Tommy Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 Per the Region Sports Network Kirk Kennedy has been hired as the new head football coach at Kankakee Valley. Welcome back to the region coach K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobref Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 Shut up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
temptation Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 Kirk Kennedy koaching the Kougars? Seems like it was meant to be… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobref Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 (edited) KV has been something of a black hole for coaches in the past. If anyone can change the culture of that program, it would be KK, assuming he hasn’t changed much since we last saw him. One of my favorite coaches, but don’t tell him I said so. Love to get @DE’s take on this. Edited March 1, 2022 by Bobref Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 7 minutes ago, Bobref said: KV has been something of a black hole for coaches in the past. If anyone can change the culture of that program, it would be KK, assuming he hasn’t changed much since we last saw him. One of my favorite coaches, but don’t tell him I said so. Love to get @DE’s take on this. HOMERUN hire by the Kougars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolvesOnTheProwl Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 Nice hire by KV. Has he coached since leaving Franklin County? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 The Region Sports Network out of Highland is reporting that former State Champion Lowell Head Coach Kirk Kennedy is taking over at Kankakee Valley. Along with John Barron's hiring at John Glenn, this one stands out as one of the biggest hires of the offseason. Kennedy had a sparkling record at Lowell, going 161-70 with 10 sectional, 6 regional, 3 semi states and 1 state championship in 2005. Kennedy left Lowell for Bloomington South in 2010 and had a miserable experience as he tried to completely overhaul that program, going 4-26 over 3 seasons. After spending the 2013 season back up north at North Judson (3-8), he left for Franklin County in the EIAC, posting a 4 year record of 24-18. Kankakee Valley, despite some nice homegrown talent, has been a model of inconsistency, churning thru 8 coaching staffs over the past 20 seasons. The Kougars, who play in the Northwest Crossroads Conference with Hobart, Andrean, Lowell, Highland , Munster and soon to be added Hanover Central, have never been a consistent threat in the conference nor in the post season. On paper, its a great match. Kennedy will learn quickly if KV is more like his old Lowell teams that would run thru fire for him, or the Bloomington kids who shunned his harsh methods. Either way, this might be KVs best opportunity to show that it takes its varsity football program seriously. Should be fun to watch. KV currently has 1 open date on its schedule (Munster not shown on current schedule). Look for Kennedy to immediately work his way out of any future commitments with smaller schools like North Newton and Wheeler and upgrade the schedule so he can push his team to its limits. The Rensselaer game will remain as it is as the Cracker Barrel Rivalry is a huge gate for both hosting schools. Aug. 19 Rensselaer Central 2A 7:00 pm Aug. 26 Wheeler 2A 7:00 pm Sep. 9 at North Newton 2A 7:00 pm Sep. 23 at Lowell 4A © 7:00 pm Sep. 30 Hobart 4A © 7:00 pm Oct. 7 Andrean 2A © 7:00 pm Oct. 14 at Highland 4A © 7:00 pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 1 hour ago, HHF said: The Region Sports Network out of Highland is reporting that former State Champion Lowell Head Coach Kirk Kennedy is taking over at Kankakee Valley. Along with John Barron's hiring at John Glenn, this one stands out as one of the biggest hires of the offseason. Kennedy had a sparkling record at Lowell, going 161-70 with 10 sectional, 6 regional, 3 semi states and 1 state championship in 2005. Kennedy left Lowell for Bloomington South in 2010 and had a miserable experience as he tried to completely overhaul that program, going 4-26 over 3 seasons. After spending the 2013 season back up north at North Judson (3-8), he left for Franklin County in the EIAC, posting a 4 year record of 24-18. Kankakee Valley, despite some nice homegrown talent, has been a model of inconsistency, churning thru 8 coaching staffs over the past 20 seasons. The Kougars, who play in the Northwest Crossroads Conference with Hobart, Andrean, Lowell, Highland , Munster and soon to be added Hanover Central, have never been a consistent threat in the conference nor in the post season. On paper, its a great match. Kennedy will learn quickly if KV is more like his old Lowell teams that would run thru fire for him, or the Bloomington kids who shunned his harsh methods. Either way, this might be KVs best opportunity to show that it takes its varsity football program seriously. Should be fun to watch. KV currently has 1 open date on its schedule (Munster not shown on current schedule). Look for Kennedy to immediately work his way out of any future commitments with smaller schools like North Newton and Wheeler and upgrade the schedule so he can push his team to its limits. The Rensselaer game will remain as it is as the Cracker Barrel Rivalry is a huge gate for both hosting schools. Aug. 19 Rensselaer Central 2A 7:00 pm Aug. 26 Wheeler 2A 7:00 pm Sep. 9 at North Newton 2A 7:00 pm Sep. 23 at Lowell 4A © 7:00 pm Sep. 30 Hobart 4A © 7:00 pm Oct. 7 Andrean 2A © 7:00 pm Oct. 14 at Highland 4A © 7:00 pm 2, going off this schedule. 9/2/22 (week 3) is missing. The last couple of years, KV has played SB Washington week 3. I do not know if that contract is up or not. Munster will likely be in the September 16 "slot". Don't forget, Hanover Central will be joining the NCC in 2023: https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/article_f71bfed6-5a9d-5f66-b5de-18bbd18356aa.html Once HC is in, that brings the NCC back up to 7 teams. NCC schools will then only need to find 3 OOC games (appears to be weeks 1-3). