It’s good to be Austin Pernell these days.
Kentlake High’s three-sport standout has often been tabbed the last two years by football coach Chris Paulson as “the best athlete walking the school halls.” In addition, Pernell is equally liked by his classmates and teammates due to his quiet, humble personality.
Pernell showed what all the excitement was about Thursday night at French Field. The mild-mannered senior intercepted two passes, chipped in a fumble recovery, ran for one touchdown and caught another, leading Kentlake past Auburn Riverside 49-7 in the South Puget Sound League North Division season opener for both teams.
Ending the performance with an exclamation point, Pernell was swarmed by teammates and classmates moments after the final buzzer sounded as the Falcons sang their theme song to the home crowd. Topping it off, the versatile wide receiver/defensive back even received a kiss on the cheek from an excited cheerleader following the win.
No doubt, it’s good to be Pernell.
Yet, after the game, Kentlake’s star was humble as always.
“It just shows we came prepared,” said Pernell, who had three receptions for 32 yards, but who also had a 52-yard touchdown reception negated by a penalty. “We showed what we could do. It wasn’t a statement (game). Well, maybe it was.”
Kentlake has been tabbed among many as the favorite to win the North Division this fall, something the Falcons have not done since 2003.
Thursday night at French Field, the Falcons were in fine form, much in part due to Pernell’s big-play ability.
“He makes plays on both sides of the ball, offense, defense, special teams,” Paulson said. “Every time he touches the ball, he’s a threat to score.”
Of course, the Falcons (1-0, 1-0) also took advantage of several Auburn Riverside (0-1, 0-1) miscues. The Ravens turned the ball over six times, which resulted in 28 Kentlake points. Both of Pernell’s interceptions and his fumble recovery led to touchdowns. Yet, at no point after the game did Pernell reference his own performance, instead continually referring to the “we” that is Kentlake.
“We came and we brought it,” he said.
Indeed the Falcons did.
Pernell opened the scoring by scooping up a bad pitch that one-hopped into his arms for an 11-yard touchdown run around the left side with 7:56 remaining in the first quarter. Just seconds into the second quarter, Pernell came away with his first interception of the game. The big pick turned into a quick-six as Breton Medina outran the Auburn Riverside defense for a 66-yard touchdown run, and a 14-0 lead just two plays later.
Auburn Riverside responded when quarterback Josh Latta connected with Kameron Boardway on a short dump-off pass. Boardway skirted down the left sideline for a 43-yard touchdown after hauling in the 5-yard pass, cutting the deficit to 14-7.
However, that was all the Ravens could muster.
Kentlake proceeded to rip off 35 unanswered points, 21 more in the second quarter and 14 in the fourth. The Falcons used plenty of big plays to turn back the Ravens, too. On the night, Kentlake posted six plays of 25 yards or longer. Kentlake quarterback Caleb Saulo found Trevor Baldwin at the end of the second quarter for a 50-yard touchdown strike, giving the Falcons a 35-7 lead at the half. After a scoreless third quarter, the Falcons returned to big-play mode as Riley Higgins bolted up the gut for a 70-yard touchdown run that was followed by a 53-yard scoring run by Jordan Seffens.
Saulo, who was hit hard to end the first half and did not return, completed 5 of 10 passes for 117 yards and two touchdown passes. Saulo indicated that he cramped up to end the first half, which is why he did not return.
“We came out and showed what we could do,” Saulo said.
The big offensive performance overshadowed a strong defensive showing by the Falcons. Kentlake limited Auburn Riverside to 161 total yards in the game. Meanwhile, Kentlake racked up 456 total yards, 339 on the ground and 117 in the air. Tanner Lucas, who carried the ball 12 times for 85 yards, was Kentlake’s leading rusher.
The night, however, belonged to Pernell.
“He’s special,” Paulson said.
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