Kennett cruises past Sun Valley; moves to 5-0
KENNETT SQUARE – It’s the kind of challenge that Kennett head football coach Lance Frazier welcomes, even though it comes as a surprise to just about everybody associated with his program. And make no mistake: it is going to be a challenge.
Well familiar with chasing respect, the upstart Demons have now move on to the next phase: trying to handle success. An unprecedented start to the 2019 season comes with new expectations, but unbeaten Kennett certainly did its part on Friday, cruising past visiting Sun Valley 48-20 in Ches-Mont American action.
“We are in unchartered territory as a program,” Frazier said. “You can talk about overcoming adversity, but learning how to deal with success is another step. You have to win the games you’re supposed to win, and I think our guys took that to heart.”
Now 4-0 in the league (5-0 overall), the Blue Demons left nothing to chance on Homecoming, rolling up 28 points after running just nine plays from scrimmage. At 0-4, 0-5, the Vanguards will head into Week Six still looking for their first victory.
“We are a very young group,” said Sun Valley head coach Greg Bernhardt. “Eighty five percent of the kids who play for us are underclassmen, and we only have six seniors.
“In talking to my team, I used (Kennett) as an example. They were in this spot last year and then they turned the corner, and now look at them.”
Coming off historic back-to-back road wins over division powers West Chester Rustin and Unionville, Frazier was concerned about a letdown. But the quick start was encouraging for a Kennett squad that entered the day fourth in the District 1 4A power rankings.
“It shows that we are focused and that we are listening to our coaches,” said junior Buzzy Hertz, who had a big day on both sides of the ball.
“That start showed me that they are ready to take that next step,” Frazier added. “They are ready to do what champions do, but that’s not to say that we’re there yet. That’s where we aspire to be. It was a sign of maturity, they showed their moxie and the kind of resolve you need.”
Unlike the previous four outings, Kennett showed off some other weapons on Friday in addition to powerful runner Garrett Cox. The Ches-Mont’s leading rushing coming in, Cox managed just 32 yards on a mere seven carries.
“We kind of expected (Kennett) to pound it, but they came out and threw the ball. Their quarterback (Sam Forte) is a very nice player,” Bernhardt said.
“We had some guys make plays that they haven’t made all season,” Frazier added. “It was nice to see.
“We wanted to get (Forte) back in the groove. We know that once we get down the stretch, you have to be able to put the ball in the air a bit. Plus, (Cox) has over 100 carries, and we had to get this kid some rest. We are going to need him down the stretch too.”
Hertz made an immediate impact with a fourth-down sack on Sun Valley’s first series. And on the very next play, he hauled in a 44-yard pass from Forte that led to the opening touchdown. And then on the next possession, Hertz picked off a pass in the flats and went 31-yards for the TD.
“It’s all kind of a blur, but it’s coming back to me a bit,” Hertz said afterwards.
Cox made it 21-0 early in the second quarter with his second touchdown, and then Forte found sophomore wideout Kalen Frazier for a 61-yard score. Two Ryan Barker field goals – from 33- and 20-yards – made it 34-6 at the half.
“Cox is a great runner – we all know that,” said Kalen Frazier, the coach’s son. “But (Friday) we were trying to do some things in the pass game, which we weren’t able to do against Rustin and Unionville.”
Kalen Frazier nabbed added another TD toss by Forte to start the second half, and then Hertz promptly scooped up a fumble in Vanguards’ territory. With the backups now in the game, the Demons made it 48-6 on a 22-yard scoring run by Luke Good.
“I am proud of our team,” Lance Fraizer said. “We got a chance to get some freshmen and sophomores in the game in the second half, which hasn’t been done here in a long time. It’s a sign of a good program.”
Junior Antonio Rivera opened the scoring for Sun Valley in the final minute of the first half by grabbing a fumble, forced by teammate Rob Powell, and going 64-yards the other way. The Vanguards tacked on two late TDs on tosses of 82- and 21-yards by quarterback Johnny Eskridge, the first to Rivera, and the last to Ta’Zuan Thomas.
“(Kennett’s) whole team is back from last season, so I’m not surprised,” Barnhardt said. “They have a nice coaching staff, they have their kids believing they are all upperclassmen.
“And even though we’re 0-5, our kids are coming every week and trying to get better. It doesn’t show it with the record, and we are taking our lumps now, but we are only going to grow from it.”
Forte was 12 of 18 for 234 yards and two TDs. Hertz finished with five catches for 106 yards, and Kalen Frazier chipped in four receptions for 99 yards.
“Down the stretch we are going to need everyone to contribute when we get to the heavyweights,” Hertz said.
“The fans around here really aren’t used to being 5-0, and maybe we’re not either, but we talked all week about not being cocky,” Kalen Frazier added. “We want to act like we’ve been here before.”
