November 24, 2017
Columbus East Lands Third Football Crown
A year after settling for a runner-up finish, Columbus East advanced back to the final game and this time churned out a 42-28 victory over Kokomo for the Class 5A state championship at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was the third football state championship and second in five seasons for Columbus East (14-1) which also celebrated crowns in 1979 (3A) and 2013 (4A). It was the second state title for 17th year coach Bob Gaddis.
A dominant Columbus East rushing attack accumulated 351 yards and saw three Olympians eclipse the 100-yard mark in the game, the first time that's ever occurred in a state championship game by one team. Jaedin Miller had 132 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns, Jamon Hogan carried 17 times for 112 yards and Josh Major finished with 15 attempts for 107 yards and two scores. Major also connected with Klayton Brummett on a 44 yard scoring pass with 3:31 remaining in the third quarter.
Kokomo's Jack Perkins tallied 148 yards on 21 carries and a the Wildkats first touchdown of the game, a five yard run with 3:38 left in the first quarter that tied the score at 7-7. Quarterback Kyle Wade finished 8-for-11 for 111 yards and two touchdowns, one a 16 yard completion to Luke Cameron with 0:21 left before halftime and the other a 19 yard pass to Perkins from 19 yards out with :02 left in the game.
Brett Colby guided the Wilkats (9-5) to the school's first state championship game in his 11th year on the Kokomo sideline and 28th year overall.
Class 5A State Championship Game Records
None.
Kokomo’s Kyle Wade named Eskew Mental Attitude Award winner
At the conclusion of the state championship game, the IHSAA Executive Committee named Kyle Wade of Kokomo High School as the winner of the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award in Class 5A Football.
As a four-year starting quarterback and three-time team captain for the Wildkats, Wade has led his team to three sectional championships, two conference titles and the only two regional football titles in school history along with the semi-state championship to reach this year’s State Finals.
Kyle has been an All-Conference selection for each of the past three seasons on the way to setting school records for passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and total offensive yards. Kyle is also an accomplished athlete on the basketball court and baseball diamond and has earned a total of 11 varsity letters in his high school career.
In the classroom, Wade is ranked No. 11 in his senior class of 325 students and actively involved in extracurricular activities such as the KHS Student Athletic Leadership team, Varsity Club, National Honor Society, FCA and Students Against Destructive Decisions. He is also active in the community, having been a camp counselor for football, basketball and baseball programs and volunteering his time for worthy causes such as Special Olympics Unified Football Clinic and the Stand Up 765 efforts following tornados that came through Kokomo last fall.
Kyle is the son of Mike and Allison Wade of Kokomo, IN. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Purdue University where he plans to study business.
Each year the IHSAA Executive Committee selects a senior player who was nominated by his principal and coach and was determined to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability. The award is named in honor of the IHSAA’s third commissioner from 1962-76.
The Indianapolis Colts presented a $1,000 scholarship to Kokomo High School in the name of Kyle Wade. The Colts have been the presenting sponsor of the entire football state tournament since 2009 and are sponsoring the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award.