Whiteland could not slow down the Kokomo running game on a hot Friday night of high school football.
Kokomo quarterback Reis Beard scored three touchdowns to lead the visiting Wildkats to a 27-13 victory over the Class 5A No. 2 Warriors. Kokomo improved to 2-0 while Whiteland’s record dropped to 1-1.
Kokomo dominated the the time of possession. The Wildkats scored on Tracy Dowling’s 19-yard TD run with 3:38 left to make it 27-13.
Rondell Greene then intercepted Kaiden Davidson with 2:44 left to effectively seal the game. Kokomo needed just one first down and was then able to run the clock out. Davidson was in the game because starting quarterback Oliver Taylor was injured in the second quarter.
Beard rushed for 100 yards on eight carries in the first half to lead the Wildkats to 14-7 halftime advantage. Beard scored two touchdowns in the first half.
Whiteland tried an onside kick to open the second half, but Kokomo recovered. Reis capped a time-consuming drive with 2-yard TD run with 3:35 left in the third quarter
On fourth and 7 from the 28, Whiteland’s Gunnar Hicks rushed for 25 yards on a fake punt. Ji’von Smith scored from 15 yards out to narrow the deficit to 20-13 with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion run failed.
On third down and 13, Beard connected with Greene with a 26-yard pass to put the ball on the Warriors 29. Kokomo capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive with Beard’s 4-yard run with 2:15 left in the first half. Dowling had runs of 9 and 12 yards. Keemarion Pollard had a 12-yard run during the six-plus-minute drive.
Whiteland’s Taylor was hurt on a tackle by linebacker Kahairi Floyd on a third down play with 8:31 left in the second quarter. A medical stretcher was used to take Taylor to an ambulance after a 25-minute delay. Taylor raised his arm to acknowledged the crowd’s applause. There was no update on his condition after the game.
On the next play on fourth and goal from 13, Davidson threw a 13-yard TD pass to Hicks to tie the game.
Beard scored on a 37-yard TD to to put the Wildkats back in front at 14-7 with 4:01 left in the second quarter.
After Kokomo forced Whiteland to punt, the Wildkats drove to the Whiteland 2. The big play was a 27-yard run by Beard. After being stopped on first down at 2-yard line, Kokomo had to spike the ball with no timeouts. With 2 seconds left, Darrian Story Jr. went wide but linebacker Andrian Kolleigbo made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 1-yard line as time ran out in the first half.
