3 takeaways from Gonzaga Prep vs. Kennedy Catholic: Bullpups rise to challenge heading West

Greater Spokane League champions win on road, 34-28, behind dynamic special-teams play, timely defense

Jonah Keller and Gonzaga Prep are in the Class 4A semifinals for the first time since winning it all in 2015. / Photo by Lane Mathews

BURIEN, Wash. - In the land of "counter-cultural" football, described by Gonzaga Prep coach Nate Graham, especially at the bigger-school level, the Bullpups and Kennedy Catholic are distant-lot neighbors.

And, on Friday night, the Bullpups' triple option met the Lancers' Wing-T in a matchup of run-dominant offenses.

Quarterback Sam Kincaid accounted for 154 yards of total offense and two touchdown runs, and the fifth-seeded Bullpups got a crucial late-game defensive stop to hold off No. 4 seed and host Kennedy Catholic, 34-28, in the Class 4A quarterfinals Friday night at Highline Stadium.

With the victory, the Greater Spokane League champions are in the WIAA semifinals for the first time since 2015 when they won it all. The had lost in the state quarterfinals on five separate occasions since then, including the past three seasons.

"About time we got over that hump," Graham said.

Here are three takeaways from the Gonzaga Prep-Kennedy Catholic game:

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WILD NIGHT FOR SPECIAL TEAMS

On a rainy night when the offenses largely played to a stalemate, the "third phase" went a long ways in determining the outcome.

Kennedy Catholic struck first on Dante Saladino's 80-yard kickoff return in the first quarter that tied the game at 6-6.

And the Lancers stole a possession at the outset of a second half by recovering an onside kick, leading to Nikko Lecksiwilai's 7-yard touchdown run to cut it to a one-score game.

But ... in terms of splashy impact, the Bullpups won out.

After Devon Forehand gave the Lancers their final lead, 14-13, after a 1-yard touchdown run with 90 seconds remaining in the first half, Jonah Keller brought back the ensuing kickoff 94 yards in a flash for a touchdown.

"I knew we could take one back," Keller said.

Then came the sequence of the game, courtesy of one ofJacobe McCelland's speciality skills.

McCllelland has had a knack for blocking kicks, and told Graham he thought he could get to Saladino, who is also Kennedy Catholic's punter.

"(Graham) called it next play and he trusted me," McClelland said. "It really changed the whole pace of the game."

McClelland not only blocked it, but he returned it 22 yards for a touchdown, giving Gonzaga Prep a 27-14 lead with 13 seconds remaining.

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'TEAM EFFORT' HELPS AVERT DISASTER

Nursing a 34-27 lead, and ready to put the game away on a long drive inside the Lancers' 5-yard line with eight minutes remaining, Noah Holman fumbled the ball near the goal-line, and Landen Kahal recovered for Kennedy Catholic for a touchback.

Suddenly, the 4A NPSL champions had new life.

Kennedy Catholic crossed midfield, but on fourth-and-4, Forehand - who had a game-high 124 rushing yards - was stopped on a run along the Gonzaga Prep sideline by defensive lineman Jordan Danzler and linebacker Will Jackson short of a first down with 5:02 to go.

"That was a team effort," Graham said. "When they needed to ... they made a big play."

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KENNEDY CATHOLIC SENIORS CAP FANTASTIC RUN

What a three-year run for Forehand, running back Indiana Jones, offensive lineman Lowen Colman-Brusa in that senior starting group that reached the WIAA quarterfinals twice, and the Class 4A championship game in 2022, losing to Lake Stevens.

Forehand finished with 206 yards of total offense and a touchdown Friday, and Jones - a 2023 all-state performed - had 103 rushing yards on 19 carries, including a touchdown, and pulled in four receptions for 56 yards.

But at key moments, Kennedy Catholic coach Pat Jones felt his team "pressed too much."

"It was not like us," Jones said. "Give Gonzaga Prep credit, they flew around on tackles, and got a lot of yards after contact running the football. Their inside stuff was really good."

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