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boilernation Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 The potential ramifications of this are very interesting to me. Can Kennedy build the Kougars into a legitimate threat in the 4A North? Will the Lowell faithfull turn on Kilmer if their neighbors to the southeast surpass Lowel in 4A North hierarchy? I'm not familiar with South Lake County and Northern Jasper County. I know Lowell has had some really good individual talent lately, but is there an overwhelming difference between the talent available in these neighboring school districts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose Liver Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 21 hours ago, HHF said: The Region Sports Network out of Highland is reporting that former State Champion Lowell Head Coach Kirk Kennedy is taking over at Kankakee Valley. Along with John Barron's hiring at John Glenn, this one stands out as one of the biggest hires of the offseason. Kennedy had a sparkling record at Lowell, going 161-70 with 10 sectional, 6 regional, 3 semi states and 1 state championship in 2005. Kennedy left Lowell for Bloomington South in 2010 and had a miserable experience as he tried to completely overhaul that program, going 4-26 over 3 seasons. After spending the 2013 season back up north at North Judson (3-8), he left for Franklin County in the EIAC, posting a 4 year record of 24-18. Kankakee Valley, despite some nice homegrown talent, has been a model of inconsistency, churning thru 8 coaching staffs over the past 20 seasons. The Kougars, who play in the Northwest Crossroads Conference with Hobart, Andrean, Lowell, Highland , Munster and soon to be added Hanover Central, have never been a consistent threat in the conference nor in the post season. On paper, its a great match. Kennedy will learn quickly if KV is more like his old Lowell teams that would run thru fire for him, or the Bloomington kids who shunned his harsh methods. Either way, this might be KVs best opportunity to show that it takes its varsity football program seriously. Should be fun to watch. KV currently has 1 open date on its schedule (Munster not shown on current schedule). Look for Kennedy to immediately work his way out of any future commitments with smaller schools like North Newton and Wheeler and upgrade the schedule so he can push his team to its limits. The Rensselaer game will remain as it is as the Cracker Barrel Rivalry is a huge gate for both hosting schools. Aug. 19 Rensselaer Central 2A 7:00 pm Aug. 26 Wheeler 2A 7:00 pm Sep. 9 at North Newton 2A 7:00 pm Sep. 23 at Lowell 4A © 7:00 pm Sep. 30 Hobart 4A © 7:00 pm Oct. 7 Andrean 2A © 7:00 pm Oct. 14 at Highland 4A © 7:00 pm Are you sore that you didn't get the scoop ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolvesOnTheProwl Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 2 hours ago, Boilernation said: The potential ramifications of this are very interesting to me. Can Kennedy build the Kougars into a legitimate threat in the 4A North? Will the Lowell faithfull turn on Kilmer if their neighbors to the southeast surpass Lowel in 4A North hierarchy? I'm not familiar with South Lake County and Northern Jasper County. I know Lowell has had some really good individual talent lately, but is there an overwhelming difference between the talent available in these neighboring school districts? Am I wrong here or was KK's former DC at Lowell a head coach at KV for a season or two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzoron Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 2 hours ago, Boilernation said: Can Kennedy build the Kougars into a legitimate threat in the 4A North? He didn't have much success at Bloomington South or Franklin County. He was only at North Judson for 1 year, so not sure we can tell much by that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbat Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 31 minutes ago, WolvesOnTheProwl said: Am I wrong here or was KK's former DC at Lowell a head coach at KV for a season or two? Brad Stewart was at Lowell with Kennedy. He was HC at KV from 2011-2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boilernation Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 36 minutes ago, gonzoron said: He didn't have much success at Bloomington South or Franklin County. He was only at North Judson for 1 year, so not sure we can tell much by that. Yeah. This is interesting. He was not a fit from a football culture viewpoint at Bloomington South. The school of Rex Grossman isn't going to buy into a 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense. Odd that South hired him and even odder Kennedy took the position. Not much to say about North Judson or Franklin County. some other options are: Completely fail and never receive another HC gig in Indiana Be average to above average, keep fans and admin happy, never really threaten the rest of the NWI 4A schools, ride out a long career into retirement. Duplicate exactly what he helped create and is still working at Lowell. Become a force in the 4A North. I'm curious what DE thinks about the potential growth of KV. I was surprised by the amount of upscale neighborhoods I saw when I went up to DeMotte to play magnificent Sandy Pines last Fall. Perhaps some good growth could increase the talent level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobref Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 I’ve already got Sept. 23 on my calendar: KV at The Inferno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarab527 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 3 hours ago, Boilernation said: The potential ramifications of this are very interesting to me. Can Kennedy build the Kougars into a legitimate threat in the 4A North? Will the Lowell faithfull turn on Kilmer if their neighbors to the southeast surpass Lowel in 4A North hierarchy? I'm not familiar with South Lake County and Northern Jasper County. I know Lowell has had some really good individual talent lately, but is there an overwhelming difference between the talent available in these neighboring school districts? 