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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bullpups march into semifinals


Gonzaga Prep's Brandon Kennedy pulls in a first-half catch against Kentwood's Jameson Lange on Saturday at Albi Stadium.
 (Brian Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

The formula was familiar, the cast a little different. The result? A 14-7 Gonzaga Prep win over Kentwood in the quarterfinals of the State 4A football playoffs.

The 2,331 at Albi Stadium on Saturday saw the Pups’ opportunistic defense force three first-half Kentwood turnovers and limit the Conquerors’ potent rushing attack (averaging 280 yards a game) to 127 yards.

They also saw Prep (12-1) score twice on big plays – nothing new there – by two unlikely sources: A 56-yard touchdown reception by fullback/defensive end Ryan Murphy and a 26-yard run by L.D. Jennings.

But this was another victory built on defense, a defense that, according to Murphy, hits hard or, in high-school-speak, “always brings the wood and lays it on people.”

“We knew they had good running backs, outstanding running backs, but we thought if we popped them a little bit, the ball might come loose,” Murphy said.

It did, as Kentwood put the ball on the turf six times, losing three in the opening half.

“We made mistake after mistake in the first half,” Kentwood coach Rex Norris said. “This is a talented group, but this time of year, you can’t do that. That’s the story, the turnovers. We had to play down in our own end the whole first half.”

Despite forcing the three turnovers, Prep led just 7-0 at the half.

As expected of a team averaging more than 20 yards a completion, the Bullpups’ score came on a long touchdown pass. It was just no one expected it to go to Murphy.

On Prep’s opening possession, the 6-foot, 3-inch power-running senior caught a Billy Karwacki toss in the left flat, ran right by cornerback Jameson Lange, who seemed not to see him, and rumbled down the sideline for the score.

“Everyone worries about (wide receivers) Brandon (Kennedy) and Brad (Parker), which leaves me open underneath,” Murphy said. “I saw the wheel was open so I went up the field and Billy put it there. After I caught it I saw a blur go by and I turned up field and I was off to the races.”

“It was a blown coverage, I’m sure,” G-Prep coach Dave Carson said. “You don’t expect him to go that far. He gets the ball and makes a touchdown.”

It was Prep’s only touchdown of the half, though the Conquerors’ offense kept giving the Bullpups opportunities. The Kentwood defense just kept taking them away.

Scoring chances were almost non-existent for both teams until late in the third quarter.

That’s when Prep gave the ball to Jennings, a junior who had rushed for 203 yards all season. With Jennings carrying four times for 26 yards and Karwacki teaming with tight end Kellen Beam for 17 yards on a third-and-1, Gonzaga moved from its 28 to Kentwood’s 26 to start the fourth quarter.

Jennings took it in from there. It was his longest scoring run of the season.

“I saw Murphy go outside so I went with him,” Jennings said. “He got a good block on the linebacker, so I cut back inside him. Two guys hit me but they didn’t take me down and there I was, in the end zone.”

But then Julius Young, who had a kickoff return for a score in the first-round win over Puyallup, returned the kickoff 40 yards, giving the Conquerors (9-3) the ball inside Prep territory.

Five plays later quarterback Andrew Stephenson ran through a huge hole and scored from 16 yards out. With 8:34 left, the Conquerors looked poised to extend their nine-game winning streak.

They forced a Prep punt, and in two plays had the ball at Gonzaga’s 34. But, facing a third-and-2, a holding penalty moved Kentwood back 10 yards, a pass completion lost 5 more and, with 3:39 left, the Conquerors had to punt.

They never got the ball back as Prep ran the clock out, getting the final first down when Karwacki drew the defense offside on a third-and-3 with 1:38 left.

“That was Billy all the way,” Carson said. “It was his cadence. He just makes plays like that.”

Kentwood, which averaged almost 280 yards a game rushing during the South Puget Sound League season, was held to 127 yards on 31 carries. Kenjamie Jackson and Travis Nauta, who combined for more than 2,000 rushing yards in SPSL play, had just 113, splitting 24 carries.

“Their front seven really gives people a hard time,” Norris said of Prep’s stunting defense.

Stephenson, who came in having thrown for less than 700 yards, was 9 of 14 for 109 yards, teaming with 6-4 Aaron Boyce, who played on the Conquerors’ 4A state championship basketball team last season, four times for 83 yards.

Prep moves on to the semifinals for the first time since 1993, when it lost to Inglemoor.

The Pups will play Evergreen of Vancouver (12-0) at Albi at 3 p.m. Saturday. Evergreen defeated Curtis of Tacoma 28-14 on Saturday.

“I’m overwhelmed,” said Carson, in seventh season at Prep. “At times there I thought it was almost beyond us, but I guess if you believe and have faith …”

And a winning formula.