Kentwood Football

Post Game Comments: What a great football game. The team really played well against a very well coached Bothell squad. Coach Bainter's defense was allowing 67 yards a game rushing and we were able to pound out 157 yards. We had several opportunities to put the game away and the proud Bothell program fought back all night long. Defensively we did an excellent job stopping the run allowing us to focus on the pass. Bothell finished the night with minus yards rushing. Don Thomas had a big night on Defense recording a sack and four traps. The outside linebackers Steve Delvo, Jeremy Ling, and Demetrius Bronson all played a big part in the defensive performance. Sean Jones had a great 65 yard punt return that got things going and Aaron Lee did a great job of pinning Bothell deep in their in time after time. Special teams did a great job all night especially the kickoff team. We are starting to come together and play more consistent. This win helped convince the team that we will be very competitive this post season.

This Week's Preview: Arlington is coming off a great regular season finishing 9-1. Last week they defeated a proud football program out of South Kitsap High School. Coach: John Boitano (14th year), 73-53 record is returning starters (5 offense, 4 defense): #43 RB/LB Webb, Jake , 6-0, 185; #12 RB/CB Payne, Thomas , 6-1, 190, Sr.; #75 OL/LB Cort, Eric , 6-0, 215, Sr.; #29 WR/S Acker, Tim , 5-10, 160, Sr.; #54 OL/LB Lane, Jay , 6-0, 200, Sr.; #65 OL/DL Raino, Corey , 6-1, 225, Sr. Other key returners: #3 QB Smith, Brett , 6-1, 155, Sr.; #10 WB Edwards, Darren , 6-1, 165, Sr. #28 LB/RB/K Brown, Taylor , 6'0, 200, Sr. #60 OL/DL Walker, Jon 6-3, 290, Sr. Outlook: After a surprising 7-3 season on the heels of 2-8, Eagles and speedy Webb won't surprise anyone this year. Boitano hopes his team's speed can overcome lack of beef. "I've got four backs who would make a good 4x100 team" the coach said. And he is right. Jake Webb will be the best running back we have gone against all year. Arlington is very balanced and they have a very effective Quarterback that can throw the ball to a multitude of targets. Arlington is averaging 31 points a game and over 350 yards an outing. The defense will have to have its best performance of the season to contain this group. Defensively they are opportunistic and look for turnovers. Last week South Kitsap fumbled 6 times which allowed Arlington to take control of the game. Playing a 9-1 team is always tough and this week will be no different. The team has had a great week of practice and we seem to be playing our best football. The boys are excited to play a top program like Arlington and they hope you call come support us at French Field.

Future Conks: The seasons are over for the Freshman and Junior Varsity Programs. We are very proud of our younger players and the potential talent we have coming next year. Since the post season has started we have reduced the roster to 65 players from all levels of our program. As for the 40 plus players that are not suiting up, they are getting ready to compete in their next sport and continue to work hard on their grades. Off-season will start soon after the football season is over. We want to thank the parents for supporting those boys and the ones that are still out with the varsity.

Assistant Spotlight: We have what I believe to be the best medical staff in the state available for our boys. Kathy Curtis mother of ex-conqueror Todd Curtis works daily at practice making sure the boys are ready to go by either taping them or assessing injuries or working them out to get the back into practice; Her sister Karen Bard donates time once a week through out the season to work out bruises and rolled ankles or sore muslces and joints; Jay Pearson also see boys at this clinic in Kent and donates supplies and services for boys that need to be looked at; Gene Partridge father of ex-conquerors Brian Partridge, is our on the field physician at all our games. All of them are present at our games and do an outstanding job working together to help sever the program and make sure the boys are safe and healthy enough to get back out on the field. Without them are program would not be what it is. Did you know that Karen Bard also works with the Kent Crusader Rugby Team both boys and girls.

Post Game Comments: Week 8 we had a very big win over town rival Kentridge. The defense played a great game only allowed the Chargers to cross the 50 yardline once in the 1st Half. The defense got things started with a safety then the offense quickly moved back down the field to make the score 9-0. The offense missed opportunities again by fumbling twice in the red zone and throwing at interception on the one yard line. We were also stopped on the goalline, all in the first half. In the second half the we got things rolling by adding two touchdowns and the defense also put one in to make the score to 30-0 going into the fourth quarter. KR finally got on the board after 6 attempts from the five finishing the scoring out 30-7. Standout performances were by Sean Jones who had three interceptions with one being called back and scoring on another. Sean also had a great game running the football. Curon Singleton, Ben Mayfield and Demetrius Bronson all ran the ball well. Defensively Don Thomas and Mark Austin had strong efforts. IT was a much needed boost for our football team to come out and execute and create turnovers. It is important to get back on the winning track after a tough loss. We will need to improve on taking care of the ball and improving our red zone efficiency if we want to secure the #1 seed in the division

