Quarterback David Jones did it all Friday night at French Field.
The Kent-Meridian senior rushed for 170 yards, and passed for 164 more. He ran for a pair of touchdowns, and added another through the air.
But when it was all said and done, Jones’ Herculean performance wasn’t enough to overcome fifth-ranked Kentwood.
Thanks to a pair of big fourth-quarter plays by defensive back Steele Warner, the Conquerors were able to hold off the upset-minded Royals 34-19 in a South Puget Sound League North Division game. Warner returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and later intercepted an errant Jones pass, which led to another Kentwood score as the Conquerors hung on for the win.
Kentwood (6-0 in league, 7-0 overall) took a 21-0 lead on the second play of the second quarter and appeared well on its way to a runaway win. But Jones, who either ran or threw the ball on 61 of Kent-Meridian’s 79 offensive plays, wouldn’t let that happen. The speedy quarterback rushed for touchdowns of 2- and 13-yards in the second quarter to cut the halftime deficit to 21-13 and keep the Royals within striking distance.
“He’s one of the best high school athletes I have ever come across,” said Kentwood coach Rex Norris, who went out of his way after the game to shake the hand of the K-M quarterback.
K-M came within six inches of cutting further into the Kentwood lead with 5:05 remaining in the third quarter, but Jones was stopped just shy of the end zone on a 4th-and-goal from 4-yard line.
The big stop turned the tide. Early in the fourth quarter, Warner plucked a Davontae Hoffman fumble out of mid air and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown, giving the Conks a 27-13 lead with 11:10 remaining. Two minutes later, Warner came away with an interception at the 50-yard line, a play that led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Joseph Banks.
“We talked about it at halftime, and a lot of kids were kind of wondering what was going on,” Norris said. “I told them we just needed to stop them a few times, and get some turnovers.”
The Conquerors did just that.
However, Jones left quite an impression.
“He’s one in a million,” Norris said. “Their football team is rallying around him and doing good things. The defense is what impressed me. Their defense did a nice job tonight.”
Kent-Meridian hasn’t beaten Kentwood since 1995, and came into Friday night’s game as heavy underdogs. Despite putting up a strong fight, something the Royals haven’t done against the Conquerors in many years, Jones remained heartbroken after the loss.
“I just tried to give it my all,” said a dejected Jones. “I knew that I couldn’t do everything myself and I tried to help out my receivers and get them open, but I just wasn’t successful with it tonight.”
Kent-Meridian (3-3 in league, 4-3 overall) came into the night riding a three-game winning streak. Despite the loss, the Royals remain alive for one of the final two playoff berths out of the North. The top five teams advance to the postseason, with the No. 5 North team playing a pig-tail game against the No. 5 team from the South.
“We’re going to put it all on the line next week (against Auburn on Oct. 21),” said Jones, who now has 1,849 yards of total offense, 16 rushing touchdowns and seven passing touchdowns for the season.
Kentwood quarterback Shane Green led the Conk offense, completing 8 of 18 passes for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mikell Everette added 74 yards rushing, once passing touchdown, and one receiving touchdown. Jason Boyce and Dalton Blackmore also caught touchdowns for the Conquerors.
Kent-Meridian finished with 397 yards of total offense and 24 first downs. Kentwood finished with 304 yards of total offense and 15 touchdowns.
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