Kevin Oywak kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired, lifting Kentwood past Kennedy Catholic 38-36 in a wild North Puget Sound League Mountain Division game Thursday night, Oct. 18, at French Field.
The Conquerors (3-2 division, 3-5 overall) secured the Mountain’s No. 3 seed to this week’s division crossover playoffs. They entertain Mount Rainier (3-5), the NPSL Valley Division’s No. 2 qualifier, in a loser-out playoff game at 7 p.m. Friday at French Field.
The Lancers (3-2, 5-3) host Kentridge (7-1), the NPSL Sound Division champion, in an elimination playoff at 7 p.m. Saturday at Highline Stadium in Burien.
Sophomore quarterback Jalin Church hit Alphonse Oywak on an 84-yard touchdown play with 35 seconds left in the third quarter to extend Kentwood’s lead to 22-14. Dyllon Daniels’ interception set up Church’s 5-yard scoring pass to Trevon Erickson that pushed the lead to 29-14 with 11:05 left to play in the fourth quarter.
Kennedy Catholic rallied behind sophomore quarterback Sam Huard, whose arm set up the power run game. Jahvius Leui’s 4-yard TD run and Lei-Ben Tivoli Fesili’s successful smash for the two-point conversion closed the gap to 29-22 with 6:48 to play.
After Lole Tapasa’s 14-yard TD run restored the Conks’ lead to 35-22 at the 4:50 mark, Huard found Junior Alexander between defenders in the end zone for a 43-yard TD play, bringing the Lancers to within 35-29, with 2:41 to go.
Kentwood went three-and-out, and Kennedy Catholic went 66 yards in five plays, capped by Leui’s 5-yard, giving the Lancers a 36-35 lead with 1:11 to go.
But the Conquerors – buoyed by Church’s 34-yard connection with Alphonse Oywak, drove to the 16, setting up Kevin Oywak’s 28-yard field goal with eight seconds left to play. But the holder, Connor Plett, was met by a quick rush while putting the ball down from the snap. He grabbed the ball, regained his feet and threw an incomplete pass. However, the Lancers were penalized for rushing the field in celebration after the third-down play.
Given another chance, with four seconds left, Kevin Oywak split the uprights for the game-winning field goal. He made a 43-yarder earlier in the game that bounced over the crossbar.
Gabriel Johnson ran for 197 yards and a TD for Kentwood. Church threw three TDs.
Huard completed 26 of 41 passes for 328 yards and two TDs, with two interceptions.
Elsewhere
Kentridge 39, at Decatur 20: Natano Woods threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth as the playoff-bound Chargers won their seventh straight game, beating the Gators (0-8) in an NPSL Sound Division game last Friday night.
Kentridge led 33-7 after three quarters and cruised to the win.
Woods completed 22 of 37 passes for 309 yards.
Jaron Gonzalez ran for 73 yards, and Payton Thomas ran for one TD and returned a fumble 35 yards for another score. Jeremy Banks caught seven passes for 72 yards and a TD.
Michael Faber and Ben Victoria caught scoring passes.
At Kentlake 31, Thomas Jefferson 0: The Falcons (5-3) routed the Raiders (1-6) in an NPSL game last Friday.
Kentlake plays at Tahoma (3-5) in a division crossover, loser-out playoff Friday.
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