The Kokomo Wildkats finished off their conference slate handing the Marion Giants a home loss and in the process finished the season as undefeated North Central Conference champions for the 2024 season! The Wildkats defeated the hosts by a score of 1-0 in a tight affair at Marion High School’s turf field. The Wildkats dominated possession, but failed to find much success in front of goal as the Giants’ offside trap worked to perfection. The Wildats had four times as many offsides calls as shots on frame, but after a slight tactical adjustment in the second half, the Kats started to possess the ball in the attacking half of the pitch more often. Though they broke through the Marion back line a couple of times in each half, it was not until late in the game that the Kats broke the deadlock. In a great bit of possession in their opponent’s half of the field, senior midfielder and captain Ben Herrera concluded the series by crossing the ball into the box where senior winger Javier Carrera held his defender off, flicked the ball up, and smashed a volley into the lower left corner of the goal. It was a great combination and fantastic finish. Javier Carrera is your man of the match. Defensively, Juan Toscano organized the back line well from his center back position, and Kats’ keeper, Alan Lopez, recorded five saves in Wildkats’ 10th win of the season and second by shutout. The Wildkats (10-2-1, 5-0-0) now boast their best conference record in a decade and their second best win total. With the victory, Coach Blessing secured his 150th career win as a high school head coach. He has coached at Bishop Chatard, McCutcheon, and West Lafayette before leading the Wildkats. The Wildkats have one final home match versus Lebanon this Thursday before heading to Carroll the following Tuesday for their final varsity match of the regular season. In the junior varsity match, the Wildkats played solid defense and limited Marion’s chances, but needed most of game’s minutes to score the winner when sophomore KJ Lorenz’s nifty passing in midfield created a chance for sophomore Daniel Amparan who fired the game winner into the back of the net with seven minutes remaining. The Wildkats (5-4-2, 4-1-0) conclude their season this Thursday when they host Lebanon.