The Federal Way Eagles did to Kentwood Thursday night what the Conquerors have been doing to the rest of the South Puget Sound League for years.

Federal Way controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and played shutdown defense at crucial times during a 24-21 win at

Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

“It was awesome,” said Federal Way head coach John Meagher. “The kids battled the whole night.”

The victory was the Eagles’ fourth in a row after starting the season with back-to-back losses to Auburn and Graham-Kapowsin. In addition, Federal Way (5-2 in league, 4-2 overall) moved a step closer to the postseason with the win. With the loss, Kentwood (5-2, 4-2) faces a must-win game at 7 p.m. on Friday night at French Field against rival Kentridge.

“We have come a long way since the start of the season,” Meagher said. “We have really gotten better every week since starting 0-2.”

Federal Way looked like the hungrier team Thursday night, especially after Kentwood jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter when junior Jared Fuller squirted through the Federal Way defense for a 34-yard touchdown run.

That was as good as it would get for Kentwood during the first half. The Eagles scored the next 24 points, including 21 in the second

quarter, to take a 24-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.

“We really controlled the line of scrimmage in the first half,” Meagher said. “We were pushing them around a little bit.”

Federal Way got on the scoreboard late in the first quarter on a 26-yard field goal from Kelyn Rowe. But it was a 13-second stretch midway through the second quarter that proved to be the difference in the game. Trailing 7-3, Stanley Matau recovered a fumble from Eagle tailback Trenton Pinson in the end zone after a Kentwood defender jarred the ball loose at the 1-yard line. The Matau score gave the Eagles a 10-7 advantage.

Following the kickoff, Kentwood quarterback Tristan Askew fumbled on the Conquerors’ first play from scrimmage. The ball was recovered by Federal Way’s Jared Sio at the Kentwood 12-yard line. On the next play, Pinson rolled through the middle of the Conqueror defense for another touchdown, giving the Eagles a 17-7 lead with 6:26 to play in the second quarter.

Pinson finished with a career-high 33 carries for 131 tough yards.

“He ran the ball hard,” Meagher said. “It was good to see him running downhill. It’s nice to feel comfortable in giving him the ball that

many times.”

Federal Way added their third touchdown of the second quarter after an impressive 86-yard drive that culminated with a 1-yard run by junior

quarterback Nick Tanielu with 21.3 left in the half. On the night, Tanielu completed 9 of 15 passes for 245 yards.

“He has come a long way in his short time as a quarterback,” Meagher said. “Last year was the first time he had ever played the position.

He has made a lot of progress.”

Kentwood stormed back in the third quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns to cut the deficit to 24-21. Matt Hubbard tallied KW’s first score of the third quarter, going 38 yards through the middle of the Eagle defense for the touchdown, cutting the deficit to 24-14. On their next possession, the Conquerors put together an eight-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Shane Green to Mikell Everette.

The Eagles then went into ball-control mode as they held possession for nine minutes in the fourth quarter, essentially keeping the Conquerors from having a chance to win the game.

“We just ate up a bunch of clock,” Meagher said. “Our defense has done a good job this season. We have been kind of a bend, but not break

group. The key for us is to force teams into second- and third-and-longs. We have the No. 1 pass defense in the league. We got some athletes back there.”