The Kosciusko High School football team has to put last week’s regular-season ending 55-7 loss to reigning MHSAA Class 4A State Champion Louisville High School behind it, as the Whippets prepare to open the Class 4A playoffs this week on the road against Rosa Fort.
While Friday’s 7 p.m. contest will be KHS head coach Kelly Causey's first against Rosa Fort as Kosciusko’s head coach, he faced the Lions on two occasions while at Cleveland Central.
Rosa Fort head coach Kwame Jackson was on Causey’s staff during Causey’s first year at Cleveland Central.
“He’s from Cleveland, so I know him well,” Causey said. “We have a little connection there.”
Rosa Fort carries an 8-3 record into Friday’s contest and defeated Gentry 31-0 last week The Lions average 26.7 points per game and are allowing 15.8 points per contests to opponents. Kosciusko averages 17 points per game, while its defense is yielding 32.7 points per game.
“The quarterback has done a lot running and passing the ball — he’s an athlete,” Causey said. “They have a running back to go with him that’s pretty good. They’re capable of being very explosive. You have to contain that. Defensively, I think they’re a team that has some pretty big d-linemen that do a good job.”
Things did not go well for the Whippets against rival and Class 4A power Louisville last week.
The homestanding Whippets gained momentum on their first drive enough to put themselves in a position to score, but a turnover stymied that energy.
“I thought we did some good things early,” Causey said. “We threw the ball on the first series and got it down to the goal line and fumbled and let them return it back.”
Louisville added another first-quarter touchdown before Kosciusko running back Zavier Bobo Miller caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ethan Wood. The extra-point kick from Will Carter trimmed the Whippets’ deficit to 13-7 with 1:42 remaining in the opening period.
Louisville erupted for a 29-point second quarter and carried a 42-7 lead into halftime.
“Once we got behind, things kind of snowballed,” Causey said. “That’s kind of what happens when you’re playing a team of that caliber. You have to play at such a high rate, and you have to be spot on with the way you’re playing.”
Friday marked the first touchdown of the season for Miller, who returned to the Whippets’ lineup last week. Miller injured his shoulder during the offseason. The senior accounted for 81 yards receiving and one touchdown and tallied 30 yards rushing on four carries.
“I think he would have had a tremendous game last week if there hadn’t been a muddy field,” Causey said. “To do what he did against Louisville, it just shows what we’ve been missing throughout the year without having him out there. I hope we can do well this week and give him a couple more ball games.”
Kosciusko accumulated 138 yards of offense (93 passing and 45 rushing), while Louisville recorded 330 yards (216 passing and 114 rushing). The Wildcats scored touchdowns on seven of their eight possessions.
