Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
As one of his offensive linemen at Warsaw Community High School, Jarod Leasure said he had an "unspoken bond" with quarterback Greg Seiss.
The two of them are now in college, both playing at the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, and the bond is as strong as ever.
They are separated by a year in school - Seiss is a senior and Leasure a junior - but they are brought together by their passion for football and will to succeed.
Leasure said in a phone interview Thursday evening that Seiss had a big part in Leasure's choice to play for Kevin Donley and the St. Francis Cougars, who are currently ranked second in the NAIA polls and are one win away from playing in the national championship game.
"When I made my choice where I wanted to go, I felt like St. Francis was the best fit," said the 6-foot-1, 275-pound Leasure, a two-year starter at tackle who was named first-team all-conference this season. "One of the reasons I wanted to go here is because I didn't want to go to a place where losing was all right. This was the type of place I was used to playing at, and Greg played a big role. He was my quarterback in high school. We kind of have an unspoken bond. We've played a lot of football games together and won a lot of football games together."
With Seiss the senior starting quarterback for WCHS and Leasure a starter on the offensive line as a junior, the Tigers went 8-2 and won what turned out to be the first of three straight Northern Lakes Conference titles.
Little has changed for the talented duo, other than the obvious fact that Seiss now plays receiver.
Both are starters on offense, and their team has been highly successful in their tenure.
The Cougars have won six straight conference championships, made the NAIA playoffs six straight seasons and have a 36-game win streak at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium, where today they will host third-ranked Georgetown College of Kentucky.
The game, which features the top two NAIA offenses in the country, is set to start at noon and the winner advances to the national championship game Dec. 18 in Savannah, Tenn.
The winner of today's much-anticipated battle will play either No. 9 Caroll (Montana) or No. 10 Azusa Pacific (Calif.).
Carroll is the two-time defending national champion and handed St. Francis its only loss of the season a year ago, beating the Cougars 38-14 in the national semifinals.
"This is awesome," Seiss said in a phone conversation Thursday of St. Francis' tournament run. "As a senior, I want to go out and win my last game. And if we can do that, we'll be national champions. This is what you work for. I think we have a great chance, and I wish it was Saturday now, I'm ready to go play right now."
Both St. Francis and Georgetown, where Donley coached for 10 years and won a national championship, enter Saturday's battle with 12-0 records.
St. Francis is No. 1 in the nation with average of 44 points per game and average of 511 yards of total offense per game.
The Cougars have gone undefeated the past three regular seasons and have never lost a home playoff game.
Georgetown averages 41.8 points per game, second in the nation, and 446 yards of total offense, fourth in the nation.
"It's been an interesting week," said Leasure, son of Kim and Jane Leasure, Warsaw. "They've pushed us pretty hard this week. This is the biggest game we've played all year. It's been a week filled with really intense practices. This is huge, and I know everyone on this team realizes what's at stake."
What's at stake is a berth in the national championship game, something the Cougars were close to last year.
Even more is at stake for Seiss, who, if Georgetown wins today, will take off a football uniform for the last time.
"I try to block that out," said Seiss, son of Stan and Linda Seiss, Warsaw. "I know my last game is coming up. This is a big deal to me. It's pretty hard not to get motivated for these games. I'm ready to go."
Seiss led all St. Francis receivers last season with 29 catches for 637 yards and six touchdowns.
With the Cougars opting for more of a running attack this year, averaging 325 yards on the ground per game, Seiss has caught 20 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns.
Warsaw's William Knepper, a red-shirt freshman, plays on the defensive line for St. Francis.
Manchester graduate Farron Gaerte and Whitko graduate Wes Renschler are also on the St. Francis roster.
