Howard's been in Jays' plans for years

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It's not as if Kevin Cox sat in the bleachers during middle school games this year and started jotting down his starting lineup for 2012.

At least, not in ink.

"It's a small school, and we coach them all the way up," said Cox, in his seventh season as North Judson head coach. "Our coaches down in the middle school are a big part of our high school staff, and we see them every day. I'm at every middle school game. I've been other places, where sometimes you don't know who your kids are going to be. Well, here, we definitely know who our kids are going to be."

So, yes, when Cox first took over and started watching those middle school games, he kind of figured that little kid named Terry Howard -- the one carrying the ball on just about every play -- was going to be his varsity starting tailback someday.

"The best seventh-grade player isn't always going to be the best senior player -- some players mature at different rates, so we don't put too much stock into it," Cox said. "But with certain skill-position players, you can tell."

In this case, he could tell that Howard was bright enough to handle any playbook. Mature enough to grow into a leadership role. Hard-working enough to earn a major role. And talented enough to put up some monster numbers.

And Howard certainly has.

Now a senior, Howard is one of the top students in his class, one of the four captains of his team, and one of the top running backs in Northwest Indiana -- even if few in the region have heard much about him.

After his 200-yard, two-touchdown performance in last week's 62-34 thumping of Seeger, Howard now has 1,408 yards on 186 carries (a 7.6-yard average) and 21 touchdowns for the 8-3 Bluejays, who host rival Rensselaer in Friday's Sectional 25 championship game.

Howard is quick to point out he's just one of many North Judson players carrying his weight -- particularly in the senior class. After all, Howard wasn't the only player Cox had his eye on all those years ago.

"We went undefeated in sixth and seventh grade and lost only one game in eighth grade," Howard said. "So we were really confident going into high school that we could do big things. The whole class was."

Howard got an earlier start than most. Already a starter on defense entering his sophomore year, he took over as the featured back at the end of the year after Todd Lawson tore his ACL in the sectional opener. In Howard's first varsity start at tailback, he ran for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries in a sectional semifinal victory over Wheeler. The Bluejays lost the following week to this week's opponent, Rensselaer.

Howard came into his own as a junior, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. Much to Cox's delight, he didn't get complacent.

"He was one of our top players a year ago -- as a sophomore, too, really," Cox said. "But he didn't rest on that; that wasn't good enough for him. He led quite a few of our other players in an offseason workout regimen, and we're seeing a lot of people reap the benefits of all that effort."

In particular, the Bluejays -- under the leadership of Howard and his fellow seniors -- got bigger and badder. Unlike traditional North Judson teams, the Bluejays have abandoned the power-I and gone to a more modern, multiple offense. And they were in danger of becoming a finesse team -- that doesn't fly at North Judson.

"Our biggest issue throughout the season was how physical we were going to be," Cox said. "We've overcome that hurdle and become a physical bunch. We've always been a smart bunch, it was just a question of will we be able to win enough collisions. That's counter to our program -- we've always been brawlers in the past. This team had to learn to brawl --within the whistles, that is."

And now?

"I think we're the toughest we've ever been, my class especially," Howard said.

Good thing, too. Because Rensselaer is about as big and bad as Class 2A teams get. The Bluejays picked up a 28-14 road victory over the Bombers in the third week of the season, and hope to repeat the feat on Friday.

Winning the school's first sectional since Howard was in eighth grade would validate all the hard work he and his class put into the program -- not to mention the scouting Cox did all those years ago.

"I always felt if I worked really hard and the rest of the guys worked really hard, we could do some big things," Howard said. "This could be the reward for all that hard work we put in. We'll see this Friday -- and, who knows, maybe beyond."

Contact Mark Lazerus at 648-3140 or mlazerus@post-trib.com