Get Kozy with a big, bad Hudson Raider lineman, or speedy back or receiver, when the locals take on the former state champs in high school football — all through the fine-tuned work done by the staff at Kozy Korner to pull in almost any game on their TV screens.
The Raiders will be only two wins from a state title of their own when they take on Hartland Arrowhead at 7 p.m. this Friday. Hudson stills run the ball very effectively, but they have added a stellar passing game that makes it tough for any defense and racks up the points.
The Raiders got to this weekend’s state semifinal game for the second straight year with a 20-14 win, also shown at Kozy Korner in North Hudson, that featured plenty of action in the final two minutes — which had patrons around the restaurant and bar cheering.
With the victory, Hudson faces Arrowhead, which is 10-1, for the right to go to the state title game. The Raiders, also with just one loss, faced Arrowhead last year in the semis, as well. So belly up to the bar at Kozy Korner, consider the fish fry or wine specials, as well, and get ready for some football.
And, for a variety of reasons, you may find viewing the game at Kozy Korner your best local gridiron experience, according to Ryan, one of its longtime members of management.
“We think of ourselves as a sports bar, not a bar that has sports,” Ryan said, adding that they are tolerant of fans of other teams than those in Wisconsin. He cited, for example, two teams from the east coast, the New England Patriots and New York Giants.
He and his staff know the broadcast technology and are well aware of how to get games that are hard to come by, the ones that have fans pulling their hair out, and postseason WIAA games often fit that profile. Since some people are shy about asking, the people at Kozy Korner go out of their way to offer patrons the option of switching some of their many TVs to a different channel and game than the usual. Ryan said he goes around during game days and seeks out people looking about as if in search of something, and asks if there is any game he can provide. “We are known around the Hudson area for this,” Ryan said of the flexibility.
He and the staff are knowledgable about the sports they strive to provide, and an example is Badger and Big Ten women’s volleyball, where you just might find in the bartender a storehouse of information. Where all this data stems from he’s not completely sure, Ryan says, but it is typical of what you will find at Kozy. Many of the mainstays who are workers here played for the Hudson Raiders in years back, and they also have stories to banter over the bar. One of them even had the rare honor of tackling pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald before he moved on up. For other anecdotes, come down and visit on Friday night.
They will provide to their patrons the info on how to use the right technology to find games themselves, Ryan said. “We will share that information. We don’t hoard that stuff.”
And later in the year, if traveling through, you just might find the Badger marching band stopping at Kozy, in what has become an almost annual ritual. The people at The Korner long ago became quite Kozy with the bandleader and many others affiliated with the band. It stems from a few years back, when their pizzaria was housed inside the Village Inn across the street, and three or four stops were made there by the band to initiate the now decade-long process.
There are scores jerseys autographed by plenty of the Badger players, most of whom were Hudson Raider stalwarts before they moved on to the college ranks, hanging on the walls at Kozy, along with lots of flags of prominent state teams. People are amazed by the number of recent and not-so-recent big college players who hail from Hudson, and even those who took the next step, such as to play pro hockey. (Think the name Drewiske). Adorning the tables on which plates of Kozy’s food are served up, are team logos galore.