Evergreen crushes Kennedy in annual showdown
Tue, 10/16/2007
Thunder and lightning joined destructive down linemen to send Evergreen storming by John F. Kennedy, 52-24, in Seamount League Class 3A football action Friday at Highline Memorial Stadium.
Nuve Kongaika and Kyle Tunney combined for 385 rushing yards and the Selio Kelemte-led linemen dominated play to snap the Lancer Seamount League winning streak after 43 games. Kennedy's last loss in league was in 2001 when the Wolverines emerged with a 28-27 victory.
With the win, Evergreen (4-1 league, 6-1 overall) pulled into a tie with Kennedy (4-1, 4-3) while Renton (5-0, 6-1) now holds the Seamount lead and plays Kennedy in the final game of the season.
"He's got the speed and I've got the power," said Kongaika who finished with 185 yards on 14 carries. "Lots of people in the community called us pretenders (after last week's loss to Renton). We just came on the field and dominated."
That domination showed on the first Wolverine possession when Evergreen bludgeoned the defense for 53 yards on seven plays on the ground, capped by Kongaika's 3-yard scoot and a two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
"We had a good game plan this week," stated senior Evergreen lineman Kelemete, who was all over the field defensively and a major factor on the huge offensive line. "We came out hard and just played football like we know. We beat 'em up front and played smash mouth football. The Renton game (a 23-22 loss) made us look at things differently. We are not to take any games lightly."
Evergreen resorted to two-point conversion attempts after each touchdown.
Tunney's first score came early in the second quarter on a 6-yard blast play to make it 14-0.
"Once I get into the open field, I just hit it as hard as I could," related Tunney who contributed 200 yards on 13 carries. "The whole line blocked very well. It was fun seeing the holes open up."
With the field tilting convincingly in the Wolverines' behalf, the Lancers scored with 6:47 left in the first half when Stuart Jennings sacked Evergreen quarterback Luther Leonard for a safety.
Following a 52-yard touchdown jaunt by the Wolverines' Johnny Jackson, Lancer quarterback Nolan Washington slashed 12 yards for the first of his three touchdowns, cutting his team's deficit to 20-9. Misdirection and quarterback keeper plays were effective weapons for JFK against a quickly pursuing and powerful foe.
Kongaika's 85-yard run set up his own short touchdown run just before the end of the half and drove the dagger deep into Kennedy's heart as Evergreen ran to halftime with a 28-9 lead.
Another Washington 1-yard touchdown, followed by Daniel Martiniello's point after touchdown kick drew the Lancers within 28-16 with 5:57 remaining in the third quarter.
After the ensuing kickoff, Evergreen's first play from scrimmage resulted in a Kennedy fumble reovery at the Wolverine 42. JFK marched to a first and 10 at the 12-yard line. D'Mario Carter gained eight yards, but two more running plays set up a fourth and five from the 7-yard line. Eschewing the field goal try, the Lancers went for the touchdown. Evergeen's defense swarmed on Washington in the backfield and Evergreen took the ball and the game away.
Tunney sprinted 87 yards down his left sideline for the TD four plays later and scored again from 14 yards out with 10 seconds left in the quarter for a 40-16 margin.
The Lancers retaliated quickly. Washington sprinted 55 yards and Peter Moffat dove for a two-point conversion catch, whittling Kennedy's deficit to 40-24 one minute into the final quarter.
The Lancer onside kickoff was caught and returned by Evergreen's Tim Miller for a touchdown and a 46-24 domination.
Kongaika closed the curtain on the scoring five minutes later on a 5-yard touchdown run leading into an Evergreen players-led Polynesian-style Haka dance in front of wildly cheering fans.
"It was about aggression," explained Evergreen head coach Shaun Tarantolo. "We knew if we played hard, we'd be good to go. We felt like we were definitely going to win this game on the line of scrimmage. The Renton game was about us not playing with enthusiasm. We played with enthusiasm the entire game tonight."
Kennedy head coach Bob Bourgette gave the Wolverines their due and also praised his team's effort.
"You've got to give them credit," he said. "But I'm real proud of our kids. We'll be back."