North Judson —
Scott Mannering’s 200th career coaching victory couldn’t have come at a much better time.
The powerful football program he has built at Lewis Cass is once again a sectional champion.
Mannering’s Kings pounded North Judso 35-7 Friday night in the Sectional 26 final. The Class 2A No. 7-ranked Kings (11-1) will host No. 9 Andrean (10-2) next Friday night for a regional game.
It was the Kings’ seventh sectional title and first since 2009.
All 200 of Mannering’s wins have come at Cass. He’s in his 27th season at the helm.
“I’m more happy for the sectional title,” Mannering said. “This team, when we didn’t win the conference, you hate to be a really good team that never wins a championship and we got one. We played three tough teams in a row, and the guys persevered.
“It was great to win a championship.”
The Kings took a 14-0 lead into halftime against the Bluejays (5-7) after a pair of touchdown runs by quarterback Sheldon Slusser. They then delivered the knockout blow to start the second half, as Drew Shepherd carried the ball 62 yards to paydirt on the first play of the half. North Judson fumbled the ensuing kickoff on its 23-yard line to give the Kings the ball back, and five plays later Payton Young took it into the end zone from three yards out to make it a 28-0 game just two minutes into the third quarter.
Shepherd talked about his big run to open the half, when the offensive line made a big hole for the big speedster to run through.
“That really got the momentum going and set the tone for the second half. Coach always says the first five minutes set the tone, and I think that helped a lot,” he said.
Young capped off the scoring with a 6-yard TD run with 2:03 remaining in the game to make it 35-7. He also had two sacks on defense, the second of which helped end a long Judson drive in the fourth quarter when the Bluejays were still within striking distance.
Cass starting cornerback Justen Downhour missed the game with a knee injury, and cornerback Dion Stevens left in the first half with a concussion.
But the Kings still held North Judson quarterback Caston Sanchez to 8 of 16 passing for 85 yards. The Bluejays hurt themselves with three dropped passes in the first half to end three drives. They had recorded just one first down when they found themselves in a 28-0 hole.
“Dion Stevens had a concussion the first half and we’re down to getting kind of thin, but the guys played through,” Mannering said. “We were able to make some plays there in that third quarter, that opening play was huge for us to get a three-score lead. And then defensively I thought we hung in there and made plays when we had to.”
Gabe Welch was the main workhorse for the Kings, as he gained 93 yards on 19 carries. Shepherd had 89 yards on five attempts, and Slusser added 63 yards on 11 totes and the two TDs.
“I think we played our hardest and we worked hard for it and we trust our training, that’s how we get through stuff,” Slusser said. “That’s big for coach Mannering. He’s a heck of a coach and he knows how to lead a team and make us good every year.
“We’re ready to line up and beat anyone, it doesn’t matter what team. But we never take anything for granted.”
The Kings outgained the Bluejays 333-150 in total yardage, including 317-65 on the ground. Seven Kings ball carriers combined for the 333 yards behind a line that controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
“We try to play like the old-school Cass teams and I think it works,” Shepherd said.
As for getting win No. 200 for Mannering, Shepherd said, “That was really important. He really deserves it. He’s an outstanding coach.”
Sports
Cass pummels Judson
Coach Mannering’s 200th win delivers No. 7 Kings sectional title.
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Northwestern takes down West Lafayette
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10 area athletes advance to boys track state finals
Austin Roark’s first season as the head boys track and field coach at Eastern High School just keeps getting better and better.
A week after guiding the Comets to their first sectional title since 1998, Roark will join six of his athletes at next weekend’s IHSAA state finals after advancing out of Thursday’s Kokomo Regional at Walter Cross Field. -
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GREENTOWN — The third time turned out not to be the charm for the Taylor softball squad as Eastern improved to 3-0 on the season over its backyard rival Wednesday night, ousting the Titans from the Class 2A Eastern Sectional 15-0 in five innings.
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Barnes sets Taylor's career hits record
Taylor baseball standout Logan Barnes made his final game at George Phares Field one to remember.
Barnes pitched four solid innings to lead Taylor past Monroe Central 9-3 Tuesday. In addition, he went 2 for 3 at the plate, pushing his career hits total to a school-record 142. -
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After two days of chills and thrills, Kokomo’s softball team ran out of tickets Tuesday night in the Class 4A Harrison Sectional. The Kats dropped a 4-3 decision to Harrison in eight innings, giving up a run in the top of the extra frame, and having a runner tagged out at home in the bottom of the frame.
“It was a great game,” Harrison coach Dick Mitchell said. “It’s always nerve-wracking to coach in one of them, but both teams played their hearts out. Nobody deserved to lose that game, but unfortunately somebody does.” -
Comets turn heads at track regional
Heading into Tuesday’s IHSAA girls track and field regional at Fort Wayne Northrop High School’s Spuller Stadium, event workers alike weren’t sure of Eastern High School’s location.
After the dust settled, they may feel compelled to get a map out and find out where Greentown is located.
Led by seniors Sarah Wagner, Brittany Neeley and Bethany Neeley, the Comets qualified for the state finals in six separate events to finish fourth as a team with 55.5 points, behind host and champion Northrop (78), Bellmont (68) and Carroll (Allen) 66. -
GASKINS: Hibbert’s block was thing of beauty
For the better part of the NBA season, ESPN devoted all kinds of time on SportsCenter episodes to replays of two dunks. Anyone who watches any ESPN at all surely knows the two to which I’m referring: 6-foot-11 DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers posterizing 6-3 Brandon Knight of the Detroit Pistons, and 6-8 LeBron James of the Miami Heat hammering home a dunk over 6-2 Jason Terry of the Boston Celtics.
Day after day, ESPN commentators lavished endless praise, which quickly grew tiresome. The dunks were strong, but Jordan and James were much taller and heavier than Knight and Terry and the dunkers also caught perfect alley-oop passes with the defenders in poor positions to defend. Still, ESPN commentators loved these plays.
I kept wondering if a great defensive play would receive the same kind of love. -
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When the dust settled Sunday evening at the Kokomo Speedway, a pair of drivers who have visited Victory Lane in the past at the local oval found themselves there once again while a talented up-and-comer hit the hallowed ground for the first time.
Jerry Coons Jr. had his way in the sprint car feature and Craig Walker seemed to get faster as the laps wound down to win the Street Stock main event, however Kokomo High School sophomore Kory Glassburn had to scratch and fight before scoring the first feature win of his career in the Thunder Car A-main. -
Field is set for Indianapolis 500
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The field of 33 cars will have one final opportunity to practice on Friday before next Sunday’s 97th running of the 500.
One year ago the Sarah Fisher Racing Team withdrew Newgarden’s entry on the first day of qualifying and had to qualify on bump day. This year the team decided not to make another qualifying run and got bumped. -
Athlete of the week
Cole led the small-school Comets to the Kokomo Sectional title, their first title since 1998.
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