The Kenai Central football team celebrated homecoming by holding off Mid Alaska Conference foe Houston 14-12 for a homecoming victory at Ed Hollier Field in Kenai on Saturday.
The Kardinals survived a frantic Hawks comeback in the fourth quarter by getting a Macalen Marion interception with 2:03 left in the game on the Kenai 14-yard line. Aasen Campanella then got a first down for Kenai on a third-and-four to allow the Kards to run out the clock.
Kenai beat Houston for the first time since September 2015, though this is the fourth time the programs played since then.
Marion gave credit to Isaac Potton for the quarterback pressure.
“He was able to tip the QB a little bit and get his arm messed up,” Marion said. “He was able to throw a lazy ball and I was able to get it.”
The Kardinals snapped a three-game losing streak and moved to 1-1 in the league and 2-3 overall. Houston is 0-2 and 1-4.
Both squads were dealing with adversity before the game even started.
Kenai lost Delen Byrd and Tyler Van Sky to season-ending injuries in a loss to Chugiak the previous week. The injuries kept coming against Houston.
“Two starters (Byrd and Van Sky), and everybody else is kind of walking wounded,” said Kenai head coach Jake Brand in summing up the injury situation.
Houston lost 16-8 to Homer last week. Early in the week, Norm Bouchard said he took over as interim head coach for head coach for Jared Barrett.
Bouchard, who had been the team’s offensive coordinator and added he’s been around the school for 32 years, said he could not say anything else about the change.
Mother Nature dealt the two squads more adversity during the game by constantly streaming rain from the sky. The result was not pretty football.
Houston threw two interceptions, fumbled six times and lost three, and committed 11 penalties for 80 yards. Kenai fumbled seven times and lost two, and had 16 infractions for 135 yards.
“A W is a W and we needed it,” Brand said. “It’s not the way we wanted it. But, you know, we’ll take it.”
Bobby Hayes, who led Kenai by rushing 17 times for 104 yards, scored from 18 yards out in the first quarter and 10 yards out in the third quarter to give the Kards a 14-0 lead headed to the final quarter.
With all the injuries, Brand said Hayes is forced to carry the ball more, plus play defense.
“He’s just the ultimate team player,” Brand said. “He is so patient with his teammates. He’s always positive. He’s a happy-go-lucky guy and trusts us as coaches.”
With 9:43 left in the fourth quarter, Elias Johnson jump-started the Houston comeback with an 82-yard touchdown run. The run more than doubled Houston’s output on the ground to that point in the game. Crucially, the Hawks missed the two-point conversion.
With 3:02 left, Johnson, who ran 15 times for 150 yards, struck again from 31 yards but again the Hawks passed for the conversion and didn’t make it, keeping the score at 14-12.
“He’s a great athlete and a really good kid,” Bouchard said of Johnson, who is a junior. “I was really proud of him. He worked hard, played hard and ran hard. He was a big part of the defense as well.”
On the first play of the next drive, Campanella fumbled and Houston’s Charlie Dubuse recovered on the Kenai 20. Johnson ran up the middle for no gain, then Marion, starting for the first time this week due to all the injuries, got his big pick.
He gave the whole team credit for staying together through adversity.
“They are just the best teammates you can honestly ask for,” he said. “I would never rather have a different team. It’s the best team ever. They always work together.”
Brand gave the defense credit for sticking together when times were tough. He said Cole Langham also had a big interception and Rohan Hansen was solid on both lines. The bad news is Langham was injured on that interception return and was out for the game.
Roman Mosquito, Hollan Chadwick and Marion also had fumble recoveries.
Brand also gave credit to Campanella for coming back and getting the deciding first down after the fumble.
“He runs hot and takes those things personally,” Brand said. “When you’re trying so hard, you’re going to make some mistakes.
“By giving him the ball back and showing confidence in him, he knows how to correct it and clean it up.”
Aiden McDonnell also had a fumble recovery for Houston. Bouchard said linebacker Gage Hawes was a key part of the plan for trying to slow down Hayes more in the second half.
Both teams stay in conference next week, with Kenai traveling to face Redington at 7 p.m. Friday, while Houston travels to play Kodiak at 5 p.m. Friday.
Saturday
Kardinals 14, Hawks 12
Hou 0 0 0 12 —12
Ken 7 0 7 0 —14
1st Quarter
Ken — Hayes 18 run (Vann kick), 8:42.
3rd Quarter
Ken — Hayes 10 run (Vann kick), 7:14.
4th Quarter
Hou — Johnson 82 run (pass failed), 9:43.
Hou — Johnson 31 run (pass failed), 3:02.
Hou Ken
First downs 12 10
Rushing yards 37-200 48-141
Passing yards 63 61
Comp-att-int 7-16-2 6-8-0
Return yards 104 32
Punts 2-22.5 5-40.4
Fumbles 6-3 7-2
Penalties 11-80 16-135
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing — Houston: Johnson 15-150, McClurg 11-56, Baskett 9-(-12), Sua 2-6. Kenai: Campanella 24-59, Hayes 17-104, Perez 7-(-22).
Passing — Houston: Baskett 7-16-2—63. Kenai: Perez 6-8-0—61.
Receiving — Houston: McDonnell 1-11, Debuse 1-3, Sua 1-12, McClurg 1-14, Johnson 3-23. Kenai: Vann 5-54, Langham 1-7.
Kenai Central’s Aasen Campanella runs against Houston’s Terje McClurg on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at Ed Hollier Field at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central’s Cole Langham is tackled by Houston’s Elias Johnson on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at Ed Hollier Field at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Houston’s Blake Baskett is sacked by Kenai Central’s Roman Mosquito on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at Ed Hollier Field at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
