Penalties and miscues cost Kingston several scoring opportunitiesbuttheRedskin defense was opportunistic in holding Lone Grove under 100 total yards in a 28-7 district Homecoming victory last week.
The Redskins dominated time of possession with a whopping 368 yards rushing, averaging nearly nine yards per carry, but had two touchdowns called back by penalty as well as negating a handful of other big plays to put them behind the chains.
“We ran the ball great but just couldn’t overcome penalties at times,” Kingston head coach Brad Hill said. “All our guys ran the ball hard all night long but we just shot ourselves in the foot too many times. We have to get that cleaned up.
“I thought our defense played great though. They were extremely physical and covered Lone Grove well. From start to finish we rallied to the ball and I am very happy with how that unit played.”
Junior Kelly Gray was a virtual wrecking crew by himself on Friday, tallying a season-high 197 yards on 14 carries and scored all four Kingston touchdowns.
Gray’s 19-yard scoring burst midway through the first period capped a 52-yard drive and put the Redskins in front to stay. He added another 53-yard touchdown jaunt five minutes into the second stanza for a 13-0 lead before Lone Grove’s only score – a 21-yard touchdown toss – narrowed the gap to 13-7 only 2:25 before halftime.
That proved to be plenty of time for Kingston’s offense as they quickly marched into scoring position and Gray broke three tackles on the way to the end zone on a seven-yard run. Ethan Mowles connected with Kayden Fenwick on a twopoint conversion pass with 22 seconds left for a two-score edge at the break.
Kingston’s defense continued to stymie the Longhorns throughout the second half and Gray wrapped up the scoring on a nifty 43-yard touchdown run with less than a minute to play in the third stanza.
In addition to Gray’s sensational night, the Redskins also tallied 79 yards on 13 carries from Mowles along with nine totes for 74 yards from Aiden Polk. Koewyn Young added four carries for 22 yards.
Passing was limited as Mowles connected on four of 12 through the air for 40 yards.
Now 5-0 midway through the season, the Redskins begin the second half of the schedule this week when they visit a struggling Madill unit for the Annual Marshall County Super Bowl.
“We are excited for the game and rivalry this week,” Hill said. “We expect it to be an exciting game. It looks like Madill is getting better and bettereverygamesoweknow we have to come to play. It should be a fun week.”