Kokomo Athletics

The Kokomo Wildkats (3-12-1, 0-5-0) concluded a challenging campaign in the first round of the IHSAA 3A state tournament, dropping the match to the fifth ranked Raiders by a final score of 10-2. In a sectional where five of the six teams had winning records entering the competition, the Kats knew that the draw posed a challenge. Three teams, including Harrison, had won 11 or more matches coming into the tournament, and Logansport has yet to lose a match this season. Nevertheless, the Kats came out to play against the Raiders, and started well. After conceding a goal in the first 15 minutes, junior midfielder Enzo Beber Zemberlan’s free kick was parried by the Raider’s keeper, and junior midfielder Charlie Mavrick dashed in to tap in the Kats’ first goal of the night to tie the match at 1-1 halfway through the first half. However, the Raiders responded quickly, notching three goals in a seven minute span to take a commanding 4-1 lead. They would tack on one more before the break to build their lead to 5-1 before halftime. After the half, the Raiders continued to threaten the Kats, and their technical and physical speed, as well as their physicality, presented problems that the Kats struggled to solve. After conceding two more goals to the Raiders, senior outside back Josue Romero tapped the second Kat goal of the night into the Raider net when the Raiders failed to clear a Kat corner kick. But at 7-2, the Kats would get no closer as the Raiders scored three more goals, the last of which came on a corner kick with under a minute to play. We would like to thank the administration and fans for their support this season.