, starting hopefully next week.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: So third rank, Lafayette Jeff comes into the sectional 12 championship game as the heavy favorites.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a vending champions, they've won nine straight games and be Cocoa Motin straight times, including 49 to 16 on October 3rd.
• 2:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: But their own lost this year came in week one to shatard.
• 2:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Bronco shut down rival McCutchen 26th of nothing last week in the semi-final realm.
• 3:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: And are led by a stellar passing attack.
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Tristan Barrier is third in the state with 2922 passing yards and also has 33 touchdowns and has a pair of 1000 yards receivers in Bryce Van Nostrin and Omar Williams Jr.
• 3:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: They've combined for 157 receptions.
• 3:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Williams will play corner for Thomas Hammock at Northern Illinois next season.
• 3:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bennett and Van Nostrin are just juniors.
• 3:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Broncos also have a couple of reliable backs, both with 580 yards are more in senior markies addcons and Daveris Fernandez.
• 3:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Bronco Offensive averaging 48.6 points per game which brings fifth in the state.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: The defense allows just 14 points again after giving up 35 and 29 of their first two games of the season against the Tard and Michigan City.
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: They surrendered just 52 points the last six weeks.
• 4:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Their defense is led by senior Aiden H. He was headed to Minnesota to play for the Golden Gofers defense next season.
• 4:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: He has 31 tackles for loss in a second in the state, 16 and
• 4:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: of Evansville Rights.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Junior KV on Campbell Walkers, the team leader with 115 tackles, 16, 64 of those solo.
• 4:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jeffes won seven sectionals overall four of them from 1981 to 99.
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: They also won one in 2002, then of course, twice in the last three years.
• 4:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: The cat started this season, oh and four, but are four and two since including a nice 22 to 14 went over South Bend Adams and last week's semi-finals,
• 4:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: big reason for the improvement is the development of Junior quarterback Luke Callaway who went 15 for 21 with 157 yards and two touchdowns in the win last week.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was the 5th straight year Cocoamos won at least one postseason game, but they haven't won a sectional championship since 2000.
• 5:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Callaway and Senior Brandon Humphrey shared quarterback responsibilities and
• 5:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Both of Throne for over 480 yards and both for 5 touchdowns.
• 5:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Humphrey's is more a threat on the ground.
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's run for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns.
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Wildcats League Russia is bricks than Morse, with 396 yards and 6 touchdowns.
• 5:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: He hasn't had the same season quite as last year.
• 5:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Mostly, that's probably because of the system change under first year head coach Caleb Small, the features the past more.
• 5:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: Through 10 games, the 4 and 6 Wildcats are averaging 27.5 points, and surrendering 27.
• 5:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Cocomo previously won sectional championships in 1985, 2015 and 16 and 17, and 2022, the last four under Brett and Austin Colby.
• 6:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Please stay tuned for Jay Stevens, then Caleb Small.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Then Michelle and I will be back to make our predictions.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: We continue our preview of the sectional 12 championship between Lafayette Jeff and Coco Moe.
• 6:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Jay, you and I talked, I think it might have been after the first game of the year about Coco Moe and Coco Small.
• 6:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you said it's just going to be hard to tell
• 6:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: expect them to get better throughout the year because of getting healthier and and coaching and it turned out to be exactly right.
• 6:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Good.
• 6:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's one of the weird things about this this team is they have talent.
• 6:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: But when you're working with a new system with a new coach, there's completely different what they used to have and you're being dumped.
• 6:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's the rest of before you have less wins and then you should have and that's optical small.
• 7:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: after the week nine game and he was still pretty realistic about where the team is and knowing that if things for just a little bit different, this team would have more wins and you will look at this team.
• 7:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: This way, okay, the record is said, oh, this is more of a respectable record and season that they had, but we're sitting at four and six right now.
• 7:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not the best season that Coco most had, but they got to bring their A game on Friday night.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Game, they're quarterback back
• 7:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: The two court of access that they have, these guys weren't even supposed to be starters at the beginning of the season.
