SPSL 4A | Rogers shocks No. 3 Kentridge

KENT — Quarterback Tyler Van Sligtenhorst played the part of Houdini for Rogers on Friday night against third-ranked Kentridge. The now-you-see-him-now-you-don't thing worked magic for the Rams.

Van Sligtenhorst ran for two touchdowns and passed for another as Rogers of Puyallup pulled off a 28-7 victory over the Chargers in a nonleague game at French Field.

Rogers (1-1) didn't know what to expect against one of the state's top teams. The Rams lost their season opener to Federal Way and were up against a Kentridge team loaded with speed, a spread offense and a defense that was big and hit hard. But all that didn't matter to Rogers.

Led by the shifty and undersized Van Sligtenhorst (5 feet 8), Rogers did what it wanted offensively and shut down the Kentridge offense.

Van Sligtenhorst finished with 203 yards passing and 12 yards rushing.

"He's great at making things happen for us," said Rogers coach Gene Bowen. "He's very talented, fast and can turn things around in a hurry."

Kentridge quarterback Brandon Turner was held in check, getting 35 yards rushing and 136 passing.

It's not exactly back to the drawing board for Kentridge (1-1), but coach Marty Osborn knows his team has some work in front of it.

"Rogers had the right defense for us," said Osborn. "They did a great job in all parts. We made some errors, but they are correctable."

Other game

Puyallup 25, Kentwood 24

The No. 4 Vikings (2-0) took advantage of a huge Kentwood blunder late to beat the Conquerors (1-1), who led 24-17 with less than a minute and a half to play. On third-and-one at the 25, Demetrius Bronson couldn't corral a wobbly pitch and Puyallup's Tyler Davis recovered at the 19 — the lone glitch on an otherwise glittery night for the Washington-bound running back, who carried 24 times for 226 yards and a touchdown. James Shafer later scored from 4 yards with 1:18 left, cutting Kentwood's lead to 24-23. Puyallup decided to go for two, and quarterback Alec Elliott hooked up with Rob Slettvett to put the Vikings up 25-24.

Seattle Times staff reporter Sandy Ringer contributed to this report.