Jackson Huerta had things happen in pairs for him Sept. 21 in Kentwood’s 45-3 win over Kent-Meridian.
He snagged two interceptions and two touchdown receptions to help the Conquerors improve to 4-0 in league play.
Kentwood quarterback Dane Manio first found Huerta just 2 minutes, 42 seconds in the game, hurling a 34 strike to the senior wideout.
Josiah Bronson, a sophomore defensive lineman, was in the right place at the right time at the end of the first quarter to get the first of what turned out to be a number of Kentwood interceptions against K-M quarterback Quincy Carter. Bronson came down with the ball after it bounced off the hands of a Royals player.
Kent-Meridian’s lone score came on a 21 yard field goal with 8:42 on the clock in the second quarter after botched snaps and penalties pushed the Royals back. Huerta wasn’t the only Conk to grab two touchdown passes from Manio. Terence Grady, who like Huerta is a member of the Kentwood boys basketball team, hauled in a 55-yard bomb to make it 14-3 less than 20 seconds after the K-M field goal.
With 14 seconds left in the third, Kentwood was able to capitalize on another bad snap which Carter tried to cover on his own 2, but the ball squirted away from him and into the end zone where a trio of Conks defensive players chased it then recovered it for the score, making it 21-3.
Little more than three minutes into the fourth quarter, Huerta hauled in his second scoring reception of the evening with a 33-yard touchdown reception. Chance Kalua-Fuimaono got in on the scoring action late in the game with an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 38-3 while Grady got his second touchdown, this one coming on a 56-yard bomb from Manio, to make it 45-3 with 11:22 left in the game. That was set up by Brandon Sytsma’s second interception of the night with 24 seconds left in the third. Kentwood takes on Kentridge Friday at 7 p.m. at French Field.
Falcons come back against Ravens
What a difference a week makes on the gridiron as Kentlake went from setting records in week three to struggling to move the ball against Auburn Riverside week four. Kentlake gutted out a 14-10 victory over Auburn Riverside Sept. 20 to improve to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in South Puget Sound League North play.
After scoring 76 points against Puyallup a week earlier, Kentlake didn’t score in the first half against Riverside, which took a 10-0 lead into halftime. The Ravens drove 48 yards before settling for a field goal with 4 minutes, 48 seconds left in the second quarter, to get on the board first.
Riverside’s Adam Hanes then picked off Kentlake quarterback Steffin Church after the Falcons started their next drive deep in their own territory. Hanes returned it to the two yard line and two plays later the Ravens punched it in from two yards out to take a 10-0 lead less than a minute after kicking the field goal.
Kentlake junior wideout John Morasch set up Kentlake’s first score in the second half when he hauled in a pass from Church. A defensive pass interference call on Riverside put Kentlake deep in the red zone.
Falcons running back Riley Higgins put Kentlake on the score board with 3:25 left in the third quarter when he took the handoff from Church on second and goal from the 1-yard-line to cut the score to 10-7.
Morasch followed up that big play with the go-ahead touchdown on a 55-yard bomb from Church with seven seconds left in the third to give the Falcons their first lead of the game at 14-10. After giving up 55 points to Puyallup Sept. 14, Kentlake’s defense showed up in a big way late in the game against Riverside.
After Kentlake’s special teams muffed a punt return which Riverside recovered on the Falcon 20, the defense came in for a critical goal line stand after the Ravens drove to the 1.
Kentlake got the ball back and drove past midfield using the ground game to run out the clock to celebrate homecoming with the victory over Riverside.
Kentlake travels to Auburn Thursday for a 7 p.m. showdown at Auburn Memorial Stadium.
Tahoma falls to Auburn
It was all about Auburn’s Harold Lee Sept. 21 as the Trojans beat the Bears 42-7 at Tahoma. Lee piled up 333 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound returner, defensive back and running back scored on interception returns of 72 and 45 yards, returned a kickoff 85 yards, notched a 28-yard reception from junior quarterback Brier Atkinson and ran one in from 45 yards. Defensively the Trojans contained the high-scoring Bears, who were averaging more than 40 points per game, to just one touchdown in the contest, a 40-yard Patrick Ota reception from A.C. Gasero in the third quarter. Tahoma, which fell to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in league, travels to Mount Rainier and plays at 8 p.m. Friday.
Kentridge steamrolls Mount Rainier
The Chargers hosted the Rams Sept. 22 at French Field and sent the newest member of the SPSL North home with a 40-0 defeat.
Kentridge bounced back from a 45-0 loss to Auburn a week earlier by scoring 26 points in the second quarter en route to the shutout.
Jimmie Davis started the scoring off with a 37-yard touchdown run, the first of his three rushing touchdowns on the night.
With the win, the Chargers improved to 2-1 in conference and 2-2 overall.
Kentridge takes on crosstown rival Kentwood Friday night.
