Kentwood Football

Post Game Comments: The Enumclaw victory was satisfying in the result but left our team wondering how good we could. We played very hard and did a really good job at times. The Defense lead by Sean Jones and Anthony Belinski was flying around. Except for one drive of 50 yards aided by pass interference, the defense held Enumclaw to 30 yards of offense. That is outstanding considering the running backs they have. Our offense showed flashes of what can happen if you execute. We scored on the first play of both halves. We rushed for 300 yards with three different backs carrying the load. Those were seniors - Sean Jones 47 yards, Curron Singleton - 51 yards 2 TD’s, and Derek Hartwigsen 115 yards 1 TD. Sean also showed he could return punts taking one back for a touchdown in the third quarter. Peter Logar has his best game at center and Steven Warner added 75 yards and a TD. All and all we overcame out own mistakes and finished with a strong second half. Several boys contributed and it will take that kind of effort next week verse Tahoma. Go Conks.

This Week's Preview: The Tahoma Bears are coming into this game with a lot of momentum. I think it is momentum that is been building for several years now. They have an outstanding coach in Tony Davis; I have a lot of respect for him. He has been at Tahoma for 12 years and has done an outstanding job. They have 10 returning starters from last year’s league Championship 8-3 ball club. Notable are #82 TE/DE Kevin Kooyman, 6-6, 215, Sr.; #65 OT Matt Dudley, 6-2, 267, Sr.; #16 WR/CB Kyle Laukala, 6-0, 195, Sr.; #59 LB Walter Helm-Buckman, 5-9, 200, Sr.; #45 TE/LB Tom Wicks, 6-1, 190, Sr.; #51 C/LB Jake Giannandrea, 6-0, 200, Sr.; #5 RB/LB Shane Baker, 5-11, 185, Sr.; #79 OG/DE Chris Powers, 6-3, 230, Jr. They play very good defense only allowing one team to score more than once this year on them. Offensively they have exploded in the last two weeks scoring 87 and allowing O. Beating them will be a major accomplishment. We will have to make the most of our opportunities and win the field position game. It will take a special effort. The boys are up to the task and look forward to playing some old fashion Kentwood football. This type of game brings the best out of Kentwood teams.

Future Conks: The Junior Varsity (3-3) got back on the winning track with a victory over Enumclaw at Pete's Pool outscoring the Hornets 20-8. Travis Long would have a good night with two touchdown passes to Chance Matsuoka and Ryan Patterson. Jesse Merryman would also have another quality outing have the hit of the night on a HB screen and by scoring one rushing touchdown. The JV team is working hard to make the most of the remaining games so they can join the Varsity in the playoffs. Our program's goal is to make JV as much like a Varsity experience as possible. That way they are prepared to enter a game at the Varsity level. The Coaching staff feels this years JV squad is leaning some valuable lessons and leaders are coming to the front. This will help tremendously for next year. The team looks forward to the match up against Tahoma next Monday @ French Field.

The Freshman Team won their fifth contest in a row to remain undefeated (5-0). The score verses Enumclaw Freshman was 42-7. The Offense would have outstanding performances from all three Tailbacks Joe Angevine with one rushing touchdown, Artise Gualdin with three and very hard running by Darius Coleman who was pulled after a slight injury. Joe Angevine, also had a interception for a touchdown as the defense would have recorded its second shutout of the season if not for a kick off return for a touchdown. The Offensive line had an outstanding day as well with quality performances from Greg Humphreys and Hunter Blackmore. The freshman program has not only the best record this season but the best cumulative GPA with a combined GPA of 2.98 after the first grade check. They have also started a before school tutoring session Tues thru Thursday in Coach Buckner's classroom. (Great Job Guys) The freshman will play @ Tahoma next Monday.

Assistant Spotlight: Coach Justin Buckner is the freshman offensive line coach and the Defensive Coordinator. He is in his third year at Kentwood and in his fourth year of coaching football. Coach Buckner also helps the Varsity in scouting, video highlights, and on game night assists by working with Coach Norris and the defensive play calls. Coach Buckner is a three sport coach - football, wrestling, and track. He is also a Freshman Social Studies teacher as well as an English teacher. HE is a tireless worker when it comes to student athletes. He helps keep tabs on varsity players as well as run freshman team tutoring table in the mornings before school. Did you know that he played at Linfield College, in Oregon? He also graduated from Jefferson High School in Federal Way. We are lucky to have him at Kentwood.

Last week correction Chris Bishop is in his ninth year of coaching.