SPSL 4A | Kentwood beats rival Kentlake 24-13, heading to playoffs

KENT — Just when his team was looking for a spark, sophomore Joseph Banks blazed 85 yards for the go-ahead touchdown Friday night at French Field, igniting Kentwood to a 24-13 victory over rival Kentlake that clinched a playoff berth.

"He sparked our whole team," said fellow running back Darrius Coleman, who did his part with 192 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Kentwood (7-2, 6-2 league), which won its sixth straight game to avoid elimination, advances to the Class 4A preliminary playoffs as the No. 2 seed out of the South Puget Sound League North Division and plays Edmonds-Woodway Friday at 7:30 p.m. at French Field. It's the 10th straight playoff appearance for the Covington school.

The Falcons (4-5, 4-4) had their chances and led 7-6 at the half after Carson Crooks' 71-yard interception return and the point after. They were driving for another TD early in the third quarter before the drive stalled at the 13 and a muffed snap foiled a field-goal attempt.

Enter Banks, who was on the sideline for the first two and a half quarters. He got three straight carries, and no one touched him on the last one.

His one thought: "I was trying to get in the end zone."

Devin St. Clair added the two-point conversion run to make it 14-7.

"That was kind of the straw that set the house of cards falling," Kentlake coach Mike Shepard said.

Kentlake had not allowed a touchdown in eight quarters, but couldn't keep Kentwood off the board. Coleman scored on a 7-yard run on the Conquerors' opening possession after St. Clair hauled in a 41-yard pass from Luke Angevine. Coleman came into the game needing just 4 yards to reach 1,000. He had 114 by halftime.

"He's been a workhorse all year," Kentwood coach Rex Norris said.

The Conquerors dominated the first half statistically, holding Kentlake to 24 yards.

Banks, who finished with 102 yards on six carries, gave the Conquerors the momentum with his big TD run in the third. Matt Bell hit a 25-yard field later in the quarter.

Other games

Auburn 42, Auburn Riverside 7

Jeff Gouveia had three TD runs that moved him into second place all-time in the SPSL for single-season scoring in the third-ranked Trojans' win at Auburn Memorial. The senior had touchdowns of 34, 2 and 9 yards to bring his total to 25.

Chris Young had a 33-yard touchdown catch from Carlo Lavoie and finished with 6 rushes for 97 yards for the Trojans, who came into the game averaging 38 points. The Ravens (3-6, 2-6) scored on an 11-yard run by John Hakala.

Federal Way 48, Jefferson 0

Andre Barrington, a Washington State recruit at outside linebacker, scored three touchdowns to lead the Eagles to the North Division win. The 6-foot-2, 215 pound senior had 14 carries for 215 yards with two touchdown runs. He also scored on a 36-yard fumble return on defense, where he had eight tackles. The Eagles improved to 7-2, 6-2.

It was the first shutout of the season for the winless Raiders 0-9, 0-8.

At Curtis 73, Emerald Ridge 0

The Vikings earned the top seed from the South Division with the win. Though Curtis is tied with Rogers, the Vikings (8-1, 7-1) own the tiebreaker.

Curtis, which averaged 42 points coming into the game, led 21-0 at the half but exploded for 37 points in the third quarter to start the rout. Curtis players from the junior varsity and freshman teams all scored.

At Tahoma 38, Graham-Kapowsin 14

The Bears used 13 different ball carriers and four players scored touchdowns in the nonleague win.

Sophomore Niko Madison had a 35-yard touchdown run and a 26-yard TD reception for Tahoma (6-3). Cory Ferguson had 11 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown for the Bears. The Eagles (6-3) held out most of their starters in preparation for a mini-playoff game on Tuesday.