Long touchdown plays. Onside kicks. Gaudy offensive statistics. Halftime streakers.
Friday night’s South Puget Sound League North Division showdown at French Field between Kentlake and Kent-Meridian had a little bit of everything.
Except defense.
Kentlake quarterback Caleb Saulo connected on 5 of 9 passes for 164 yards, threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in lifting the Falcons over the Royals 42-39 in a game that was anything but dull.
“Just really good offense on both sides,” said Kentlake coach Chris Paulson. “I don’t think either coach would say it was as clean as we wanted it to be.”
Kentlake’s Stephon Vaifale added 118 yards rushing and two third-quarter touchdowns, which proved to be just enough to hold off another huge performance by Kent-Meridian quarterback David Jones. Jones completed 18 of 29 passes for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran 20 times for 132 yards and three touchdowns, finishing the night with 370 yards of offense.
“(This game) was a lot more than we expected,” Vaifale admitted. “After the first half, coach told us we had to pick it up another gear, and that’s what we did.”
Kentlake (6-2 in league, 7-2 overall) will take a two-game winning streak into the playoffs. The Falcons play host to the KingCo No. 3 team at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 in a state preliminary game. Kentlake will be making its first postseason appearance since 2003.
Kent-Meridian (3-5, 4-5) will host Puyallup at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in a nonleague crossover game.
Kent-Meridian, which was eliminated from the playoff hunt two weeks ago, played Friday night without anything to lose. The Royals attempted seven onside kicks and went for it on six fourth downs. Kentlake took K-M’s best punch, fell behind 6-0 early, was completely out of gas by game’s end, but managed to have just enough left in the tank to hang on.
Kentlake took a 28-26 lead into halftime, then took control in the third quarter on touchdown runs by Vaifale of 1- and 4-yards, giving Kentlake a 42-26 lead. Jones added a 4-yard touchdown run of his own with 25 seconds left in the third, cutting the deficit to 42-32.
With 5:35 remaining in the game, Jones connected with Davontae Bradley for a 37-yard touchdown, getting the Royals within three at 42-39. Kent-Meridian’s Thomas Kemp recovered an onside kick seconds later, giving the Royals a chance to take the lead, but they were unable to convert.
After stopping Kentlake on downs, Kent-Meridian had one final chance at the upset with 23 seconds remaining and at their own 29-yard line. Kentlake’s Tanner Lucas intercepted Jones on the following play to seal the victory.
“It’s real tough. I had to do something. I had to make something happened and I forced it. It’s on me,” said Jones, who is being recruited by a host of Pac-10 schools. “I take part of the blame.”
Both teams received a little – and, in some cases – a lot of offense from multiple players. Kentlake’s Nu’u Vaifale, the younger brother of Stephon, caught a 49 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and added a 10-yard touchdown run moments later. Kentlake wide receiver Austin Pernell also pulled in an 18-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, which gave the Falcons a momentary 7-6 lead.
Kent-Meridian held a 12-7 lead after the first quarter after Brandon Harris pulled in a sideline pattern pass from Jones, then split the Kentlake secondary for a 55-yard touchdown. It was Harris’ second touchdown catch of the quarter. He finished with a game-high six receptions for 100 yards, including the two touchdowns. Bradley added 5 receptions for 67 yards and the one touchdown.
B.J. Phillips added 56 yards on 20 carries for the Royals.
With the 370 yards, Jones finished the regular season with 2,455 yards of total offense to go along with 22 rushing touchdowns and nine passing touchdowns. The final total of yards puts Jones among the top eight in the SPSL’s record books. Depending on what Bethel’s Justin Hordyk (2,454 yards entering the week) and Beamer’s T.J. Esekielu (2,353) did this week, Jones could finish as high as sixth on the all-time list. His 22 rushing touchdowns are the most by a Kent-Meridian player in the last 25 years. In addition, Jones three rushing touchdowns gives him 136 points of total offense this fall, which puts him 10th on the league’s all-time list.
“Jones is absolutely incredible,” Paulson said. “In my mind, (he’s the offensive player of the year in the league), there’s no question. I don’t see that there is anyone even close to that kid.”
Kentlake 42, Kent-Meridian 39
Kent-Meridian 12 14 6 7 — 39
Kentlake 7 21 14 0 — 42
First quarter
KM: Brandon Harris 9 pass from David Jones (kick failed) 5:26
KL: Austin Pernell 18 pass from Caleb Saulo (Miccile kick) 1:20
KM: Harris 55 pass from Jones (pass fails) .25
Second quarter
KL: Saulo 42 run (Saulo run) 11:52
KL: Nu’u Vaifale 49 pass from Saulo (Miccile kick) 7:07
KM: Jones 46 run (Leung kick) 6:53
KL: Nu’u Vaifale 10 run (pass fails) 4:50
KM: Jones 1 run (Leung kick) .00
Third quarter
KL: Stephon Vaifale 4 run (Miccile kick) 10:47
KL: Stephon Vaifale 1 run (Miccile kick)4:21
Fourth quarter
KM: Bradley 37 pass from Jones (Leung kick) 5:35
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