Cox, defense, lead Kennett to second straight win
KENNETT SQUARE—Things in the Ches-Mont American are starting to get very interesting. Shaking off a rough start, the Kennett Blue Demons have won two straight, and are suddenly right in the thick of things in the hunt for a division title.
Friday night, the Demons (2-3, 2-1) celebrated homecoming in style, grabbing and early lead and then holding off a Great Valley (1-5, 0-2) comeback bid to pick up their second consecutive victory by a score of 31-21.
“It’s just a testament to the belief these kids have, and to the coaching staff finding things that we like to do,” said Kennett coach Lance Frazier. “We actually opened up to the players and let them tell us what they like doing. Sometimes as adults, you’ve got to listen to the kids. We’re a family, no egos, just trying to find ways to win.”
The Demons jumped out a lead in a hurry, scoring on each of its first two possessions, first going 60 yards on four plays, with Sam Forte scoring on a keeper. Forte had a solid night through the air, as well, completing 13 of 19 passes for 149 yards.
It only took two plays on the Demons next possession, when Garret Cox broke loose for a 79 yard run to the house.
“I saw right away that the line opened up a huge hole for me and I just hit it, and once I did, I pretty much knew I was going to core,” said Cox. “The line was amazing all night. It just feels really good to win two in a row. Our coaches were trying to find ways to get our offense going, and I think we’re finding it.”
Cox had a monster night for Kennett, piling up 259 yards on 27 carries, along with three touchdowns.
“The most growth we’ve had since the start of the year has been with those guys up front,” said Frazier. “It’s been great to see them get stronger and believe every week. We know Garrett is a great downhill runner, but it took a little time for him to gain confidence in the guys up front, but I think he has.”
The Patriots didn’t go away quietly into the night, and battled back into the game. Josh Burgess scored on a 44 yard run, and twice quarterback Jake Prevost hit Brendan O’Donnell for touchdown passes.
“Kennett is well coached and well prepared,” said Great Valley coach Dan Ellis. “They came out quicker than we did, and we are simply not good enough to claw our way back in. We can’t spot 14 points and get back in. Our kids show great character, though. There was never a point where they lost positivity and fought hard to the end.. It’s my job as a coach to get them better.”
But the Demons responded to every Patriot surge with an answer. On two different occasions, with the Patriots driving, Kennett came up with big stops on fourth-and-short, and then scored on the ensuing possession.
“We had good week last week getting to the quarterback, and that helped get us confidence,” said Frazier. “They are figuring out that if we swarm them and get eleven guys to the ball, we’re going to be successful. Our defense, kudos to the guys and our defensive coordinator Scott Gee, probably gelled before the rest of the team.”
Great Valley 0 7 7 7–21
Kennett 14 3 0 14–31
First Quarter
K—Forte 2-run (Lindner kick) 7-1
K—Cox 79-run (Lindner kick) 14-0
Second Quarter
K—Lindner 25-field goal 17-0
GV—Burgess 44-run (Merriweather kick) 17-7
Third Quarter
GV—O’Donnell 5-pass from Prevost (Merriweather kick) 17-14
Fourth Quarter
K—Cox 47-run (Lindner kick) 24-14
K—Cox 22-run (Lindner kick) 31-14
GV—O’Donnell (Merriweather kick) 31-21
Team Statistics
GV KEN
First downs 11 17
Rushes-yards 25–155 42-299
Passing 9-16 13-19
Passing yards 155 149
Total yards 310 448
Punts 3-37 1-29
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 4-25 5-40
Individual statistics
Rushing — GV Burgess 9-93 TD; Christopher 9-18; Prevost 4-(-10), Maslowski 1-46, Disanto 1-2, Brophy 1-6 K Cox 27-259 3TD; Forte 13-37 TD; Hughson 2-2
Passing — GV Prevost 9-16, 155 yards, 2TD K—Forte 13-19, 149 yards
Receiving — GV O’Donnell 3-68 2TD, Burgess 4-38, Korab 1-1 K—Kosara 6-76, Hughson 4-34, Cox 2-22, Ploener 1-10, Shacknai 1-7,
Interceptions — NONE
Sacks — GV Parvess, Brophy; K Cox, Oscar
