Knox Opens Tournament Play With Road Win!

It was an odd matchup for Head Coach John Hendryx and the Knox Redskins, as they went on the road to Hammond Clark High School for their first round tournament matchup in Sectional Football action. It was a game the Redskins felt they needed to put away early, due to the extreme athleticism of Hammond Clark. That is exactly what the Redskins did as they scored all 56 of their points in the first half.

The Redskin scoring began on their first possession, as they were able to take the ball 64 yards down the field on 5 plays, finding the end zone as Junior running back Payton Baugh punched in the first touchdown of the game from 4 yards out. Ja’Kobe Dickson booted the extra point through to give Knox a 7-0 lead, on a drive that took less than two minutes.On their next possession, the Pioneers of Clark High School were able to move the ball with a good amount of success, as they had the ball at the Redskins’ five yard line, and looked to have enough momentum going to find the end zone and tie the game. The Redskins’ defense had other plans, however, as they were able to stiffen up and took the ball over on downs at their own five yard line. It would only take Knox seven plays to march down the field as they were able to continue with their multidimensional ground attack. On this drive, it would be Cade Short who took the ball across the goal line with a thirteen yard run, which capped off a seven play, ninety-five yard scoring drive. Knox chose to go for the two-point conversion after the Short touchdown, handing the ball to Payton Baugh who blasted his way into the end zone, giving Knox a 15-0 lead with 3:45 left to go in the first quarter. The Redskins’ scoring in the first quarter was still not yet done. After the Knox defense had once again put an end to a Clark drive, the Redskins had their best starting field position of the night, as they took over at the Clark forty-six yard line. The third touchdown of the first quarter came from quarterback Zac Rose, who took the snap from 6’5 285lb Senior center Billy Durkiewicz, and plowed his way into the end zone. After a failed extra point attempt, the Redskins held a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, with three different individuals having found the end zone.

As the second quarter began, the overwhelming feeling around the Pioneer Fort was that one more score for the Redskins would put the game out of reach. The boys in red, white, and blue had other thoughts though, as they would find the end zone four more times in the second quarter to put the game out of reach. The second quarter explosion began with the passing game. On the eighth play of the drive, Rose would drop back to throw, finding Sophomore sensation Kole McIntire on a 23-yard touchdown strike to give Knox a 27-0 lead midway through the second quarter of play. The touchdown grab by McIntire would be his lone reception of the game, as the Redskins looked to keep the ball on the ground in an attempt to shorten the game, and exit the Fort with everyone healthy, and their starting lineups in tact for next week’s semifinal matchup. Even though the Redskins were focusing on their rushing attack, that did not mean they would abandon the pass entirely. Braxton Geller was on the end of the second touchdown throw by Rose in the second quarter, as the connection of Rose to Geller struck gold just 22 seconds after McIntire’s score. Geller would end up with two receptions on the game for 32 yards to lead the team in both of those categories. The Redskins continued to pound the ball on the rough ground known as “The Pioneer Fort”. Now, it would be the turn of Sophomore Harrison Howard to find the end zone from the running back position. Howard took the handoff on the second play of Knox’s third possession of the second quarter, and exploded 17 yards, displaying incredible speed on his way to the score, leaving opponents as well as teammates in his rearview mirror.

It was just two minutes later that Knox would cross the goal line again, this time in the person of Junior Gunner Wagner. The Redskins had once again taken the ball back from the Pioneers, and took just one play and thirteen seconds to score. Wagner took the handoff and sprinted 13 yards for his touchdown contribution. The second biggest highlight of the game for Knox came just 20 seconds later, when Ja’Kobe Dickson picked off a pass (one of three interceptions by the Redskins) and took it back 40 yards to find pay dirt. Barely having time to catch his breath, Dickson then stepped in to kick his fourth successful extra point conversion of the ball game, and give the final score of 56-0.

The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game on WKVI, and perhaps the Play of the Year as far as Kankakee Valley Broadcasting is concerned, came in the fourth quarter. Junior Emilee Richardson, the lone female on the Redskins’ team, wearing #41, lined up to the left of the offensive formation and was given the ball on a designed play to the right. The Junior wingback took the ball and got behind her blockers. Looking like a seasoned veteran, she flew down the field, showcasing her athleticism as she hammered the ball downfield in what must have been an indescribable feeling of energy and excitement, being brought down from behind after a pickup of 26 yards and a major moment in the history of Knox Community High School Football. Emilee Richardson had become the first female athlete in Redskin Football History to advance the ball in a varsity postseason game. With the Knox crowd as wound up as if the Redskins had just won a State Title, Richardson had become an instant role model for young ladies, not just in our area, but for the entire State of Indiana! That moment was the embodiment of the lesson every coach teaches their athletes, what every parent teaches their kids. If you have a dream, you can achieve it! It was a first in varsity football history at Knox, it was a first for the WKVI broadcast crew, it was a first for many fans in attendance. Most importantly, it was a major step towards an even brighter future for Knox Athletics. With all of the great moments WKVI has witnessed throughout the course of this season, that was without question the most inspirational. For that, all we at WKVI can say to the coaches and players of the Knox Redskins Football Team is…Thank you!