1. Highly doubt it, even if 4A North has been extremely weak the past few years. 2. Maybe, but the chances of KV surpassing Lowell any time soon are slim to none. Not to play Debbie downer, but I don’t see this as a real game-changing move for KV. They’ve been mediocre at best for the past 30+ years. They have never had the talent to compete with Hobart, Lowell, or Andrean. Don’t see that changing. Their ceiling is 4th-best team in the NCC imo. But nice to see KK back in the Region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Wait, why did my comment get deleted? I didn't call someone an a-hole. 41 minutes ago, Bobref said: I’ve already got Sept. 23 on my calendar: KV at The Inferno. Man you got pull... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 43 minutes ago, Boilernation said: Yeah. This is interesting. He was not a fit from a football culture viewpoint at Bloomington South. The school of Rex Grossman isn't going to buy into a 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense. Odd that South hired him and even odder Kennedy took the position. Not much to say about North Judson or Franklin County. some other options are: Completely fail and never receive another HC gig in Indiana Be average to above average, keep fans and admin happy, never really threaten the rest of the NWI 4A schools, ride out a long career into retirement. Duplicate exactly what he helped create and is still working at Lowell. Become a force in the 4A North. I'm curious what DE thinks about the potential growth of KV. I was surprised by the amount of upscale neighborhoods I saw when I went up to DeMotte to play magnificent Sandy Pines last Fall. Perhaps some good growth could increase the talent level. Uh, whutchu talkinbout, Willis? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 25 minutes ago, scarab527 said: 1. Highly doubt it, even if 4A North has been extremely weak the past few years. 2. Maybe, but the chances of KV surpassing Lowell any time soon are slim to none. Not to play Debbie downer, but I don’t see this as a real game-changing move for KV. They’ve been mediocre at best for the past 30+ years. They have never had the talent to compete with Hobart, Lowell, or Andrean. Don’t see that changing. Their ceiling is 4th-best team in the NCC imo. But nice to see KK back in the Region. Never is a strong word. 2012. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishman Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 13 minutes ago, DE said: Wait, why did my comment get deleted? I didn't call someone an a-hole. Man you got pull... 🙂It was in the quote you included in your response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarab527 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 14 minutes ago, DE said: Never is a strong word. 2012. They got waxed by Andrean that year then got thoroughly embarrassed by Hobart first round of sectionals. And that was their best season since the 80s… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, scarab527 said: They got waxed by Andrean that year then got thoroughly embarrassed by Hobart first round of sectionals. And that was their best season since the 80s… Didn’t say that. You said never. 15 points isn’t waxed. 1 hour ago, scarab527 said: They got waxed by Andrean that year then got thoroughly embarrassed by Hobart first round of sectionals. And that was their best season since the 80s… Just proving your statement factually wrong. 😉 Edited March 2, 2022 by DE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarab527 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 5 minutes ago, DE said: Didn’t say that. You said never. 15 points isn’t waxed. Just proving your statement factually wrong. 😉 Eh, I honestly forgot it was only 16 points because it felt like 30. Probably the best team in KV history and they couldn’t even get within two touchdowns of the Niners. If you really are proud of that idk what to tell you. We beat Kougar brains in that night. I remember what Mason told us after the game “Tonight, you took those boys to the woodshed”. And don’t know how you proved my statement “factually incorrect”, but you’ve never been very good with facts, so I’m not surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 47 minutes ago, scarab527 said: Eh, I honestly forgot it was only 16 points because it felt like 30. Probably the best team in KV history and they couldn’t even get within two touchdowns of the Niners. If you really are proud of that idk what to tell you. We beat Kougar brains in that night. I remember what Mason told us after the game “Tonight, you took those boys to the woodshed”. And don’t know how you proved my statement “factually incorrect”, but you’ve never been very good with facts, so I’m not surprised. soft kids They prefer 4H activities over sled driving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 54 minutes ago, scarab527 said: Eh, I honestly forgot it was only 16 points because it felt like 30. Probably the best team in KV history and they couldn’t even get within two touchdowns of the Niners. If you really are proud of that idk what to tell you. We beat Kougar brains in that night. I remember what Mason told us after the game “Tonight, you took those boys to the woodshed”. And don’t know how you proved my statement “factually incorrect”, but you’ve never been very good with facts, so I’m not surprised. You said never. Facts. Get a refund for the education. BTW skippy, Andrean was a speed bump for us when I played. You were never good w facts. ✌️ 8 minutes ago, HHF said: soft kids They prefer 4H activities over sled driving Yeah. You were upset you didn’t get the scoop. Shows how clueless you are on this subject Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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