Kingston Celebrates Homecoming with Romp Over Panthers

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  • Kingston running back Brandon Watson (#33) breaks free on third down for his second of three touchdowns against Pauls Valley. Linda Holmes
    Kingston running back Brandon Watson (#33) breaks free on third down for his second of three touchdowns against Pauls Valley. Linda Holmes
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Friday night was Homecoming for Kingston, delayed by COVID-19 to the original date for Senior Night. For Homecoming, the Redskins welcomed the first really cold weather of the year, along with the Pauls Valley Panthers. Under the new playoffs policy announced Tuesday, both teams were looking to tune up for the playoffs. The Redskins dominated the game and took one more step towards clinching their third straight district crown with a 42-20 victory.

Kingston’s first drive set the tone for the game. On the Redskins’ third play from scrimmage, junior running back Brandon Watson blew through the line for a 56-yard touchdown to give Kingston an early 7-0 lead.

After senior Jesse Rose ended Pauls Valley’s first drive after three plays with a sack of sophomore quarterback Justin Humphrey, the Kingston offense went back to work. Mostly pounding the ball on the ground, the Redskins faced a third-and-eleven from the Pauls Valley 23. Once again, it was Watson running the ball, this time through a huge hole at right guard, and he took it the distance to extend Kingston=s lead to 14-0.

Trailing by two scores, the Panthers put together their most impressive drive of the night. Starting at the Pauls Valley 38, the Panthers took 21 plays to cover 62 yards, using over 10 minutes of clock, ending the drive by converting their fourth and final fourth down of the drive with Humphrey scoring on a seven-yard quarterback keeper to cut the Kingston lead in half, 14-7.

The extended rest did not cool off the Kingston offense. Kingston converted a fake punt on fourth-and-three from the Kingston 36, as senior quarterback Jase Hayes lined up as an upback, took the snap and threw a strike to senior Matthew Flesher, who started off the play as the punter, moving the ball to the Pauls Valley 38. Three plays later, it was Watson again, this time from 23 yards out, and Kingston led 21-7, a lead the Redskins would take into half.

As the third quarter began, Kingston came out and dominated the action. After Pauls Valley went three and out, on Kingston’s second offensive play of the half Flesher took a handoff 56 yards to the end zone, and the Redskins’ lead was now 28-7.

After Kingston’s defense held the Panthers to another three-and-out, the Redskins struck again. Hayes hit junior wideout Braden Matchen on a short pass along the sideline, and Matchen scooted down the field until he was forced out of bounds at the Pauls Valley 5 for a 44-yard gain. Hayes took it in himself from there, and Kingston now led 35-7, still in the third quarter.

Desperate for points, the Panthers finally came up with a big play of their own. On third-and-four, Humphrey took a quarterback keeper 69 yards for a Panthers touchdown. Kingston senior Jakey Williams blocked the extra point, and Kingston’s lead was now 35-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, Kingston freshman Sammy McNeil recovered the Panthers’ onside kick at the Kingston 48. The Redskins covered 46 yards with six runs, then Hayes finished off the drive with a six-yard pass to senior receiver Tanner Carr all alone in the end zone, giving Kingston a 42-13 lead late in the third quarter.

The Panthers put together another long drive, taking 11 plays to cover 72 yards - 41 of those yards coming courtesy of Kingston penalties - and Humphrey hit senior running back Chasen Jolly for a 12-yard touchdown pass to trim the Kingston lead to 42-20 halfway through the fourth quarter. From there, both teams’ reserves brought the game to a conclusion, and Kingston had another district victory.

Hayes completed seven of his eight passes for 148 yards and a touchdown, adding another on the ground. Watson led all rushers with 160 yards on 15 carries and three scores. Watson outrushed Pauls Valley as a team, as the Panthers only posted 130 rushing yards. Flesher led all receivers with 2 catches for 46 yards.

Defensively, Flesher also led the Redskins with 11 tackles, while Rose added two sacks. Kingston’s defense held Pauls Valley offense to only 20 passing yards, with Humphrey only completing two of his seven attempts.

Kingston Head Coach Tommy Bare was very pleased for his seniors to be able to win their last regular season home game. He cited an “awesome job on the offensive side of the football, and a solid job on defense and special teams” leading to “another big district win.” Coach Bare noted that Kingston needs “to clean up the penalties” but was otherwise pleased with their current position.

Kingston (5-0 in district, 8-0 overall) remains undefeated, and moves on to the renewal of the Marshall County Super Bowl this Friday night against Madill (1-4, 2-6). The Wildcats are coming off a 53-13 road loss to the Lone Grove Longhorns (4-1, 6-2), but with this week’s modification to the playoff format, Madill is now able to look forward to the playoffs. Kickoff in this always-tough rivalry game at Madill’s Blake Smiley Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

EXTRA POINTS

With all the other changes, COVID-19 has forced the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Athletics Association (OSSAA) to change its planned playoff format. On October 20, the OSSAA announced that, with multiple district games across the state having been cancelled or postponed, it would open the playoffs to all teams rather than just the top four in every district. For Class 3A, this adds 16

For Class 3A, this adds 16 teams and an extra week to the playoffs. For Class 3A’s second district (including Kingston and Madill), the first week of the playoffs will match those teams against their counterparts in District 1, with the district champ playing the eighth-place team from the other district, second place playing seventh place, third place playing sixth and fourth place playing fifth. Were the playoffs to start today, Kingston would host Oklahoma City’s Fredrick Douglass Trojans (0-2, 0-3) in the first round, while Madill would travel to Anadarko to play the Warriors (2-1, 5-2).

Kingston can clinch the Redskins’ third straight district championship with a win ei ther in Madill Friday night, or next week at Dickson (1-4, 1-7). Barring the Redskins losing both games, Sulphur (4-1, 5-3) and Lone Grove will fight it out for second place November 6 in Sulphur. Plainview (3-2, 3-5) is in fourth place, and can only improve to third if the Indians beat Sulphur this Friday and Pauls Valley the next, and Lone Grove beats Sulphur. Unless the Panthers collapse, Pauls Valley should finish no worse than fifth. Madill and Dickson are tied for sixth, with Madill holding the tiebreaker due to the Wildcats’ September 25 victory over the Comets, and winless Little Axe rounding out the district in eighth.