West De Pere’s Kodanko carries on family legacy

Kerry Kodanko knew his days as a tight end were probably numbered at the start of the season.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder figured it was just a matter of time before he would be asked to find a new home.

The West De Pere sophomore has settled in nicely to say the least at right tackle, becoming the next in line for what has become a family tradition.

Kodanko is the youngest of four brothers, who have all started on the offensive line for the Phantoms and earned all-conference recognition.

Kodanko has carried on that legacy, earning first-team all-Bay Conference honors this year in helping West De Pere win a share of a conference title and earn a top seed in the WIAA Division 3 playoffs.

“I’ll do whatever the team needs,” Kodanko said. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

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It’s no secret what the Phantoms (9-1) want to do on Friday when they host Berlin (8-2) in a second-round game.

West De Pere wants to the run the football. Then, run it some more.

The Phantoms are averaging 34.9 points per game behind an offense that has run 529 times this season to only 56 passes. The strategy has obviously been effective, as they’ve averaged 5.6 yards per carry in totaling 2,974 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns on the ground.

“When teams prepare for us there is no mystery in what we’re going to do,” West De Pere coach Jack Batten said. “We don’t try and trick you. We try to play a more physical brand of football. We try to be more fundamentally sound. We try to be better at running our plays than opposing teams are at defending those plays.”

Austin Beaumier has carried a bulk of the offensive load, compiling 1,654 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound running back is one of 17 seniors on the squad.

However, you can’t help but notice the underclassmen that have been getting the job done for West De Pere on offense as well.

Freshman quarterback Josh Blount has rushed for 909 yards and 16 touchdowns in addition to throwing for 298 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions in 51 pass attempts.

Sophomore Cody Cavil has rushed for 258 yards, while being second on the team with 55 tackles on defense. Sophomore Billy Wyatt has been a 6-foot-5, 225-pound wrecking ball at tight end, helping to open holes with the likes of Kodanko.

The Phantoms have been no strangers to deep playoff runs with a Kodanko brother on their line.

Riki, the oldest, played on the 2009 D3 state runner-up team before going on to walk-on at the University of Wisconsin.

Casey was a junior when West De Pere advanced to the D3 state semifinals in 2014, while Kory was a sophomore on the 2011 D3 state championship team.

“Kerry is by far the most athletic of the bunch,” Batten said. “He’s also ultra-competitive. He wants to win at everything he does. He’s an unbelievable technician as a sophomore. He’s a fundamentally sound offensive lineman. He’s the type of kid where if he gets on you, you’re in trouble.”

Kodanko is a bookend to senior left tackle Sam Marshalek on West De Pere’s offensive line.

Kodanko also regularly talks technique with his brother, Kory, who is a redshirt junior at Iowa State. Kodanko shares his video on Hudl with Kory, who will Facetime him during the week to discuss what he could be doing better.

Kodanko, however, received much different lessons from his older brothers as a youth.

“They would always have their friends over from the football team, and I would always try wrestling with them or pick a fight,” Kerry said. “I’d like to say I stood up for myself, but I got most of the beating usually.”

Despite their early success, Kodanko and the rest of West De Pere’s talented underclassmen know they’ll have to step up even more to help the team go deeper into the playoffs.

“The kids are extremely focused right now,” said Batten, whose squad won a share of its first conference title since 2012. “They’re not ready for the season to be over. We want to play one more week, and we’ve been preparing like crazy to get ready for a really solid Berlin team. We’ll have our hands full Friday night, but we’re going to give it our best shot.”