State Conquerors! Kentwood dethrones Pasco for 4A title
TACOMA — No big names. No big egos. Just big wins.
And Kentwood finally won the biggest game of them all last night. With perhaps their most unlikely cast of characters, the Conquerors captured their first state football championship, beating defending-champion Pasco 38-24 in the Class 4A title game at the Tacoma Dome.
How improbable.
"Have these kids played over their heads all year or what?" an elated Coach Tom Ingles said. "They've been the best at it we've ever had."
Consider that Pasco (13-1) came in riding a 27-game win streak and had ripped off a state-record 14 consecutive playoff victories. Consider that a team from the West side hadn't claimed the crown since Curtis won back-to-back in 1995 and '96.
Kentwood's chances seemed better last year and in 1999, when marquee players like Will Conwell, A.J. Mitz and John Gardenhire were around. But the Conquerors fell short both times, losing to Richland in the 1999 final and to Pasco in last year's semifinals.
With just three starters back on each side of the ball and a loss to Auburn in the second game of the season, a return to the Tacoma Dome seemed a little unlikely.
But a new reality kept creeping closer and closer, thanks to a rock of a quarterback in Carl Bonnell and an avalanche of big-play teammates. Guys like Kevin Jones, who broke a 67-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter after Pasco made a big push to open the second half. Jones wound up with a game-high 185 yards, going over 2,000 for the season. Guys like Brent Weidenbach, who had a pair of big kickoff returns — including a record 93-yarder — to set up two first-half scores and who caught a 6-yard touchdown pass. Guys like Dane Bolinger and Tahj Bomar, who continued their amazing play on defense.
It was an especially sweet victory for Ingles, who might have coached his last game at Kentwood at the end of a 30-year teaching career.
"It's really special for me," said Ingles, who coached Liberty of Issaquah to the Class AA (now 3A) title in 1988, two years before coming to Kentwood. "But it's all the people who have been great over the years, the assistant coaches. This team kind of exemplified Kentwood football. I think we had about eight program kids who waited for their chances and jumped in there and did the job."
Weidenbach, for instance, was a mop-up running back last season who cleaned up in the big-play department all year. He didn't mind waiting his turn, along with some of the other program players.
"We had that senior class in front of us that basically played for all three years," Weidenbach said. "It was nice to get a chance to play and go from third and second to first. Not very many teams get a chance to do that."
Kentwood (13-1) built a 31-12 halftime lead, then held on as Pasco tried to ride back on the arm of Skyler Allen and the hands of Marshal Smith. Allen wound up completing 23 of 37 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns, both to Smith, who finished with 13 catches (a 4A championship-game record) for 169 yards.
The Bulldogs, who also won the title in 1998, scored on their opening drive of the second half and had Allen Ailep's 48-yard touchdown run on their next drive nullified on a holding call across the field. Another hold negated a 23-yard pass and Pasco wound up punting, leaving Coach Steve Graff seething about the officiating after the game.
Jones broke the 67-yarder shortly after, and Pasco got no closer than 14 points the rest of the way.
Bonnell, who started all 41 Kentwood games over the last three seasons, had a hard time putting his feelings into words when it was all over.
"I feel light, kind of bubbly," he said, as if he might float away.
He and his down-to-earth teammates are undoubtedly still walking on air.
Kentwood17 1470 — 38Pasco 01266 — 24KW — FG Anthony Melchior 31
KW — Kevin Jones 22 fumble return (Melchior kick)
KW — Jones 12 run (Melchior kick)
P — Tim Kinion 1 run (kick blocked)
KW — Carl Bonnell 5 run (Melchior kick)
P — Marshal Smith, 15 pass from Skyler Allen (pass failed)
KW — Brent Weidenbach 6 pass from Bonnell (Melchior kick)
P -Smith 6 pass from Allen (kick failed)
KW — Jones 67 run (Melchior kick)
P — Allen Ailep 3 run (run failed)
KWPascoFirst downs1416Rushes-yards41-25323-85Passing yards44317Comp-Att-Int4-10-023-37-1Return yards199109Punts2-783-133Fumbles-lost0-01-1Penalties-yards2-105-34Time of possession24:2523:35Rushing — Kentwood: Kevin Jones 23-185, Justin Forney 7-20, Carl Bonnell 11-48; Pasco: Allen Ailep 20-69, Tom Kinion 1-1, Skyler Allen 2-15.
Passing — Kentwood: Carl Bonnell 4-10-44-0; Pasco: Skyler Allen 23-37-317-1.
Receiving — Kentwood: Brent Weidenbach 1-6, DeAndre Gill 1-15, Marc Voda 1-13, Justin Forney 1-10. Pasco — Marshal Smith 13-169, Allen Ailep 1-2, Caleb Stromstad 1-14, Brian Dilley 1-23, Mike Welch 1-5, Hans Esterhuizen 2-51, A. Chandler 3-18, Tyler Kelly 1-35.
Sandy Ringer can be reached at 206-464-8294 or sringer@seattletimes.com.