Kokomo scores 49 in first half, dominating hapless Indians

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Kokomo is experiencing a rough football season, opening with two losses before facing the Anderson Indians on Sept. 13. The Wildkats were more than happy to host their North Central Conference opponents, and quickly savaged them with a 49-12 whipping.

Kokomo received the ball to open the game and wasted no time finding the endzone. Anderson was helpless to stop the Wildkats’ running game, which ran wherever it liked. This point was accentuated on the first drive as the entire Kokomo offensive line joined quarterback Hagen Smith for a 29-yard student body run for a touchdown.

After forcing Anderson to quickly surrender possession, the Kats fired up the steamroller again. Tailback Brixton Morris was Kokomo’s primary weapon on the ground for the entire game, and he scored on a two-yard dive after Kokomo drove 65 yards down the field. Morris was good for 33 of those yards and finished the game with 156 yards on 19 carries.

Anderson got the ball back, but didn’t hold onto it very long. With 1:57 let in the first, the Indians flubbed a snap, sending the ball careening deep into Kokomo territory, where David Conner scooped it up and scored, making it 21-0.

But the Kats weren’t finished in the first quarter. With less than a minute remaining, Anderson badly shanked a punt for a one-yard net gain. Smith immediately went to the air, finding tight end J.J. Gillespie for a 24-yard touchdown reception.

The futility of Anderson’s play was painfully evident, as it managed just 4 yards of total offense in the first quarter. But the humiliation was just beginning, and the play became a bit chippy. The Indians decided to pick a fight with the Kats, and a rash of penalties emerged. It culminated with Morris being driven out of bounds and then through the Kokomo sidelines long after the play had been whistled dead.

Morris chose some payback for the rough play. A 10-yard blast by the tailback got called back for unsportsmanlike conduct. And three plays later, he dragged most of the Indians for a 19-yard romp as they fruitlessly clung to his ankles. Morris punched it in from two yards out on the next play to make the score 35-0.

Anderson’s play calling switch to the air as the score continued to climb, but that ill-advised decision was rivalled only by the Indians’ choice to get on the bus and travel to Kokomo at all. And Indians’ quarterback randomly tossed the ball up for grabs on their first play from scrimmage in the second as his offensive line was overwhelmed by a sea of red.

And Buddy Love was waiting for it. With a leap and a scamper, Love made Anderson pay for its lack of discipline with a 50-yard interception and score, making it 42-0.

Anderson wouldn’t be shut out while Kokomo still played its starters. On the ensuing kickoff, the Indians managed to evade Kokomo and score on the return. But that only meant the Wildkats would get the ball again.

Kokomo pushed the ball 65 yards down the field for yet another score. Morris, again, was responsible for most of the damage, rushing 49 yards on 7 carries, including a two-yard dive to make the score 49-6 at the half.

The second half was completely irrelevant. With a running clock and nothing but back-ups on the field for Kokomo, the Wildkats were finished with scoring. And Anderson could manage just a single score against the second string.

Unfortunately for the Wildkats, they only got to savor the taste of victory for a week. They fell to Lafayette Jefferson on Fri., Sept. 20, by a score of 38-23 on the road. Kokomo now stands at 1-3 on the season and will host Muncie Central (1-4) on Fri., Sept. 27. The Bearcats registered their only win of the season at the expense of Anderson as well by an even wider margin, 55-12, last Friday night.

See additional photos from this game, along with galleries featuring the Kokomo band, cheerleaders, and dance teams, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern’s Facebook page or group.