FOOTBALL: Kentwood hangs on, beats Kentridge 13-7

By ERICK WALKER

ewalker@kentreporter.com

They had a number in mind.

And Friday night at French Field, the Kentwood High football team hit that number on the button. Needing to win by at least six points, the Conquerors did just that, knocking off rival Kentridge 13-7 in a pivotal South Puget Sound League North Division game.

“Since we won by six, it puts us in position to take second,” said Kentwood’s Nathan Herrick, who recovered a key third-quarter fumble that led to what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

With the win, Kentwood (5-2 in league, 6-2 overall) forged a three-way tie for second place in the North with Kentridge (5-2, 5-3) and Federal Way (5-2, 6-2). If the three teams tie after next week’s final round of games, the Conquerors would take the No. 2 seed to the playoffs based on the league’s power-point system. Kentridge would nab the No. 3 seed based on its win over Federal Way.

Kentridge could have wrapped up the division’s No. 2 playoff seed with a win.

“I believe we still have to win (next week against Kent-Meridian to get in),” said Kentridge coach Marty Osborn.

Friday night, the Chargers were in decent position to do exactly that in a game that was billed as a defensive showdown and, essentially, lived up to the hype. Kentridge delivered one of its finest drives of the season to open the second quarter, going 85 yards on 10 plays, chewing up nearly six minutes of the game clock and ending on a 5-yard touchdown run by Alex Tyson. The score gave the Chargers a 7-0 lead and the momentum.

Kentwood responded in the final seconds of the half, when kicker Matt Bell drilled a 28-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 7-3.

Still trailing midway through the third quarter and facing the league’s stingiest defense, the Conquerors received the momentum swing they were looking for when Herrick recovered a Kentridge fumble on a punt at the Charger 16-yard line.

“We needed something big to help us turn the momentum around and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time,” Herrick said.

Herrick’s big recovery certainly turned the game around. Three plays later, Kentwood quarterback Tristan Askew went around the left side, juked inside, then to the outside past a pair of Kentridge defenders and into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead.

But the Conquerors still needed at least three more points to reach their magic number. Defensive back Mike Roy helped make it happen early in the fourth quarter, intercepting a tipped pass by Kentridge quarterback Caleb Smith.

Kentwood was unable to move the ball far against the staunch Kentridge defense, but did move close enough for Bell, who rang home a season-high 40-yard field goal, giving the Conquerors a 13-7 advantage.

“He came out and made clutch field goals when it really counted,” Kentwood coach Rex Norris said of Bell.

Kentridge pushed the ball to Kentwood’s 37-yard line with five seconds left in the game, when Smith’s final attempt of the night fell incomplete.

“It’s frustrating, obviously, because some of our mistakes led to our loss, but we just got to keep doing what we’re doing and play good defense,” said Kentridge’s Jason Didis.

As good as the Kentridge defense has been all season, the Conquerors were just as tough Friday night. Kentwood held the Chargers to 149 yards of total offense and just 41 in the second half. In addition, Kentwood’s Josh Smith, known more for what he’s done on the basketball court, was shifted to the defensive line and made his presence felt, collecting a pair of sacks and two tackles for a loss.

Kentridge, however, certainly held its own on defense, holding Kentwood to 211 yards of total offense, all of which came on the ground. In addition, Kentwood’s 13 points was a season low.

“They brought out their weapons, we didn’t,” said Kentridge linebacker Dylan Zylstra. “We just gave them the ball in great position … and I’m going to give them credit, they shut me down all night. It was by-far my worst game of the year.

“We have to forget it and move on. The most important game is always the next one. But (when) you lose to Kentwood, you’re never going to forget that.”

ALSO: Kentwood running back/defensive back Mikell Everette was taken off the field on a stretcher as a precautionary measure with 22.5 seconds remaining in the game after being knocked unconscious. “He’s feeling pretty loopy,” said Norris. “He took the weight of three people coming at him (on a tackle). He was unconscious for a couple seconds.” Everette led the Conquerors in rushing, going for 76 yards on 13 carries.

Kentwood 13, Kentridge 7

Kentridge 0 7 0 0 — 7

Kentwood 0 3 7 3 — 13

Kentridge: Alex Tyson 5 run (Wes Cencepcion kick).

KW: Matt Bell 28 FG

KW: Tristan Askew 21 run (Bell kick).

KW: Bell 40 FG.