Kennett defense stings Hornets
KENNETT SQUARE—The Blue Demons are one of the hottest teams in the country right now. After starting out 0-4, Kennett has won four of its last five games. Friday night’s 45-0 shutout of Oxford might (2-3, 5-4) even help put Kennett (3-2, 4-5) into a first-ever slot in the District 1, Class 5A playoffs.
“The growth in this team is amazing,” said Kennett coach Lance Frazier. “It’s hard to believe it is even the same team from week 1. But that just tells you all you need to know about the kind of pride these guys have. They could have very easily just packed it in after the first 3 or 4 weeks, but they didn’t. It’s just been a magical experience.”
The Hornets were without a number of starters, most notably quarterback Brett Kochmansky and running back Tim Faber. And the Kennett defense took full advantage, forcing a whopping seven turnovers—four interceptions, and three fumbles.
“They were down their captain and one of the better players in the league,” said Frazier. “I would have liked to play them at full strength. But the kids just did what they needed to do, flying around all over the field, playing within the system and making sure they were in the right place at the right time.”
Kennett was up 21-0 before the Hornets even knew what hit them. After the Hornets went three-and-out on their first possession, Kennett needed just four plays to cover the 60 years for the touchdown, a drive capped by a 2 yard plunge from Garrett Cox (91 yards on 12 carries, 3TD).
The Demons went to the air for the next score, with Sam Forte (6 for 10, 146 yards, 2 TD) hitting Mitch Kosara for 37 yards. Then it was Kosara finding the endzone once again, picking off a Hornet pass and returning the interception 47 yards and a 21-0 lead with nearly five minutes to play in the first quarter.
“Just gotta give it up for our DC (defensive coordinator Scott Gee), who just always has us in the right position to make plays,” said Kosara. “Our defense has been solid all year, and now we’ve gotten shutouts the past two weeks. We’ve never made the playoffs before, but I think they way we’re playing, we can play with anyone right now.”
Another pair of Cox TD runs in the second quarter put the game into Mercy Rule territory by halftime. The Demons tacked on one more TD—Forte to Justin Shacknai for 27—and a 23-yard field goal from Julian Schwarz.
“We’ve been waiting for this game for a while,” said Cox. “This is great for the seniors, and hopefully it gives us a chance to play another couple of games.”
The regular season ends at nine games for Kennett, so now it’s the waiting game to find out if they can move on. Oxford, meanwhile, has already all but clinched a spot in the playoffs, and will look to try to get healthy and back to winning ways.
Oxford 0 0 0 0–0
Kennett 21 14 10 0–45
First Quarter
K—Cox 2-run (Schwarz kick) 7-0
K—Kosara 37 pass from Forte (Schwarz kick) 14-0
K—Kosara 47 INT return (Schwarz kick) 21-0
Second Quarter
K—Cox 25-run (Schwarz kick) 28-0
K—Cox 3 run (Schwarz kick) 35-0
Third Quarter
K—Shacknai 27-pass from Forte (Schwarz kick) 42-0
K—Schwarz 23-FG 45-0
Team Statistics
OX KEN
First downs 6 9
Rushes-yards 21-46 31-141
Passing 3-10 6-10
Passing yards 25 146
Total yards 71 287
Punts 4-34.5 1-37
Fumbles-lost 3-3 1-1
Penalties-yards 10-105 5-50
Individual statistics
Rushing — OX Thomas 14-41, McWilliams 1-3, Repetz 1-(-10), Yoder 2-11, Rueda 3-1 K Cox 12-91,3TD, Brison 3-2, Kosara 3-16, Stevens 5-6, Brooks 4-21, Hughes 2-5, Chiomento 1-5, Forte 1-0
Passing — OX Repetz 3-10, 25 yds, 3INT K—Forte 6-9, 146 yards, 2TD
Receiving — OX McWilliams 3-25 K—Kosara 3-48 TD, Ploener 1-15, Shacknai 1-27, TD, Cox 1-6
Interceptions — KEN–Kosara (2), Brison (2)
Sacks — KEN–Oscar, Forte
