HS Football: Curtis handles their Biz with B Prep keeping pace in SPSL 4A

10/1/2022

Curtis 34, Bellarmine Prep 14

(University Place, WA) The top end of the SPSL 4A Football league is a logjam with 4 teams tied for 1st at 4-1 and 2 teams just behind at 3-2. Curtis and Bellarmine Prep both needed wins to say within reach as the Vikings were 2-2 and the Lions 1-3. With the win Curtis is one of the two teams at 3-2 with Graham-Kapowsin. They are both a game behind Sumner, Emerald Ridge, Puyallup and Bethel. Bellarmine dropped to 1-4 and tied with South Kitsap and Olympia with Rogers remaining winless.

Curtis came out wanting to put immediate pressure on the Lions defense and they did just that with a long 7+ minute drive to the 1 yard line of BP. However, the Lions rose up and stuffed the Vikings on 4 straight plays and took over possession on their 1 yard line.

In an attempt to pick up a first down and try to get out of the deep end of their own side of the field on 3rd and 5 QB Dawson Hendricks rolled to his right and the defensive pressure was coming when Hendricks lobbed one up toward 2 of his receivers. The may have been tipped or a tad over-thrown and Curtis’ Parker Mady grabbed the loose ball for a pick and returned it to the 8 yard line.

After a penalty, Vikings QB Rocco Koch would connect with Mady on an 18-yard touchdown pass. Joe Carini knocked the PAT through and it was 7-0 with 2:06 to go in the 1st. Curtis would extend their lead to 14-0 on their next possession with an 11 play drive capped off with a 4 yard touchdown run by Lynden Tanoa.

B-Prep would cut the lead to 7 after getting the ball back in the 2nd quarter off an interception from linebacker Gavin Ostrander who returned the pick to the Curtis 19. On 2nd and 10 Hendricks connected with TE Cooper Fournier inside the 3 yard line, Fournier spun and got in for the score. Jacob Hundven kicked the PAT and it was 14-7 with 5:51 to play in the half.

Curtis would not take long to answer as they took-over on their own 24 and QB Rocco Koch found a hole over the right side on a keeper and zipped between defenders and found nothing but open space taking it to the house for a 76-yard touchdown run and Curtis got that 7 right back to go up 21-7 and that’s how it would go to halftime.

The Lions came out roaring as they received the 2nd half kick-off which began on their own 20. 13-plays and 80 yards later the Lions again were within 7 when Alex Quintanilla ran it in from the 7 yard line and with 6:09 to go in the 3rd it was a 7 point game.

Curtis made sure that momentum wouldn’t completely shift over to the Lions when they got the ball back on their own 23 they would on their own 5+ minute drive over 10 plays when Koch found Mataio Wilson in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard catch for 6. The PAT was good and it was back to a 14 point lead.

The Lions came back with the beginning of another long drive when on the 5th play the Vikings Felix Marfay-Dia reached in and stripped the ball and recovered to deny the Lions of getting back within 1 score. The two teams would trade possessions and then with 8:39 to play Curtis would seal the win on an 8 play drive with Tanoa striking again as he blasted in for a 3 yard TD dive. The PAT missed but it was 34-14 with about 5 minutes to play but the deficit was too much for the Lions.

Koch was named our MVP of the game as he exploded on the ground with 21 carries for 211 yards and a touchdown while going 14 of 19 through the air for 160 yards and a score for a total of 371 total yards.

Curtis will have a big chance to get right in the thick of the SPSL next Saturday at Graham-Kapowsin while Bellarmine Prep will look to bounce back into the win column when they host South Kitsap next Friday.

Stats

Curtis
Rushing Yards 299
Passing Yards 160
Total Yards 459

Individual Stats

Rushing
Koch 21/211 (TD), Tanoa 14/76 (2 TD), Mady 3/2, Ahrens 1/10
Passing
Koch 14/19 160 (2 TD) Int
Receiving
Ahrens 6/38, Mady 4/73 (TD), Wilson 1/18 (TD), Yanos 1/7, Costanti 1/12, Tanoa 1/12

Bellarmine Prep
Rushing Yards 75
Passing Yards 162
Total Yards 237

Individual Stats

Rushing
Bambrick 10/66, Quintanilla 2/12 (TD), Heiser 2/9, Hundven 1/6, Truebenback 1/-15, Hendricks 8/-3
Passing
Hendricks 19/28 160 (TD) Int
Receiving
Kokich 4/48, Quintanilla 2/13, Heiser 1/8, Fournier 1/19 (TD), Nino 4/37, Bambrick 3/7, Johnson 4/32