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: The original starter was hurt.
• 7:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think they had another guy hurt, and then this look caliber guy was not going to not know anyone's radar, but getting this two cubic system calories mainly the thrower.
• 7:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Gambles, the backup who was heard at the beginning of the year, um, they're working in their jelly and when they click, they click.
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: And so that's what I think in this game, I guess Lafayette Jeff is that when the first time they played these two guys, what really.
• 8:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: In mid-season form, even though they started playing in net season four, they figured up the offense, small figured out what works for them, they get Brandon Humphrey's back on the outside where he is more of a playmaker, which is where he's supposed to be.
• 8:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was QB1 beginning of the year, so there's a lot of moving parts of this team, even late in the season that can make this game a little interesting.
• 8:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: This game, they really have nothing to lose because they can go pull off a nice upset or they can get a valuable experience because I really think if you're going to get coconut milk, you needed to get them now because I say Caleb's mom is really going to he's going to develop something nice.
• 8:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's going to be different than what was there under the Colby's because it's going to be more of a spread pro-type offense, which I think the fans will enjoy.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm out there with you.
• 8:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: The fans will enjoy it.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: You can reckon I'm getting him now because one thing I've learned about Caleb Smaller is that he not only puts a training on the quarterback position, but he's really good at developing the quarterback over a multiple year span last year.
• 9:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's frustrating back up last year, started a game.
• 9:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: He showed a lot of promise, a young promise for a young quarterback in this year.
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: I believe both of these guys gamble and Cowboy will still be a coconut moon next year and either want to see him here.
• 9:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's another thing, where if you get him now, you got him, you might not get coconut moon tail this fall next year.
• 9:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: AJ, coconut moon and Jeff played just a few weeks ago.
• 9:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was a fairly comfortable,
• 9:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: 49 to 16 win by Jeff at Cocomog in this game on Friday being played at Cocomog anything you're hearing or anything From coach small that you think could be different this time around against Jeff
• 9:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: The core of that play is a biggest thing.
• 10:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: The guys on the outside meeting Humphrey's and working with Burstmore and been carried.
• 10:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Those guys, when they were clicking, they worked very, very well.
• 10:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Bricks and Morris is back.
• 10:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think he was fully healthy.
• 10:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: The last sign these two teams played.
• 10:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: But the one interesting thing that I think everybody is to worry about, well, when it comes to this game and it's a little upset, it's the first time these teams played, Lafayette just had a lot of penalties.
• 10:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: did 19 penalties for 193 penalty yards.
• 10:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if that's a school record, but that has to be pretty close for either number of penalties or total penalty yardage.
• 10:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: If that happens again, Kokomo's defense has been able to be opportunistic and has played really good in the lot of part of the regular season.
• 10:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I wouldn't be shocked if that led to
• 10:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kokomo finding way to get an interception or trying to force a fumble to get the ball back in favorable field position.
• 10:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that detail of if Jeff is committing not many companies in a sexual championship, while Kokomo, I don't believe, is more talented.
• 11:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think Kokomo can find a way to take advantage of those issues of Jeff has those problems once again.
• 11:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the bottom line is Jeff is a huge favorite in this game.
• 11:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: For a lot of reasons,
• 11:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: But they've got to be able to slow down that passing game, which if it's not the best in the state, it's in the top three.
• 11:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's to be, that's to be what they've been able to do year in and year out with that offense I'm even losing the form of offensive coordinator in a chain turn up seed is now in the western and still keeping that system rolling.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: There are the clear, tough areas in this one I'm not even going to try to deny it.
• 11:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: What they have going is is right is what is what you want right now believe they're tied for second in the AP polling class five they tied with number two with cathedral.
• 11:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Who's in you think about cathedral what they have been for decades and you tied with them right now the eight people says a lot about what you've done so far this year and what you're expected to do throughout the tournament Jeff has never won a regional and program history.
