As hype men go, it’d be tough to find a more effective one than Matt Kale.
The Franklin senior did more than his fair share to publicize the school’s first-ever Unified flag football home game last Thursday against Indian Creek. Decked out in his No. 84 jersey, he made an appearance on the Inside Franklin Athletics podcast during the school day, telling classmates to “be there or be square!”
Not content to leave it at that, Kale spent his time in the hallway between periods loudly reminding everyone within earshot that it was, indeed, game day.
“Yeah, I’ve been saying, ‘It’s GAME DAY,’ way loud,” Kale said. “I was on the podcast, just trying to get more cheering for the team and stuff.”
His promotional efforts paid off. The Grizzly Cubs drew a sizable (and vocal) crowd for that home opener, a highly entertaining 34-24 victory over county rival Indian Creek.
Still in its infancy as an official sport — the IHSAA held sectional tournaments in 2018, with the first statewide playoff in 2019 — Unified flag football is starting to get a foothold here in Johnson County. Indian Creek is in its third season of play, with Franklin starting up this fall.
Braves coach Sharon Hogue was eager to finally begin a friendly local rivalry.
“It was awesome,” Hogue said after the game, adding that the teams may hold a mixed practice together at Indian Creek later in the season. “They’re friends, a lot of them know each other and we’re pretty well matched.”
Franklin athletic director Bill Doty said that he had been wanting to put a Unified team together for a couple of years, but he hadn’t been able to find anyone who was available to coach.
That changed when the topic came up during a breakfast with former Franklin College football coach Mike Leonard. The winningest coach in Grizzlies history jumped at the opportunity, and he’s extremely glad that he did.
“I’m loving it. … It’s fun to coach young people,” Leonard said. “I’ve always had a place in my heart, ever since meeting (Roncalli and Franklin College grad Emry Hines), the GM, I’ve got a heart for Unified sports and Special Olympics. I’m just proud of these kids. They’re committed to it, they’re having fun.”
Both teams were having fun during last week’s game, which saw quarterbacks Jesse Clemmons of Franklin and Jeremiah Payton of Indian Creek trading aerial fireworks. A pair of Clemmons touchdown passes to Drew Doty helped the Grizzly Cubs build a 26-8 halftime lead before the Braves staged a late rally, getting within one score after a long TD run by Ayla Lollar and an impressive scoring pass from Payton to Brady Connell.
Franklin came up with a late defensive stop and got a safety for the game’s final points before Kale took a handoff in the last minute to help kill off the clock.
Leonard, the mastermind behind 129 Franklin College victories on the gridiron, didn’t want to take credit for this one. His players, he says, figure most of it out on their own.
“I kind of have the structure of somewhat of an offense and somewhat of a defense,” Leonard said, “but I love just letting the players control it and call plays. It’s true backyard football.”
Besides, the numbers on the scoreboard truly were secondary to everyone involved anyway. High fives and hugs were being exchanged both during and after the game, and the two county “rivals” gathered together for photos after the final whistle.
“Each team is so friendly; we’re all very welcoming of each other,” Franklin junior Kinley Shoemaker said. “So when we play against each other, it’s not like we’re being mean or anything. It’s just a lot of fun.”
For many Unified athletes, the football games are the first opportunity to be a part of an “official” team sport at the high school level. Most players on both teams also compete in Unified track during the spring season, but as Hogue points out, track is more of an individual sport. This is the first chance for many of them to work together with others in competition.
Plus, football games are a far more integral part of the overall high school social experience, so getting to experience that firsthand is huge.
“It is a very big deal,” Hogue said. “The kids are not left out (at Indian Creek); they’re all part of it. We don’t distinguish between football and Unified. We celebrate it all the same. … They wear their uniforms on game days so the kids can all say good luck and be recognized. It’s a big deal.”
The Franklin faithful certainly treated their home debut as a big deal, too. The students in attendance brought plenty of energy, and the Grizzly Cubs fed off of it throughout.
“Having the fans to back you up just makes a huge difference,” senior Zack Johnson said.
“We all love it so much,” Shoemaker agreed. “seeing our friends cheering for us makes us hype, and then we perform better.”
After basking in all of the postgame adulation, including photos and his second interview of the day, Kale was ready to reap the ultimate reward for another game well played — a trip to Waffle House, which he says has become the Grizzly Cubs’ postgame ritual.
Kale got to sit and enjoy a hash brown bowl with his teammates, a delicious payoff after a long but fruitful day of football and marketing work. The Indian Creek players have had similar group outings to Mi Jefe in Trafalgar.
Those experiences mean nearly as much as the games themselves.
“That’s what my kids want — to have friends, be accepted, and they are,” Hogue said. “It’s awesome.”
Leonard has noticed athletes from Franklin’s other varsity teams offering encouragement as they pass by flag football practices, a sign that this fledgling team has already been accepted as a part of the school’s athletic family.
“Hopefully it’s a true unifying experience where it’s bringing not just our team together, but other teams as well,” Leonard said.
