Snohomish holds off Kentwood in 4A playoffs

Published 12:52 am Saturday, November 3, 2007

KENT — As one might expect in a contest featuring two teams that each averaged more than 200 rushing yards per contest, this game figured to be one of attrition.

And it was the Snohomish Panthers, with their grinding-out running back duo of Derek Jones and Miles Semanskee, who got it done with a 13-12 victory over Kentwood in the Class 4A Quad-District playoffs Friday at French Field in Kent.

Semanskee scored on an 8-yard run with 6:34 left in the game to pick up the one-point victory and send the Panthers into the state playoffs.

“That’s the playoffs for you,” Snohomish head coach Mark Perry said. “We’ve had our share of losses to Kentwood in the first round like that before and it was our turn once.”

Snohomish wasted no time getting on the board, driving 69 yards on five plays on its opening possession. Jones broke for a 46-yard run on the second play from scrimmage. Four plays later, he cruised in from the 13 to give the Panthers the 7-0 lead with 9:47 left in the first half.

Kentwood immediately answered with a 15-play, 76-yard drive. The Conquerors’ backfield duo of Demitrius Bronson and Steven Warner combined for 14 carries on the drive, with Bronson’s 4-yard touchdown run capping the drive with 2:49 to play in the opening quarter.

But in a play that probably will haunt Kentwood all winter, Snohomish’s Dylan Gibbs tipped the point-after attempt, sending the kick wide right. It would prove to be the difference in the game.

“We were lucky enough to block that P-A-T early,” Perry said.

Trailing 7-6 in the second half, Kentwood put together another impressive drive in its first possession of the third quarter.

Bronson broke for a 21-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, and after a false start, Kentwood quarterback Luke Angevine broke loose for 46 yards to the Panthers’ 16-yard line. Two plays later, tight end Tyler Weinbrecht ran a fade route to the right corner of the end zone and Angevine’s pass found him for a 14-yard touchdown.

Kentwood went for two, but could not convert, thwarting their chance at victory for a second time.

Down 12-7, the eighth-ranked Panthers didn’t panic. They continued to show remarkable poise and used their incessant running game to grind the Conquerors down.

With the Kentwood defense concentrating its efforts on Jones, the Panthers increasingly went to Semanskee on what proved to be the game-winning drive.

“People, they say they try to key on me, but our backfield is full of athletes and it shows,” Jones said. “If they tackle me, Miles (Semanskee), Terrance (Marshall) or Brad (Perry) is open.”

And that’s exactly what the Panthers did after taking over the ball with 1:37 left in the third quarter. Semanskee had runs of 10, 5, and 8 yards, his final carry coming on an 8-yard touchdown run to the right side of the end zone.

“I (took) it around the outside … my guard Nick Oglesby laid down a sweet block on the end to seal it,” Semanskee said. “It was great.”

More importantly, the Panthers took 7:12 off the clock during the drive, leaving Kentwood with just 6:34 to mount a comeback.

Korey Rodriguez picked a first down with a 9-yard run, but the Conquerors soon faced third-and-long at their own 45. Angevine’s pass glanced off receiver Danny Bounds’ hands and Kentwood was forced to punt.

Kentwood got the ball back with 1:22 to play, but Bronson was dropped for a 7-yard loss on the first play. The Conquerors were unable to complete a pass, and Snohomish took over on downs with quarterback Brad Perry taking a knee to end it.

Bronson finished with 109 yards on 26 carries, but the Snohomish defense shut him down in the second half, limiting him to just 44 yards in the second half. Bronson entered the contest averaging 174 yards per game.

“They came up big,” Perry said of his defense. “I don’t know what Demitrius had, but he didn’t break a big one on us and that’s what we had to have.”

Snohomish (9-1) advances into the first round of the 4A state playoffs, where it faces Edmonds-Woodway. Kentwood finished the season 6-4.

At French Field

Snohomish7006—13

Kentwood6060—12

Sno—Jones 13 run (Wiseman kick)

Ken—Bronson 4 run (kick blocked)

Kentwood—Weinbrecht 14 pass from Angevine (run failed)

Snohomish—Semanskee 8 run (pass failed)

Records—Snohomish 9-1 . Kentwood 6-4.