• 12:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: I have a feeling that's about to come to an end.
• 12:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm I'm right there with you.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jay Stevens of the coconut post.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much.
• 12:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jay tell everybody how they can read your work.
• 12:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: go to the couple of posts.com, do an article coming out later this week.
• 12:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again, taking winners of section of 1227 in a winner sectional 36, I believe.
• 12:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: And by the way, Jay will be speaking with us also about sectional 36 and 27.
• 12:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: So make sure you check those out, Jay Stevens.
• 12:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for your time.
• 12:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Appreciate it.
• 12:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
• 12:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: our preview of the sectional 12 championship game between Cocomo and Lafayette Jeff continues with Cocomo first year head coach Caleb Small who has the Wildcats and the sectional championship game.
• 13:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: After an O and four start coach you've won four of six including a big win over South Bend Adams.
• 13:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: About you're liking the way your team's playing better than early in the year.
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_03]: Once we got healthy and our best players started making plays, all of a sudden we were able to win a few games and you know what, I really think we could have came away with the monthly Central Game 2, making it five to the last six and learn some valuable lessons from that game.
• 13:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: coaching staff and displayers as well and we were able to kind of take a similar game you know from last week and and and reverse reverse the result there so that was good to just to be able to see that we were able to learn from some things and get a playoff win which I think was used for our program.
• 13:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: What's been obviously getting healthy was
• 13:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, I think just our experience in general, you know, we've had a lot of young guys as I stated last week, I think four of our top five four of our, our starting offensive linemen will return next year, which means by these guys had some growing pains, we've started two sophomores up front two juniors up front who had zero zero Friday night experience in the past asking those guys to do something number one they've never done before and then and then and do it at a high level with the lights on that was that was hard for us to.
• 14:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: to get over and sometimes it just takes some flight hours and to get some experience in order to improve and and the play the way that they're capable of playing and I think that's done a really good job getting coached and they've came a long way on the off its blindness.
• 14:42
  [SPEAKER_03]: this season and then our quarterbacks.
• 14:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: We played five different ones this year.
• 14:46
  [SPEAKER_03]: So it's hard to gain experience and we were able to settle in a little bit with Luke and Trae and you know Luke's kind of taking over the majority of the snaps, but you know both of them have gotten immensely better in the last six weeks and they're very coachful kids.
• 15:00
  [SPEAKER_03]: They work really hard and you know the more experience you get at the quarterback and you know the better they're going to be time especially on a Friday when they understand.
• 15:08
  [SPEAKER_03]: you know, just different situations and different trajectories, the balls got to travel in and and you know, what we're trying to do holistically as an offense kind of starts with them.
• 15:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, those those those areas in particular, you know, we've we've gained a lot of experience and have been able to push some things together.
• 15:24
  [SPEAKER_03]: The defensively we've, you know, we've kind of long way, you know, we've been.
• 15:29
  [SPEAKER_03]: We've been dang your lights out in the last, you know, minus the Lafayette Jeff game.
• 15:33
  [SPEAKER_03]: We've been pretty stinking good and I've been really proud of them and, you know, for us, it just came down to details and focus on some of the easy fundamentals and getting off blocks and tackling.
• 15:43
  [SPEAKER_03]: And we started to do that and started to be able to stop the run and we've gotten a lot of better defensively mentioned Lafayette Jeff, one of the two losses here lately.
• 15:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jeff has been dominant in the conference dominant in the sexual including the win over you earlier this year.
• 16:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: And which they threw 24 for 29, 321 yards and three touchdowns.
• 16:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: How do you slow down that passing game this time around?
• 16:09
  [SPEAKER_03]: Coach Shanley, you know, it does a really good job of getting his best athletes to the ball.
• 16:13
  [SPEAKER_03]: Number one, we get some gets in the ball in space.
• 16:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: those athletes are pretty special.
• 16:17
  [SPEAKER_03]: He's got he's got some division on players on that on that team and when they when they get the ball they're pretty electric.
