Numbers don\u2019t lie.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Neither does tradition.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Despite having both on its side, the Kentwood High football team enters the season in a rather unusual predicament this fall. The Conquerors, contrary to their tradition and three-plus decades of success both in the regular season and the playoffs, are flying under the radar.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And it suits \u2019em just fine.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably deservedly so,\u201d said eighth-year coach Rex Norris. \u201cWe have a bunch of kids who haven\u2019t been in the position to really show what they have. Mostly, we\u2019re missing varsity experience. These guys haven\u2019t had the opportunity of going out there and being the guy. There are a lot of first timers out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
While that may be the case, however, don\u2019t mistake this year\u2019s edition of the Conquerors as underdogs. Though Kentwood will have to find a way to replace Mikell Everette, the South Puget Sound League North Division\u2019s Co-Offensive Back of the Year, wide receiver Jason Boyce and a slew of all-league selections, the cupboard is hardly bare for the boys in black, white, green and silver. Though the Conks were hit by graduation, they still enjoyed a turnout of more than 120 players.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And, of course, there\u2019s that tradition.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Kentwood has delivered seven state berths during the last decade. Toss in the fact that the Conquerors have never posted a losing record \u2014 not a single time in the 30 years since the doors to the school first opened \u2014 and has finished among the top 4 in the SPSL North every year since the league was divided into its North-South format in 1991, and there\u2019s still ample reason for optimism.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A reason for that optimism, however, is simple. Kentwood has fielded a near flawless junior varsity team the last several years. Those players have simply moved up the ranks this fall.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t lost a junior varsity game in four or five years,\u201d said Norris, who was unable to remember exactly the last defeat by the junior varsity team. \u201cWe\u2019re as optimistic now as we were a year ago at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Which is saying something considering the Conquerors won the league crown last fall, posting the program\u2019s first unbeaten regular season (9-0) since 1994. Adding to the positive feel is the fact that whenever Kentwood has needed to find someone in past years to fill a void, whether it be a top-tier running back or a quality lineman, it has had the luxury of being able to dip into its wealth of players and finding the perfect fit. The running back position is a key example of that. The Conquerors have had at least one 1,000-yard running back in 10 of the last 11 years.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
So while the names change, the results have remained largely the same.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
All told, however, Kentlake \u2014 and not Kentwood despite winning last year\u2019s crown \u2014 has been tabbed as the team to beat a the preseason coaches\u2019 poll<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are the team to beat, by far,\u201d Norris said. \u201cThey have a lot of talent back, and they do a good job. They\u2019ve taken a lot of steps in the right direction. We\u2019re going to have to work out butts off to make the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That road to the playoffs will begin for Kentwood at 7 p.m. Sept. 2, when the Conquerors play host to Mount Rainier at French Field. It will be the first opportunity for many of those new faces get to play under the Friday night lights for the first time. And though there will be plenty of new faces dotting the Kentwood sidelines, the Conquerors still return some of the top talent in the SPSL North, much of which is on the offensive line.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Behind Greg Tulio (6-0\/300), Quincy Davison (6-3\/300), Matt Herrick (6-2\/240) and Kevin Bond (6-1\/220), the Conquerors possess the core of one of the strongest and fastest offensive lines in the league, which has long been a staple of the program\u2019s success.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s huge to have those guys back,\u201d Norris said. \u201cBeing able to aid our running backs and quarterbacks, it\u2019s nice to have offensive linemen who already have played together, and weathered the storm a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Who the line will be opening those holes for, however, remains to be seen.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Fullback Visa Thach certainly will see his share of carries and, at 5-9 and 230 pounds, is a load to bring down. Senior Matt Hubbard (5-10\/180), who has enjoyed his share of carries in each of the last two years (74 carries for 430 yards and seven touchdowns in the last two years combined) also will see some action as will juniors Tre Thomas (5-11\/180) and Chance Kalua-Fuimaono (5-10\/200).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The quarterback position isn\u2019t quite as up in the air as Dane Manio, who took over late last season and helped the Conquerors win 3 of 4 games, will be back behind center. However, Norris said, junior Jackson Huerta will see plenty of time, too.