FOOTBALL: Kentwood thumps K-M, 51-14

First-year varsity running back Jared Fuller is starting to feel at ease these days in the Kentwood High backfield.

As much was evident Friday night at French Field, when Fuller torched Kent-Meridian for 163 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, leading the Conquerors past the Royals 51-14 in a South Puget Sound League North Division game.

“I feel more comfortable,” admitted Fuller, who now has rushed for seven touchdowns in his last three games, all Kentwood victories. “I am getting a better feel at the varsity level as far as the speed and everything.”

Fuller certainly was up to speed Friday night – and then some. The shifty junior’s 163 yards more than doubled his previous best of 65 yards on 14 carries against Auburn in the second week of the season. And while Fuller set the tone against the Royals, the entire Kentwood (3-1 in league, 4-1 overall) rushing attack held its own, accumulating 373 yards on 52 carries.

However, Friday night’s win over the Royals (0-5, 0-5) was as much about Kentwood’s potent rushing attack as it was slowing down Kent-Meridian quarterback David Jones, who was coming off a 159-yard outburst a week earlier against Tahoma. The Kentwood defense held Jones to 76 yards rushing. In addition, Jones completed just 3 of 21 passes for 63 yards, including four interceptions. Kentwood’s Mike Roy came away with three of those interceptions, tying a school record established by Tristan Askew last season.

“They didn’t want David to run, so they dropped everybody into a zone and made some great picks,” said K-M coach Trevor Roberts. “David didn’t see (Roy) come through … he had a great game.”

It was all part of the plan, Roy conceded.

“We knew that Jones liked to scramble a lot, so what I tried to do was stay low in the flat and spy him so he wouldn’t see me,” Roy said. “Then he’d throw it and I’d pop out of nowhere.”

The lopsided outcome, however, wasn’t indicative of how the opening 20 minutes played out. Kentwood took a quick 7-0 lead on a 15-yard touchdown run from Askew. K-M responded midway through the first quarter behind bruising fullback Va’A Logotala, who bowled over several Kentwood defenders and into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 7-6.

Fuller gave Kentwood a 14-6 lead on the second play of the second quarter – moments after the Conquerors recovered a K-M fumble at the 1-yard line – with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Kent-Meridian didn’t back down, going 80 yards on 11 plays two possessions later, highlighted by a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Larren Wright on a 4th-and-17 play. Wright outjumped Kentwood’s Askew in the corner of the end zone to make the catch. Jones then converted the 2-point conversion with a run around the right side, tying the score 14-14.

If the Conquerors were stunned by the tie game midway through the second quarter, they hardly showed it. In fact, Kentwood proceeded to score 37 unanswered points – 13 more in the second, 21 in the third and 3 in the fourth – to walk away with the win.

“We know how to handle the situation and fight through it, and that’s what we did,” Fuller said.

Indeed. Because after the score, Kentwood’s defense stiffened, keeping Jones from completing another pass the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Conk ‘D’ only allowed the Royals 77 yards of total offense and three first downs in the entire second half.

“We couldn’t move the ball offensively,” Roberts lamented. “It was pretty much the first time all season that we sputtered on offense.”

Kentwood quarterback Shane Green helped the Conquerors take the lead for good with 2:30 remaining in the first half, connecting with Allain Songco for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Fuller added his second touchdown of the night, a 5-yard run, with 42 seconds left on the clock, giving the Conquerors a 27-14 halftime lead.

Fuller added another touchdown in the third quarter while backfield teammate Zach Corpuz collected two others. Kentwood kicker Matt Bell connected on a 28-yard field goal to end the scoring.

In all, Kentwood finished the night with 496 yards of total offense and 26 first downs.

Kentwood 51, Kent-Meridian 14

Kentwood 7 20 21 3 — 51

Kent-Meridian 6 8 0 0 — 14

FIRST QUARTER

KW: Tristan Askew 15 run (Matt Bell kick).

KM: Va’A Logotala 9 run (kick failed).

SECOND QUARTER

KW: Jared Fuller 1 run (Matt Bell kick)

K-M: Larren Wright 33 pass from David Jones (Jones run).

KW: Allain Songco 16 pass from Shane Green (Bell kick).

KW: Fuller 5 run (run fails).

THIRD QUARTER

KW: Zach Corpuz 38 run (Bell kick).

KW: Fuller 8 run (Bell kick).

KW: Corupuz 2 run (Bell kick).

FOURTH QUARTER

KW: Bell 28 FG