Kester’s touchdown puts Sun Valley in win column

ASTON >> After surviving a last-second Kennett field goal attempt, Sun Valley made it count as Jon Kester scored his third touchdown of the evening in the second overtime to give the Vanguards a 26-20 win over the Blue Demons in a Ches-Mont League American Division contest Friday night at Dr. Wally Field.

Kester scored off a third-and goal to give Sun Valley its first win of the season (1-2, 1-5).

“The win felt amazing,” Kester said. “All the work that we’ve put in since January paid off tonight.”

With the game tied, 20-20, Kennett attempted a 22-yard field goal. Kicker James Tuley made it, but Sun Valley was penalized for roughing the kicker. Kennett accepted the penalty, giving it a first down and negating the field goal.

Sun Valley forced another field goal after Caliph Jones made two tackles for loss, setting up a 27-yard try. This time, Tuley was unable to make connect, which set up the winning touchdown by Kester.

“We played hard tonight,” Kennett coach Doug Langley said. “It just didn’t bounce our way this week.”

This marked the second week in a row the Blue Demons went into overtime after defeating Octorara, 27-21, Friday night.

Both teams were able to score a touchdown in the first overtime period. Kester found a seam and darted for a four-yard touchdown, forcing the Blue Demons to score a touchdown on their possession.

On fourth-and-four, quarterback Mitch Kosara threw the ball toward tight end Kerry Tomasetti, who used all of his 6-3 frame to wrestle the ball from the Sun Valley defender, to force a second overtime period.

Kennett took control early in the first quarter when Frankie Perigo intercepted Gabe Boccella’s pass on Sun Valley’s first possession of the game. They marched 62 yards down the field, a drive capped off by a five-yard run by Myles Robinson to take a 6-0 lead.

The following drive Boccella threw another interception, this time to Justin Melton, however Sun Valley’s defense forced a quick three-and-out, pinning the Blue Demons deep in their own end. Sun Valley took advantage of good field position and Kester gashed the defense for a 34-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 7-6 lead.

The Vanguards’ defense was able to hold Robinson and the rest of the Blue Demons’ rushing attack in check for a good portion of the game. That was until Robinson received a handoff in the fourth quarter, with his team down 13-6, which he took 63 yards for a touchdown, but the play was called back due to a holding penalty on the offense.

“Nobody saw the hold on that play,” said Robinson. “After that I had tunnel vision.”

Fueled by anger over the call, Robinson took the handoff and ran 73 yards to tie the game at 13-13. Robinson finished the game with 26 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Friday night however, was Kester’s night to shine, as he received 33 carries for 159 yards and three touchdowns.

“I’m not just happy about the win,” Sun Valley coach Ray Gionta said. “The win is the biggest part, sure, but the way we came back after missing a field goal … these kids didn’t hang their heads. That was the biggest thing for me.”