Edmonds-Woodway had the biggest name last Friday night.
Kentwood, however, had the biggest performance.
Darrius Coleman rushed for 193 yards on 26 carries, including a 40-yard touchdown on Kentwood’s first play of overtime, leading the Conquerors past the Warriors in a state-qualifying game at French Field, 35-28.
Coleman, who finished with 255 total yards, also hauled in a short pass from quarterback Luke Angevine in the second quarter and skirted down the left side line for a 62-yard touchdown.
But he saved his biggest play for last, bolting through the right side of the Warriors’ line, shedding a pair of one-armed tackles and going 40 yards for the overtime score.
It was Coleman’s longest run from scrimmage all night.
“This is amazing,” said Coleman, a first-year starter, who now has more than 1,300 yards rushing this season. “Coach told me before (overtime) to keep my feet moving and to hold the ball tight and I got loose. My line was blocking for me, everybody came over to get me and I just kept my feet going. Just like my coach said.”
Coleman outperformed Edmonds-Woodway star Tony Heard, one of the state’s premier running backs. Heard, a punishing 5-foot-11, 230-pounder, was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year last season and came into the night averaging more than 160 yards per contest.
He fought for 139 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries on Friday, but was mostly contained by a geared-up Kentwood defense.
That defense turned it up yet another notch on Edmonds-Woodway’s lone possession in overtime. Moments after Coleman’s score, the Warriors received the ball at Kentwood’s 25-yard line. Rather than go with Heard up the middle, the Warriors’ bread-and-butter play all night, Edmonds-Woodway chose trickery.
It failed miserably.
Quarterback Sean Lindsey pitched to Heard, who rolled out for a halfback pass. But the pass, intended for star receiver Din Kuses, was picked off in the end zone by Kentwood’s Devin St. Clair, sealing the victory and sending Kentwood Nation into a wild, celebratory frenzy.
“I remembered that they did the halfback pass and I saw (Kuses) go out deep,” said an elated St. Clair, who was equally huge Friday night, racking up 189 total yards (143 in returns, 30 receiving and 16 rushing).
“I saw it was going to be a sweep, so I was going to come up, then I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not.’ And I tried to sprint back there as fast as I could.”
“He threw it the wrong way.”
Indeed.
With the victory, Kentwood (8-2) grabbed its first state berth since 2005. Edmonds-Woodway (7-3) falls on the other side of the spectrum. The Warriors, who advanced to the state semifinals in each of the last two years, will be going home.
Kentwood will play at Issaquah (8-2) at 7 p.m. on Saturday in a state opener.
The win over Edmonds-Woodway was Kentwood’s seventh straight since starting the season 1-2.
“When you can pull off games like this with everything in the background, it validates everything,” Kentwood coach Rex Norris said.
It appeared the Conquerors would wrap up the victory in regulation.
Leading at 22-21 with 6:45 remaining in the game, Kentwood delivered one of its finest drives of the season, alternating handoffs between Coleman and sophomore Joseph Banks. The tandem helped the Conquerors eat up 4:03 of the game clock, culminating with a 2-yard touchdown run from Angevine.
Matt Bell’s extra point attempt, however, was wide left, keeping Edmonds-Woodway within a touchdown — 28-21 — with 1:42 remaining.
Coleman accounted for 39 of the 75 yards on the drive. Banks added 34 of his own.
“That’s the toughest (Darrius) has run all year,” Norris said proudly. “He was lowering his shoulder and the catalyst to that long drive.”
Edmonds-Woodway answered immediately as Az Primacio followed with a 94-yard kickoff return, tying things at 28-28 and momentarily silencing the Kentwood crowd.
The touchdown return set the stage for St. Clair’s state-clinching interception, a wobbly, off-balance toss from Heard that fluttered through the air like a wounded duck.
“This means everything,” St. Clair said.
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