HS Football: Curtis Defense Continues to Dominate in Win Over South Kitsap

10/4/24

Curtis 36, South Kitsap 14

(University Place, WA) With league play in full swing, the South Kitsap Wolves and Curtis Vikings had different, but similar objectives entering their week five showdown on Friday night. For South Kitsap, it was about putting their league opening loss to Sumner in the rearview mirror and get in the win column in SPSL 4A play. For Curtis, it was about building momentum as they came in off of a strong win over Rogers where their defense forced five takeaways, showing everyone why they are the top defense in the SPSL.

It didn’t take too long for Curtis to showcase their defensive prowess. The Vikings forced a three-and-out on South Kitsap’s opening drive of the game. After a nice punt return by Parker Made, the Curtis offense methodically moved the ball down the field behind their freshman duo of quarterback Sam Patterson and running back Tyce Kinley. Getting the ball down to the one, the Vikings turned things over to defensive standout Memphis Robinson who would finish off the successful drive with a one-yard plunge. The touchdown handed Curtis the first points of the night and a 7-0 lead.

Another three-and-out would be forced by the Vikings on the very next series. The defensive front consistently put pressure on South Kitsap quarterback Franklin Fox and slowed down South Kitsap early. On the ensuing punt, the ball skipped up to Parker Mady who was gone in the blink of an eye. Running up the near side, Mady went untouched to the house for a touchdown. After a two-point conversion, Curtis had staked their claim to a 15-0 lead still in the opening quarter.

Things did not get better for South Kitsap’s offense as they were forced to punt yet again. As Curtis looked to blow this one open early, it would be the Wolves defense to light a spark for their team. As Sam Patterson took a shot down field, Dominic Kaptur made a great diving interception for the first turnover of the game. What happened after was a long, time consuming drive for South Kitsap. They slowly ate at the yardage down the field before a holding penalty backed them up to 3rd and 17 from the 18-yard line. Franklin Fox would take a shot for the endzone where Tommy Frei took a shot but hung onto the football for the score. A missed extra point wouldn’t spoil the moment as South Kitsap got on the board, trailing 15-6.

South Kitsap’s defense led by Josaiah Asuega put the clamps down on Curtis for the rest of the half and to open up the second half. A Curtis punt would give South Kitsap the ball still down 15-6 in the 3rd quarter. However, they wouldn’t be able to take advantage and gave the ball back to the Vikings. Curtis mixed in a wildcat offense with Xavier Ahrens lining up at QB for a majority of the next series. What was even more unexpected is when Ahrens dropped back to pass. The senior would drop an absolute dime to Parker Mady who caught the ball in stride for a 46-yard touchdown. The home crowd came back to life with the surprise play and Curtis extended their lead to 22-6.

South Kitsap’s defense began to wear down in the second half. The Curtis defense kept the Wolves offense off the field and the amount of time on the field for the SK defense was too much. The Vikings continued to lean on the Wolves and added another 14-yard touchdown on a Xavier Ahrens jump ball from Patterson that was hauled in. Heading into the 4th quarter, Curtis was in control with a 29-6 lead.

Penalties really hurt the Vikings in the 4th quarter. They could not quite ice the game away despite getting a 35-yard field goal by Luca Neibergall. South Kitsap would take advantage of the extra opportunities as Franklin Fox found Noah Porter for a 55-yard score. As South Kitsap got the ball back, the Wolves began to march again. However, Torry Thomas would put a stop to the 4th quarter run with an interception to seal the deal. Curtis continued to dominate with their defense as they earned the 32-14 win on homecoming night.

Our Elisportsnetwork.com MVP of the game went to senior Xavier Ahrens for Curtis. While dominating on defense and making some big defensive plays, Ahrens also put together one of his best and most complete games offensively. Ahrens caught five passes for 42 yards and a touchdown while also running the ball for 29 yards. To put the cherry on top of his performance, Ahrens completed his only pass attempt with his 46-yard time to Parker Mady for a touchdown.

Also for Curtis, Tyce Kinley had a strong game with 18 carries for 63 yards and two catches for eight yards. Parker Mady also had a carry for 11 yards and six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown plus a punt return for a touchdown and an interception. Taylor Smith tallied two carries for six yards and three catches for 12 yards while Memphis Robinson had a one-yard touchdown run. Sam Patterson went 12-17 passing for 92 yards and a touchdown while also having a nine-yard carry. On defense, Torry Thomas had a pick while Robby Lavata’i had a sack and multiple tackles for a loss. Luca Niebergall had a 35-yard field goal for Curtis as well.

For South Kitsap, Franklin Fox was airing it out quite a bit, going 11-22 for 186 yards and two touchdowns while adding a three-yard carry. Tommy Frei was the go-to receiver with four catches for 34 yards and a score. Dyvonte Sellers added two catches for 55 yards and Boden Harvey had two catches for 16 yards. Noah Porter had a 55-yard touchdown reception while Santi Herrera had a nine-yard catch and Anthony Flashey a 17-yard reception. Brycen Clay was the man on the rushing attack, tallying 12 carries for 54 yards. Jasper Pedro would add seven carries for 32 yards and Taylor Crittenden added four carries for five yards. Ethan Kraut finished things off with three carries for 12 yards. Defensively, Dominic Kaptur tallied an interception and Josaiah Asuega added a sack and a few tackles for losses.

Curtis moves to 4-1 overall and a perfect 2-0 to the start of SPSL play. The Vikings will hit the road again on Friday when they visit Sparks Stadium yet again to take on the Emerald Ridge Jaguars at 7pm. South Kitsap drops to 3-2 and 0-2 in SPSL play and face a short week this week. It will be a Thursday game for the Wolves at 7pm when they visit the Puyallup Vikings.

Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (Subscription required)