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWith us, your position is never safe,\u201d Norris said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Which is what the Conquerors are expecting to do this fall, regardless of whether or not they\u2019re under the radar.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 COACH:<\/strong> Rex Norris, 8th year, 54-20 overall<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2022 LAST YEAR:<\/strong> 9-0 in league (first), 10-1 overall, eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs by Bothell, 49-14.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2022 TYPE OF OFFENSE:<\/strong> Pro I<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2022 OFFENSIVE RETURNERS (8):<\/strong> OL Kevin Bond, sr., 6-1\/220; OL Matt Herrick, sr., 6-2\/240; OL Quincy Davison, sr., 6-3\/300; FB Visa Thach, sr., 5-9\/230; TB Matt Hubbard, sr., 5-10\/180; WR Jeremy Retz, sr., 6-2\/160; QB Dane Manio, jr., 6-0\/170; OL Greg Tulio, sr., 6-0\/300.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2022 TYPE OF DEFENSE:<\/strong> 5-2<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2022 DEFENSIVE RETURNERS (5):<\/strong> DL Quincy Davison, sr., 6-3\/300; ILB Visa Thach, sr., 5-9\/230; DL Kevin Bond, sr., 6-1\/220; DB Jesse Lavato, sr., 5-7\/175.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2022 TOP NEWCOMERS:<\/strong> QB Jackson Huerta, jr., 5-10\/180; OLB\/RB Chance Kalua-Fuimaono, jr., 5-10\/200; OLB Bryan Mills, 6-1\/190; RB Tre Thomas, jr., 5-11\/180; DB Eli Peterson, 6-1\/170; TE Ryan Maloney, sr., 6-0\/185; OLB Kyle Miyahara, sr., 6-1\/185; DB Matt Riddle, sr., 6-0\/160; DL Devin Taylor, sr., 6-0\/225; OLB Lucas Kelly, sr., 6-0\/185.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2022 OUTLOOK:<\/strong> The Conquerors graduated five first-team all-leaguers, which puts them a bit under the radar opposed to past years. However, the junior varsity hasn\u2019t lost a game in years, so Kentwood has plenty of talent \u2014 and players as 122 turned out \u2014 to fall back on. Kentwood could have one of the best offensive lines in the league behind Bond, Herrick, Davison and Tulio, which should allow the Conquerors to do what they do best \u2014 run. Replacing Mikell Everette, the SPSL North\u2019s Co-Offensive Back of the Year, and wide receiver Jason Boyce won\u2019t be an easy feat, but if history is any indication, the Conquerors will find the right pieces. Kentwood won its first league title last year since 2005 and has the potential to repeat. At the very least, another playoff berth should be in the cards for a program that has never had a losing season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n DATE\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 OPPONENT\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 LOCATION<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sept. 2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mount Rainier\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 French Field<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sept. 8\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Jefferson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 FW Memorial<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sept. 15\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tahoma\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 French Field<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sept. 24\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Puyallup*\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 French Field<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sept. 30\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Auburn \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Auburn Memorial<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Oct. 7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kentlake\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 French Field<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Oct. 14\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Kent-Meridian \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 French Field<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Oct. 21\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A. Riverside\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 French Field<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Oct. 27\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kentridge\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 French Field<\/p>\n<\/p>\n All games at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n * Nonleague<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Numbers don\u2019t lie.<\/p>\n Neither does tradition.<\/p>\n Despite having both on its side, the Kentwood High football team enters the season in a rather unusual predicament this fall. The Conquerors, contrary to their tradition and three-plus decades of success both in the regular season and the playoffs, are flying under the radar.<\/p>\n And it suits \u2019em just fine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":1802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-3599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3599"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=3599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}KENTWOOD SCHEDULE 2011<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n