Kougars on rebound
Carden trying to set tone for next generation of Kankakee Valley players
Kankakee Valley quarterback Eli Carden wants this season to be a program changer.
The Cougars haven’t had a winning season since 2014.
Kankakee Valley seems like the type of bedroom community that should be able to consistently produce quality teams. It hasn’t worked out that way. Carden, a senior, wants to help change that history.
The Kougars got off to a good start by defeating Rensselaer 28-7 in the opener last week. The Bombers had won three straight against Kankakee Valley. The victory earned the Kougars the Cracker Barrel, the trophy the teams play for every season.
Last year, the Kougars were close to winning more games, losing by seven points or less four times. They finished 4-6.
“We talk about that all the time,” Carden said of changing the culture. “We want to set a good example for the younger kids so that when we come back in a few years, we can watch them beat Rensselaer. We want to see them beat big teams.”
Carden was “big” for the
Kougars, completing 8 of 12 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown against Rensselaer. Cade Capps, a junior running back, rushed for 130 yards and three TDs on 22 carries.
It was just the kind of start that Kankakee Valley coach James Broyles wanted in his third season.
The Kougars jumped out to a 21-0 lead and were dominant upfront.
Broyles, a Kankakee Valley graduate who played at Indiana and Southwest Missouri State and who bounced around the NFL as a practice squad player, wants to harness the local talent that comes through every year.
“For us, it feels like if we just do things right, good things will happen on Friday night,” he said.
The Kougars returned 15 starters from 2019. Some of them, like Carden and Capps, play both ways.
Broyles said the experience has created optimism.
“We were in so many close games that having so many kids back helps,” he said. “We have the potential to be good.”
One of the keys, according to Broyles, is Carden.
He’s a two-year starter who is a good athlete. Carden is a starting guard in basketball.
“He’s a viable dual-threat quarterback,” Broyles said.
“He’ll keep defenses guessing.”
Broyles said the uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic made the first game interesting.
Kankakee Valley had to shut down practice in late July after a positive COVID-19 test. It didn’t get back onto the field until Aug. 3.
“We didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said. “The guys that are back really want to win. They are working hard.”
They also want to play. Carden was on the field for all but a few minutes in the fourth quarter in the opener.
“I wanted to play as much as possible because we aren’t guaranteed another game with everything going on,” he said.
Valparaiso off this week: Valparaiso won’t play Friday after Griffith postponed its first two games because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Vikings tried to schedule a game against Whiteland to replace Griffith, but Whiteland backed out, according to Valparaiso athletic director Stacy Adams.
The Vikings will return next week to play LaPorte in their Duneland Athletic Conference opener but apparently will do so without senior quarterback Maximus Grimes, who left Valparaiso’s 17-16 season-opening win against Penn with a lower leg injury. Grimes, a transfer from Lafayette Jefferson, is out indefinitely, according to coach Bill Marshall.
Elsewhere, Calumet coach Rick Good said it’s unlikely his team will play this season. The Warriors won’t get on the field until they return to in-person classes.
They start virtually next week. Calumet would have to get in 10 practices before playing a game.
Rankings: Merrillville is ranked No. 6 in Class 6A, Valparaiso is ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, Hobart is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A and Andrean is ranked No. 4 in Class 2A. All rankings are from The Associated Press.