Howard County: Football Sectional Championship Prediction
Kokomo, Eastern, and Taylor each have a chance to win sectional championships Friday night. Securing a postseason trophy requires grit, talent, and the resilience to overcome unforeseen obstacles. All three teams have worked hard to reach this point in the season and are determined to ensure Friday night isn’t their last game.
Here’s a look at each matchup to predict which teams might claim a sectional championship Friday night.
Kokomo 5-4 vs. 5A #2 Lafayette Jefferson 10-0
For the second consecutive week, Kokomo will face a familiar opponent in tournament play. This time, they’ll take on Lafayette Jefferson, a team that handed Kokomo a 15-point loss during the regular season. Known for their relentless, high-scoring offense, the Bronchos will be a challenge for Kokomo to slow down Friday night.
An interesting aspect of Kokomo’s offense is its ability to control the clock; the Wildkats often have more first downs than their opponents and dominate time of possession. That was the case in their first matchup with Lafayette Jeff. However, Kokomo struggled to contain the Bronchos' high-octane attack.
For Kokomo to come out on top in this rematch, they’ll need one of their best scoring performances of the season. Lafayette Jeff’s fast-paced offense is expected to be a tough obstacle once again as the Bronchos look to capture the sectional championship.
Winner: Lafayette Jeff
Eastern 7-4 vs Tipton 7-4
A year ago, Eastern had a chance to win the first sectional championship in school history. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Now, the Comets are once again preparing to make history, but they’ll need to get past a talented Tipton squad.
Eastern and Tipton share several similarities: both teams are led by young quarterbacks and excel at involving multiple players on offense. However, Eastern has a slight edge in the run game, which struggled last week against Rochester. Coach Josh Edwards doesn’t need a dominant rushing performance Friday night; he just needs consistency. That’s expected to happen, and Eastern is poised to claim its first sectional championship.
Winner: Eastern
Taylor 6-5 vs 1A #11 Pioneer 8-3
The Taylor administration has been actively promoting the fan bus for this week's sectional championship game. Like Eastern, Taylor has never won a sectional title, adding to the buzz surrounding Friday's matchup with Pioneer.
Pioneer poses a rare challenge for Taylor. Last week, the Panthers' ground game exploded for 530 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Taylor's offense has been productive throughout the postseason, and they’ll look to keep up that momentum Friday night. Their main challenge will be holding Pioneer to fewer than 21 points. The Panthers have been held to 21 points or fewer in each of their three losses this season. However, Pioneer is favored to win and secure the sectional championship.
Winner: Pioneer
Last week: 4-0
All time: 28-5 (87.5%, started predicting games in week five)