Post Game Comments: Week 9 The coaching staff was very pleased with the outcome of this game. In another crosstown rivalry you have to throw out records when two teams who know each other very well get after it. Kentlake headed by coach Mark Torgerson (9th year) 46-29 came out with a good offensive game plan and took advantage of an early turnover making the score 6-0 after a blocked extra point. The offense responsed with a 70 yard drive to take the lead back 7-6. The defense held and the offense marched down the field making the score 14-6. We had three scoring drives over 90, 80, and 70 yards in the first half. We were able to take advantage of a turn over and quickly went up 28-12 at half. The red zone scoring for the game was 5 TD on 5 trips inside the 20. We were pleased with our running attack. We need to do a better job of catching the football but anytime you have over 400 yards of offense you have to be happy. The defense did well holding Kentlake to 160 yards of offense and that was with 3 plays over 30 yards. We had strong performances from Derek Hartwigsen rushing for over 100 yards, and Kolten Sisson who finished with 3 tackles behind the line and 1 sack. Alex Phillips was also perfect on all his kicks. Andrew Stephensen also had a strong performance rushing for 99 total yards. The contest was played hard by both programs I have a lot of respect of the Kentlake staff and the way their team plays. Congratulations to the team for winning a League Championship - the schools 8th in 24 years and for winning the French Claude trophy for the top football team in Kent.

This Week's Preview: The Bothell Cougars are currently (7-2) in 2005 having defeated their last opponent Franklin 28-8. In their two losses they were defeated by #1 Skyline and another playoff team Woodenville. Coach Tom Bainter (6th year), 43-12 has created a winning tradition at Bothell and runs an outstanding program from the booster on down to the youth programs. He has a very talented team with eight returning starters (4 offense, 4 defense): OL/LB Niko Wacker, 6-2, 210, Sr.; OL/DL Nicky Jamison, 6-0, 250, Sr.; #65 OL/DL Chris Freeburg, 6-5, 255, Sr.; #3 WR/DB Matt Roberts, 5-8, 160, Sr.; LB/OL Ayden Jones, 5-10, 185, Sr. Cougars return strong, experienced lines, led by Wacker, a two-way, All-KingCo player as junior, and 250-pounders Jamison and Freeburg. Bothell does a lot of offense which will be a challenge. They throw the ball very well and the share the wealth when it comes to attacking defenses. Their defense is very mobile with several players seeing time at the Linebacker and Defensive Line positions. They don't stay blocked. This game will be one of the better qualifying games in the state. The Blue Train travels well and will show up in big numbers. We hope to see you there, come early and enjoy some great High School Football. The football team is excited about the playoffs and the opportunity to play a quality program like Bothell.

Future Conks: The Junior Varsity (4-5) The junior varsity lost it last two games of the season verses Kentridge and Kentlake. The team showed some promise with close first half scores in both games. (14-14 against KR and 7-7 against Kentlake). Turnovers killed scoring opportunities and strong performances by the opposition settled the scores early in the 3rd quarter of both games. The Junior varsity is made up of Sophomore and junior players and this year proved to be a strong challenge. The team believes that have the ability to compete and win in this league and is committed to getting better. Sometimes you have to look at how far you have come to realize what you have accomplished and their were several boys that did just that. Congratulations on a hard played season and we look forward to these boys committing to working hard in the off seasons so we can continue to improve.

The Freshman Team won their seventh contest in a row finishing the season undefeated (7-0). It came at the expense of the Kentlake Falcons who came into the contest undefeated themselves. The parents and players said it was the hardest hitting game of the year. The freshman never trailed in the game but did not put the game out of reach until late in the 4th quarter. The final score was 26-12. The offensive line really stepped up and did a great job on a rained soaked night. The running backs had another strong performance scoring twice, a qb sneak and a great touchdown pass and catch would round out the scoring. After the game the players, coaches and parents met back at the School to eat pizza and celebrate in the victory. The Varsity staff wants to congratulate Coach John Anderson, his staff and the entire freshman football team for winning the League Championship - winning the Freshman French Claude Trophy and finishing the season undefeated. The conditioning program and the closeness of the team is what set them apart this year. GREAT JOB.

Assistant Spotlight: Coach Kurt Phelps "the little General" is the statesman of the football staff having been at Kentwood for 22 years. He has been apart of every State Championship run. He started out volunteering under Dave Lutes for 7 years. He has coaches running backs and secondary and now coaches the Quarterbacks and Coordinates the offense. He is a big reason or a lot of the traditions and winning football at Kentwood all these years. Did you know that Coach Phelps played at Kentridge under Dave Lutes and just had his 44th birthday on Monday October 31st. Happy Birthday Coach Phelps.