Blue Demons’ can’t overcome tough third quarter
By Emily Adelman, Correspondent, The Times
Kennett’s Jordan Jones waits for the snap during Friday night’s contest against West Chester East. The Blue Demons offense came alive, but it wasn’t enough, as they fell 37-27.
WEST CHESTER — On an unseasonably cool Friday night a couple of offenses were red hot, but Kennett High School’s seemed to freeze at the wrong time as the Blue Demons dropped a tough 37-27 decision to West Chester East, Friday night.
After the two teams spent the first half going back and forth, Kennett (0-2) stalled in the third quarter, only see a furious comeback come up short in the fourth, as the Vikings (2-0) were able to hold on.
“We didn’t make the big plays at the right times,” Kennett High School Head Coach Scott Green stated. “That comes with experience on the field, which we are lacking. Our effort and toughness are good. You gain through experience, learn, and take the good with the bad.”
After a touch loss last week to Avon Grove, Green said before the contest he knew his squad would have to be very focused to beat East, which was coming off a 24-7 win over Penn Wood.
Kennett quarterback Jordan Jones looks for direction from the sidelines during a drive, Friday night.
“East is a very good team. This week, we need get refocused on the fundamentals of the game,” he said prior to kickoff. And while it was clear that the offense seemed to find its way, the defense struggled with the high-powered Vikings offense.
If defense dictated the game last week in the Blue Demons tough loss against Avon Grove, offense was the name of the game this week against West Chester East.
Fundamentally, the Kennett offense was significantly more productive in week two, racking up 324 all purpose yards and scoring 27 points with only one turnover. This was a 100 yard improvement in total yards compared to week one. Unfortunately for the Blue Demons, this was not enough to withstand the Vikings 480 total yards and 37 points.
Jordan Jones, Kennett’s senior quarterback, rushed for a touchdown scoring the first points of the game. East quickly answered as sophomore quarterback Jon Jon Roberts and senior wide receiver Alex Corialos combined for the next 14 points of the game. Roberts threw a 24 yard touchdown to Corialos to tie the game at 7. With a minute and a half left in the first quarter, Roberts heaved a 57 yard pass to Alex Corialos, and threw to him again on the next play for a touchdown, making it 14-7 Vikings at the end of the first quarter.
Ales Corialos had a total of 106 yards on six catches and two touchdown receptions. His brother, junior wide receiver Nick Corialos, also contributed to the game with 64 yards on 4 catches.
After a turnover on downs by Kennett, a missed field goal by East, and a three and out by Kennett, East had the ball on the Kennett 35 yard line when Jordan Jones, now playing defensive back, picked off Roberts and returned the ball to the East 38 yard line with 2:07 left in the second quarter. After gaining a first down, Jones rushed for 16 yards on a quarterback keeper, which set up a 13-yard touchdown run by senior running back Liam Clarke. With a missed extra point, Kennett was down 14-13, and would never catch up.
With a minute left before halftime, Jon Jon Roberts extended the Vikings single point lead when he rushed for a 57-yard touchdown, making the score 20-13. Roberts completed 23 of his 37 passing attempts for 305 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
The Blue Demons disappeared in the third quarter, giving up ten unanswered points, which turned out to be the difference in the game. The Vikings scored on a 15 yard touchdown reception by senior tight end Chris Sheehan and a 23 yard field goal, giving the Vikings a 30-13 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Blue Demons rebounded mightily in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Vikings 14-7. Capping off an 80-yard touchdown drive, Jones hit senior wide receiver Sean Middleton for a 17 yard touchdown. Kennett attempted an onside kick, which was recovered by East on Kennett’s 45 yard line. East then marched down the short field to score on a four yard run by Chris Sheehan. In a balanced offensive drive, Kennett scored the final points of the game with a seven yard touchdown run by Jones with 4:31 remaining in the game. East maintained possession of the ball for the remainder of the contest to secure the 37-27 win.
Jones rushed for 153 yards on 18 carries, and went 7 for 16 in the air for 97 yards and one interception.
Kennett looks to get into the win column, when its hosts Twin Valley on Thursday, September 12 at 7 pm under the lights.
