The Kentridge High football team slowed down Auburn on Thursday night at French Field.
Stopping the third-ranked Trojans, however, proved to be an impossible task.
Auburn’s Chris Young rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns while backfield teammate Alphonse Wade added 105 yards rushing and two more scores, leading the Trojans past the Chargers 28-14 in a South Puget Sound League North Division game.
Kentridge (3-1 in league, 3-2 overall) knocked Auburn (5-0, 5-0) on its heels in the first two quarters, holding the North Division’s most potent rushing attack to a measly 39 yards on 21 attempts.
“They did so good blitzing the right gaps that we usually run through (in the first half) and that’s mainly what stopped us from doing what we do,” said Young, who rushed for a 26-yard score in the third quarter and a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth. “The first half, I was kind of worried. We just had to adjust.”
After playing a nearly flawless first half on defense, Kentridge was simply spent during the third and fourth quarters as Auburn racked up 276 yards on 24 rushes in the final 24 minutes.
“We just got tired at the end,” said defensive lineman Nico White, who collected one sack in the loss. “We just need to step up our conditioning, that’s all I really have to say.”
With Kentridge geared up for the Auburn rushing attack, the Trojans used some trickery in the second quarter to break a 0-0 tie. On Auburn’s third offensive play of the quarter, Austin Embody took the handoff, dropped back to pass and delivered a high, wobbly toss to Wade, who pulled in the reception at the 4-yard line before cruising in for the 36-yard touchdown.
Wade split a pair of Kentridge defenders to make the play.
“That was a play designed to keep (defenses) honest,” said Auburn coach Gordon Elliott. “And they weren’t honest and so they paid for it.”
The Trojans made the Chargers pay again in the third quarter, this time on a botched punt. Kentridge punter Wes Concepcion mishandled the snap, giving Auburn the ball at midfield. Six plays later, Young scooted around the left side of the Kentridge line thanks to several blocks by Embody and bolted 26 yards for the score, giving Auburn a 14-0 lead.
Wade pushed the lead to 21-0 with a 41-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter.
Down by three scores, Kentridge’s offense woke up in the fourth quarter as sophomore quarterback Caleb Smith engineered a 9-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a 5-yard touchdown run from Alex Tyson. Smith completed 3 of 3 passes for 37 yards on the drive while running back Cameron McKernan added four carries for 23 yards.
“We just have to do a better job of moving the chains and getting in the end zone (in the first half) so they don’t feel like they’re just hanging on,” lamented Kentridge coach Marty Osborn. “We maybe could have opened up throwing the ball more in the first half.”
The Auburn offense, which came into the night averaging 45 points per game, continued to roll on its next possession, needing just four plays to go 80 yards, a drive that was capped on a 41-yard touchdown run by Young.
Smith then connected on his final three passes of the night, culminating with a14-yard touchdown strike to Jason Didis that accounted for the final score.
As good as the Kentridge defense was in the first half, Auburn held up throughout the night, holding the Chargers to 196 total yards, including just 79 on the ground on 35 carries.
“That defense was fast,” said Smith, who completed 7 of 13 passes for 117 yards. “We competed out there. We never gave up.”
Rogers 28, Kentlake 21: The Falcons (2-2 in league, 2-3 overall) came back from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to tie the game 21-21, but were unable to complete the comeback in a nonleague loss to Rogers (2-2, 3-2).
Rogers running back Bennett Bontemps put the game away with a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
“We played well tonight,” said Kentlake coach Mike Shepard. “Nobody gave us a chance to play with Rogers at all. My kids are upset … nobody likes to be 2-3. But they felt they gave Rogers all they wanted and then some.”
Down 14-0, Kentlake running back Latrelle Dukes cut the deficit to 14-7 with a 5-yard touchdown run. Rogers took a 21-7 halftime lead on a 12 yard touchdown pass from Dalton Gervais to Kellen Westering.
Kentlake managed to come all the way back in the third quarter on a 45-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tyler Borgen followed by a 51-yard rushing score by Tyler Wright.
Dukes finished with 122 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Kentlake’s Austin Pernell added a nice night receiving, pulling in four catches for 61 yards.
Kentlake will be at third-ranked Auburn (5-0) on Thursday.
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