• 16:23
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so we we got to prevent them getting the ball in space to get a lemonade space and tackle the ball tackle it when it gets to them when they get the ball in space you miss a tackle or two or you don't get off a block that space gets eaten up quickly and and all sudden they're gone.
• 16:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so something that we've we've learned from you know we we've tried to use the phrase this week that we don't got to beat all 11 at one time we got
• 16:45
  [SPEAKER_03]: in the area in which he's won at the correct times in the situation that's given us.
• 16:50
  [SPEAKER_03]: So for us, that's been our focus and we understand and we're given them as much credit as credit to do and they're really good team and they're going to give us as far as given us different balances in the run game as well and then going the ball down the field and then in the screen game.
• 17:05
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's a hard challenge for us defensively.
• 17:07
  [SPEAKER_03]: However, we have gotten better and we expect our kids to
• 17:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right coach, how has practice been this week?
• 17:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: What's the spirit of the team and how our is your team health was?
• 17:25
  [SPEAKER_03]: Um, we, we took a couple blows last week, um, you know, especially on the offensive line.
• 17:30
  [SPEAKER_03]: So, you know, we're going to have to have to have a couple guys step up and, um, and, and play force and make plays on Friday night in which some of them haven't done, uh, to be quite honest.
• 17:40
  [SPEAKER_03]: And so, you know, that that's been definitely driving force offensively for us.
• 17:44
  [SPEAKER_03]: It's, it's focusing on that and, and, uh, just again, trying to just, uh,
• 17:48
  [SPEAKER_03]: just learn and continue to get better with the experience that we've had now with playoff win.
• 17:55
  [SPEAKER_03]: And then Armour Rouse really good.
• 17:57
  [SPEAKER_03]: And our seniors really stepped up last week and in the game against out the items and we expect him to do that this week and they've been locked in and practiced so far.
• 18:06
  [SPEAKER_03]: And we look forward to each day of practice and in the playoff because it's just fun, man.
• 18:11
  [SPEAKER_03]: You know, you get to get to really lock in with the people that care the most
• 18:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: and do everything you can to prepare yourself to win the game.
• 18:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Coach Caleb's small of the Cocomo Wildcat.
• 18:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for your time.
• 18:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: I appreciate it as always and good luck on Friday.
• 18:27
  [SPEAKER_03]: Well, thank you very much.
• 18:28
  [SPEAKER_03]: Thanks for having us all.
• 18:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, Michelle.
• 18:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: We just heard all the facts and figures, all the numbers we heard from
• 18:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Jay Stevens of the Cocomot Post and Cocomot Head Coach Caleb Small.
• 18:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: What's your prediction?
• 18:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Lafayette Jeff at Cocomot for the Sectional 12 Championship.
• 18:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I think Caleb Small's wallcats will make it a little bit closer, but I think Lafayette's gonna win and I say a little bit closer, I don't think the game that come a really being doubt come for a quarter.
• 19:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, this is...
• 19:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think we want Coca-Mota win this game, but Coca-Most probably not gonna win this game.
• 19:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Lafayette Jeff is loaded with talent.
• 19:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're loaded with skill talent, they are big.
• 19:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: They are tough, they're strong, and until they run into either cathedral or new Palestine, I don't think they're losing for a while.
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: No.
• 19:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it's a sweet, give us both Jeff.
• 19:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks, Michelle.
• 19:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're welcome.
• 19:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: And thank you so much to Jay Stevens and Caleb Small for joining the Central Indiana Sports Report.
• 19:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: And thank you for listening.
• 19:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Go check out one of our other sectional previews.
• 19:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Or you can go check out Michelle and I picked all of the sectional championship games.
• 19:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: And posted that on Thursday evening.
• 19:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for your time.
• 19:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: I appreciate it.
• 19:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Please share this with a football fan in your life.
• 20:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: The use and draw an annual sports report is a product of ITG media.
• 20:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Ryle of Susan.