Needing a win to keep its playoff hopes alive, the Kentlake High football team got it done Saturday night at Auburn Memorial Stadium.

Behind an opportunistic defense that forced six turnovers, the Falcons came away with a pivotal 30-20 South Puget Sound League North Division win over Auburn Riverside.

The victory puts Kentlake (4-3 in league, 4-4 overall) into a must-win situation against Kentwood (5-2, 6-2) on Friday night at French Field. However, the game comes with some strings attached. For the Falcons to advance to the playoffs they need to 1) beat the Conquerors, something they haven’t done since 2003 and 2) have both Kentridge and Jefferson win Thursday night. Kentridge (5-2, 5-3) plays Kent-Meridian (0-7, 0-8) at French Field while Federal Way (5-2, 6-2) plays host to Jefferson (1-6, 1-8).

If both Kentridge and Federal Way lose on Thursday and Kentlake wins, a four-way tie would be forged for second place in the SPSL North, a scenario that would then be decided on the league’s power-point system. Depending on the results, there also could be a three-way tie, which also would come down to the power-point system.

Regardless of the playoff situation, the Falcons took care of business on Saturday. Tyler Wright, who did it all offensively last week in a win over Tahoma, delivered a big defensive night this time around, intercepting two passes and coming away with two fumble recoveries. In addition, Wright returned a fumble and an interception back for a touchdown.

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