Guts and grit

Grant Zgunda's evaluation of his team’s effort has been consistent all season.

He’s said it after wins.

He’s said it after close losses.

He’s said it after the couple of games in which the score got away.

The Patriots play hard.

That grit was on full display Friday night, as the Jay County High School football team slugged it out in a sloppy slog against the defending sectional champions. The Patriots scored first, led at halftime and pushed the No. 9 Kokomo Wildkats into the final minutes before succumbing to a 21-14 loss in the Class 4A Sectional 20 opening round.

“Those boys got grit,” said JCHS senior receiver/defensive back Justin DeHoff. “I’m proud of each and every one of them boys. We fought … all night and just came up a little short. …

“That team was favored by three-plus touchdowns. We took them down to the wire. I will never doubt the effort at Jay County High School, never doubt it.”

Even after Kokomo (8-2) seemed to have gotten the game in hand with a 21-8 lead, the Patriots (4-6) kept scratching, clawing and scraping to get back into it. On a second-and-12 play late in the fourth quarter, they stood up quarterback Reis Beard and allowed Bryce Wenk the chance to rip at the ball. It popped into the air and the senior defensive end snatched it, chugging 65 yards down the right sideline to pull his team back within a score.

Ja’Keyvion Love, however, was able to jump on the ensuing onside kick and JCHS was unable to stop the visitors to earn one more chance with the ball. Eventually, quarterback Reis Beard — he ran 28 times for 147 yards — was able to kneel three times to burn the final minute-plus off the clock.

"You get to this time of year, it's different,” said Jay County coach Grant Zgunda. “It's like, 'How bad do you want to continue to play football.’

“I think if you're still kind of enjoying it, you want it to continue. I think our guys, they like being around each other. They fight for each other. They weren't gonna give up, no matter what.”

Following a punt to end their first drive, the Patriots immediately got the ball back when Kokomo’s Darrian Story Jr. fumbled and Joseph Hemmelgarn jumped on the ball. Starting at the 22-yard line, JCHS got a little help from a pair of defensive pass interference calls and eventually got on the board on a 1-yard dive by quarterback Sean Bailey. With kicker A.J. Myers out because of a knee injury, they went for two and converted on a pass from Bailey to Rhysin Blowers.

JCHS was still up 8-6 at halftime and carried that advantage through the first six minutes of the second half. The home team halted a Wildkat drive at its 18-yard line, but kicker Adrian Reyes booted a line-drive, 35-yard field goal in the sloppy conditions to give his team its first lead.

"As soon as we got the lead on the scoreboard, I knew that was gonna kind of light a spark on our sideline,” said Kokomo coach Austin Colby. “And it did."

As the Patriots returned the ball on the ensuing kickoff, Kokomo forced a fumble. Keemarion Pollard scooped it up and hustled 30 yards for a 15-8 lead.

After a Jay County drive was halted near midfield, the Wildkats were finally able to take advantage of their tight wing-T running game. They put together an 11-play drive capped by a 3-yard Story run for a two-score lead.

Kokomo eventually iced the game when Story (23 carries, 86 yards) ran for 4 yards on a third-and-3 play as the clock ticked past the 2-minute mark.

"We overcame the slow start,” said Colby. “It’s all about just surviving and advancing this time of the year. So we were able to get this done tonight."

The Wildkats, who were regional champions last season before falling 10-9 to New Prairie in the semi-state, move to host North Central Conference rival Marion in next week’s sectional semifinal. The Giants, who lost to Kokomo 35-20 during the regular season, thumped Frankfort 63-0 in Friday night’s opening round.

Wenk led the Jay County offense, which was without leading rusher Myers at running back, with 100 yards on 16 carries. But it was the defense that kept the Patriots’ hopes of a first sectional win since 2017 alive. It forced Kokomo to work for every yard, giving up just one play longer than 14 yards and limiting the Wildkats to 2 or fewer yards on 21 of their 60 rushing attempts.

“We all just fought,” said senior lineman Ryne Goldsworthy. “Everybody on the team fought. There wasn’t one person on this team that just gave up. … 

“We never gave up. This is the best we’ve ever played, so I’m proud of my boys.”