Paul Valencia shares his observations from Friday’s Class 3A Greater St. Helens League football game.
Here is a salute to a couple of players who displayed great sportsmanship when it was needed the most Friday night at District Stadium.
It was early in the third quarter. The game, at that point, well, it was a runaway. Kelso was up 26-0.
To be fair, Prairie was driving. Still, anyone who watched the first half would tell you that it would have been a herculean effort to score four touchdowns in a half against Kelso’s defense.
Was this game over at that point? No.
Was it winnable for Prairie at this point? Being honest. No. Not tonight. This was Kelso’s game.
In all football games, there are times when there might be some extra pushing and shoving after a play. Certainly some trash talk. Sometimes, things can get out of hand.
This was that time.
A play ended. Flags all over the field. One was just a regular penalty. Another was for unsportsmanlike conduct. Players were yelling at one another. Coaches came out to separate a few.
It took a moment or two to sort out everything.
The ball was placed at the Kelso 24-yard line, and the game was ready to resume.
Prairie offensive lineman Jake Hylton lined up across Kelso’s Dominic Kemp, preparing to battle like they had all night. But before the snap, Kemp extended his hand. Hylton accepted. The handshake at the line of scrimmage told everyone on the field that whatever just occurred is now over. Time to play football.
“I don’t want to play the game like that. I don’t want it. I don’t want it to be like that the last two quarters, fighting and stuff,” Hylton said. “I just want to play hard.”
Kemp recalled that the two battled hard against each other last season, as well. And he said it was a good matchup on this night, too. (In fact, it was a bloody battle, looking at the picture below.)
Showing respect to each other, even in the middle of the game, is how it should be, Kemp said.
“Sportsmanship, the best thing to have in this game. You have sportsmanship, everybody loves you,” Kemp said. “No fights. Just a good game. You know, friendly. It matters.”
There were no more issues after the handshake.
𝗞𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗼’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳
Kelso’s defense dominated from the start, holding Prairie to 44 yards of offense in the first half.
Kelso’s offense was perfect in the half, as well. Four possessions, four touchdowns.
Quarterback Hunter Letteer had a rushing touchdown and three touchdown passes in the half. Kelso also executed the 2-minute offense, going 74 yards in 2:03 to score a touchdown with 5 seconds left in the half.
𝗡𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝘁𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴
Prairie avoided the shutout with an 85-yard drive that saw 100 yards of receiving from Thor Stepina.
What?
Quarterback Braeden Slamp found Stepina for a 30-yard gain from the Prairie 15-yard line to the 45-yard line. The Falcons were penalized 15 yards back to the 30 on the next play. No problem. Slamp found Stepina for a 70-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.
Two Kelso defenders were closing in with the hopes of intercepting the pass. Instead, Slamp thread the needle between the two, Stepina caught it, and he was gone.
Prairie had a big crowd in its first home game of the season. It was Homecoming, too. The fans would have preferred a different outcome, but they were thrilled with the late touchdown.
𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀
Prairie coach Mike Peck credited the opponent.
“Kelso is always Kelso,” he said, a nod to the team’s discipline on defense and offense.
Still, Peck said he should have done a better job this week.
“It’s 100-percent on me as the head coach,” Peck said of the performance. “I’ve got to do a better job of getting them prepared to be in the position to be successful. I apologized to them.”
