On a night where Kentwood needed a win, its best player showed up when the team needed him most.
“We just let our superman, be superman.”
Superman might be the best way to compare how well Antoine Lee played in the Conks’ 36-20 victory over the Auburn Riverside Ravens on Sept. 19 at French Field.
“It was a great thing for our young team to build confidence as we enter league,” Head Coach Matt Roth said.
Kentwood scored five touchdowns — and Lee had five touchdowns.
For a player that already has his name riddled in the record books, Lee has shown no sign of slowing down.
“I was thinking, just do my job and be the best player you can be because if you are the best player you can be, no one can mess with you,” Lee said.
The Conks went with an unconventional strategy right from the get-go. As far as football strategies go, the notion is if you win the coin toss, you defer. The Conks went with a different strategy — they wanted the ball.
“We wanted to set the tone offensively. We have had some slow starts and we chose to take it (the ball) and dictate versus react,” Roth said. He also referenced the infamous Matt Hasselbeck quote: “We want the ball and we are going to score,” from the 2003 game against the Packers.
On the first Kentwood drive, they did have the same result as the Seahawks back on that fateful day, with senior Jonathan Epperson intercepting a Brandon Tagle pass. That was pretty much the only play that resulted in negative momentum for the Conks all day.
After that interception, the Conks stopped the Ravens and drove 55 yards on 11 plays. Lee got his first touchdown on a screen pass as he leaked out and sprinted to the endzone on a third and 17 play from the 18-yard line.
“He was incredible. That wasn’t even his best. There is more, I’ve seen it … When he is throwing on the top gun afterburners on and making them miss in the hole, it is a sight to behold,” Roth said about Lee.
Tagle is known for his distribution skills on the basketball court as the two-year starter took the Conks to a fourth-place finish in the Tacoma Dome last winter. He threw four interceptions in the Conks’ loss to Spanaway Lake, but only threw two against Auburn Riverside, and both were on fourth down.
Lee saw a lot of improvement from Tagle in his third game at the helm for the Conks: “I saw he had a lot more confidence,” Lee said.
After Auburn Riverside answered the Conks ‘touchdown with a touchdown of their own, on the next Kentwood drive, Tagle found Zach Hernandez for a 43 yard gain, and two plays later, Lee pushed his way into the endzone.
A two-point conversion later saw Kentwood up ten in the second quarter 16-6.
“The game slowed down for him (Tagle). He’s not the quickest or fastest guy, but he’s got some wiggle… From leadership and consistency, what he does on the hardwood sets him up. He’s a distributor and a calming presence,” Roth said.
With under two minutes to go, the Conks got their third touchdown of the half from Lee. After a fourth down snap went over the punter’s head, Kentwood was given a gift of a short field, and Lee ran it in from one yard out.
The Kentwood defense faltered after the 22-6 lead and let the Ravens drive the length of the field in 1:28. Raven QB Andrew Wold used his legs to his advantage and found a receiver for a touchdown with two seconds left in the half to bring Auburn Riverside back within 10 points with a score of 22-12.
The Conks’ defense played very well from start to finish. In a year that started with two tough losses, the defense found a way to rise to the occasion.
“We were flying around defensively. We were able to get a lot of hats to the football. We were able to pressure and impact the quarterback,” Roth said.
Kentwood has a young secondary, with just one senior. They have shown a lot of development over the first three games. The results showed in this game with three interceptions.
“They were communicating in the fire, which is something we haven’t seen them do consistently,” said Roth.
In the second half, Lee showed how special of a talent he really is. He broke four tackles and hit a spin move on a Raven defender on his way to a 65-yard touchdown with 1:14 left in the quarter.
For his fifth and final touchdown of the night, the Ravens got within eight points with under two minutes to go. Lee caught a pass out of the backfield from Tagle, shook one defender and was met with UW-commit Jonathan Epperson. The clash of titans saw Lee come out on top as he toppled not only Epperson, but two other Ravens to get across the goal line.
“I was really looking forward to this game. I was feeling overlooked personally. I play every game like it is my last. I’ve been doing that since my freshman year and here we are,” Lee said.
Kentwood started the year 0-2 with a loss to Emerald Ridge and Spanaway Lake. A win like this kick-starts the Conks into league play, where they need all the momentum they can grab. Their next opponent, Kennedy Catholic, requires all hands on deck.
“When we put all those pieces together, ain’t no party like a Kentwood party,” Roth said.
“I love playing the best of the best. That is where you learn who you are as a person,” Lee said. “We have to go 100%. If we go 100%, no team can mess with us.”
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Kentwood’s Zach Hernandez with a reception against Auburn Riverside. Ben Ray / The Reporter
Conk safety Darian Williams intercepted a tipped pass and returns it in the fourth quarter. Ben Ray / The Reporter
