KIPP Legacy High School is only in its second season playing varsity football. The school opened in 2021 with 100 ninth-grade students. The Gators played a JV schedule for two years. Last year, KIPP finished its first year playing varsity with a 2-8 record.
What a difference a year makes. Heading into Friday’s DM Injury Law Metro Matchup at Wyandotte, the Gators have already eclipsed last year’s win total. KIPP won its first two games of the year before a 2-0 Week 3 loss to Pembroke Hill.
You read that correctly. The Gators are one play away from being undefeated this season.
“We had a bad snap, and the ball went into the endzone and we had a safety,” KIPP head coach Michael Cobbins said. “We will most likely see them in the district championship.”
Led by a talented group of upperclassmen, the Gators dumped St. Mary’s Academy 32-6 to open the season and followed up with a 12-8 takedown of University Academy. Then came Week 3’s heartbreaker against Pembroke Hill (3-0). Raiders head coach Sam Knopik described the game as amazing.
“The more research I’ve done, the more amazing I believe it was,” Knopik said.
Cobbins, KIPP’s head coach, is also the schools’ activities director. He took over the football program after former head coach Scorpio Horn moved onto an administrative role. Cobbins and Horn are longtime friends and former college teammates at Missouri Western. To build a program from scratch takes time. And talent. KIPP is on the verge of building something big, according to Cobbins.
“Honestly, building a program from the ground up has been a dream come true for me,” Cobbins said. “Imagine dreaming as a kid from the inner city, coming back home to pour everything I have into our youth. It's been a roller coaster ride. I have had so many challenges building out our program at KIPP Legacy. For example, searching for a practice field due to us not having our own. Walking 3.5 blocks everyday just to practice at the park and then figuring out how we can be productive without losing time. Not knowing in our first year how many kids would show up to practice and now we have 16 seniors on our rosters.
“I love the process. I would not change anything about the process. It fuels me and drives me to be my best every single day for my student athletes. I love my guys and I appreciate my coaches for helping me through the process.”
With 40 players on its roster, KIPP’s early-season success can be attributed to the contributions from the team’s aforementioned upperclassmen, Cobbins said.
“Our seniors and juniors are leading the way for us this season,” he said. “On the offensive side of the ball, our skilled guys have stepped up for us this season with senior running backs DeAngelo Baylis and Jadaveon Fleming leading us in touchdowns this season with a combined four TDs.”
Senior quarterback Ameer Willingham has rushed for two scores and passed for another. Junior wideout Kingston Peterson leads the team with 7 receptions for 200 yards and a score. Senior center Haysas Logan is having a great season up front and anchors the O-line, Cobbins said.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Gators have given up only 12 points in three games, according to Cobbins. Senior linebacker Armon Canada has amassed 36 tackles so far. But it’s junior defensive tackle Roland Bai’s team-leading four sacks, six tackles for loss and an interception that helps set the tone.
Another senior, DeAngelo Baylis, leads the team with three interceptions.
Junior safety Larrion Riley anchors the middle of the field and cornerbacks Davion McMillian and Anthrone Hatch defend the outside.
“Our defense is really good in the secondary,” Cobbins said.
Other contributors Cobbins mentioned were senior outside linebackers Keon Williams and JJ Brown and senior defensive end Josiah Grigsby.
Against Wyandotte, the Gators plan to push the pace from start to finish.
“We really want to get off to a fast start on the offensive side of the ball and cut down on penalties,” Cobbins said. “Over the past three games we have had costly penalties that have hurt us after big plays, and it kills our momentum.”
Through two games, the Bulldogs (0-2) are winless and have yet to score. Could this be a trap game for KIPP? Don’t bet on it.
“We cannot overlook any opponent and we expect for Wyandotte to come out with a lot of energy playing at home,” Cobbins said. “Our defense thrives on stopping teams. So, our defensive goals for this week are alignment, assignment, and attack and play fast.”
For Wyandotte head coach Marcus Vaughn, losing can take its toll. Since last season, the Bulldogs have lost 10 of its last 11 ballgames. This year, they have yet to find the endzone and have been outscored 100-0.
“When you lose you always have to worry about getting the kids to respond in the right way,” Vaughn said. “We will be more physical this week with our kids that we have in place now. We don't know anything about KIPP but I'm sure they command a lot of respect. The one thing I know about our team is that we will play extremely hard, and we will go from there one step at a time, one game at a time.”
