The chips were stacked against Unadilla Valley’s football team this year. Mired in a seven-year string of losing seasons – three of those without a victory – and a fourth coach in four years, the Storm barely had enough players to field a team. From an outsider’s point of view, not much was expected of UV.
Fortunately, players such as senior Kody Homann had other thoughts.
Homann, one of a handful of seniors on the varsity club, returned as one of the most proven performers from a two-win season a year ago. Not blessed with great size, Homann has made up for that deficiency with incredible football instincts. And then some.
“I don’t think I’ve coached another kid like him,” said UV first-year co-head coach Daryl Decker, who first coached Homann in ninth grade on the junior varsity team. “He has such an incredible feel for the game.”
Decker relies on his assistants during games, but also what Homann sees on the field. Who better to diagnose what the opposition is doing than an actual player on the field? Especially one who studies game film during free periods in school, and has enjoyed advanced tutorial sessions as a volunteer for Milford Academy’s football team.
“I can’t tell you how many times Kody has come to me in a game, and he has suggested a play,” Decker said. “Nine out of 10 times, the play worked. His mind is so sharp. If he decides to, he’ll make a great coach some day.”
Homann doesn’t just talk a good game, he plays one, too. In his final game as a Unadilla Valley player, Homann had one of the best all-around performances for a UV player since the days of school rushing record-holder Josh Foulds. Homann produced touchdowns in four different ways. He caught three touchdown passes, ran for two more, returned an interception to paydirt, and even threw a touchdown pass. Add in seven tackles, two total interceptions, and one sack, and we have a clear choice as Matthews Ford/Planet Preowned Norwich Athlete of the Week.
Homann was part of what Decker called his “3-H” club that also included speedy senior receiver Justin Hofer and senior quarterback Kurt Haycook. Those three accounted for 198 out of UV’s 220 points this season. Homann, alone, scored 100 points, the first person to reach that milestone since Foulds turned the trick in the late 1990s. Homann was also instrumental in a four-win season that was just a play or two away from a winning season, something few if any pundits might have predicted.
Of course, playing for a team that has flown under the radar for years, has made Homann one of those hidden gems who may shine brightly if he plays on the next level. “Really, it’s a shame Kody and his teammates weren’t recognized more,” Decker said. “I think if Kody was on a bigger team with even more really good players, he would have continued to excel if not more. He has such good moves, his hands are so good, and he really gets off the ball.”
As a token for the UV fans, Homann ended his career with a game that no one who was there will soon forget. And as far as Decker is concerned, it could not have happened to a better person.
“My young boy comes to the game, and he just loves Kody,” Decker said. “Kody walks and talks with him. You might think that it may be because he is the son of the coach, but after our last game, there were six or seven young kids hanging around him and getting their picture taken with him. Those kids were all smiling and loved being around him. He’s one of those people who you know has a good heart. He’s a beacon of light, and people are attracted to him.”