HILLSBORO -- Clackamas junior Richard Kennewell has used his long frame to go on a touchdown-catching binge in the latter half of this football season.
Friday night, he put it to use on defense, and as a result, the top-ranked Cavaliers successfully defended their Mt. Hood Conference championship against No. 7 Central Catholic at Hillsboro Stadium.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound linebacker lunged from behind to sack Rams junior quarterback Cade Knighton on a rollout, foiling a two-point conversion attempt with 19 seconds left and preserving a 24-22 win in the conference title game.
“Rich is a crazy overall athlete,” Clackamas senior defensive lineman Kelsen Hennessy said. “He’s one of the most underrated 2020 prospects in Oregon right now, in my opinion. He’s an absolute animal on the field.
“He plays with a lot of heart, a lot of emotion. As a junior, he’s putting our team on his back.”
The reigning 6A champion Cavaliers (9-0, 4-0) -- who beat Central Catholic twice last season, including in the quarterfinals – expected a fierce battle from the Rams. And Central Catholic (5-4, 3-1) gave them all they could handle, owning a 390-323 edge in total yards.
“It took a lot of effort, a lot of heart,” Kennewell said. “We haven’t really played anyone that close for a few weeks, so it was fun to come out here and have the competition.”
Clackamas took a 24-16 lead with 3:17 left on a 25-yard field goal by senior Jeffrey Nelson, but the Rams responded by driving 80 yards to pull within 24-22 on a one-yard touchdown run by junior Miles Jackson with 19 seconds left. It was preceded by a 26-yard catch by junior Kalvin Souders, who outjumped a defender and stayed in bounds near the pylon.
On the two-point conversion attempt, Central Catholic lined up its two top receivers – Souders and junior Silas Starr – on the right side and had Knighton roll in that direction. The Rams put junior receiver Jaden Fulsher in motion and were going to try to throw to him in the flat, according to coach Steve Pyne.
But the Clackamas defense blew up the play with a strong push up front, and Kennewell brought down Knighton near the 15-yard line.
“We expected them to sit in the pocket, either throw it up to Silas Starr or (Souders),” Kennewell said. “I was supposed to have the running back out on the flat route, and he didn’t come out, so I just went and sacked the quarterback.”
Pyne said the Rams didn’t block the play correctly.
“That’s why they got the pressure right now, so Cade didn’t really have the time to see what he was hoping to see,” Pyne said.
The ensuing onside kick failed, and the Cavaliers ran out the clock for their 23rd consecutive win. They got their title, but the Rams made them work for it.
“It was a brutal game,” the Oregon State-bound Hennessy said. “We knew they were going to be fired up. It was good motivation for us going into the playoffs.”
Bushman said he expected nothing less from Central Catholic.
“It was a great battle, a good tune-up for the playoffs,” Bushman said. “It had playoff atmosphere all over it. … Happy to come out of here with a W.”
The loss stung the Rams, but they were encouraged by taking Clackamas to the wire.
“There’s a bright side, because we know that we can play with the top team in Oregon,” Central Catholic junior running back Elijah Elliott said. “We’re that close, so we’ve just got to keep working.”
Pyne sees his young team making progress as it prepares for a first-round playoff game next week.
“Our kids should think they can play with anybody in the state and have a chance to win in the fourth quarter,” Pyne said. “We’ve got to learn that lesson. I hope we’re going to be a tough out.”
Clackamas got touchdown runs of 13 yards from senior receiver Jailen Hammer and 34 yards from junior quarterback Austin Atkeson to lead 14-7 at half.
Central Catholic senior Fritz Kabeiseman booted a 28-yard field goal to make it 14-10 late in the third quarter, but Clackamas answered with a nine-yard touchdown run by Hammer to lead 21-10 early in the fourth quarter.
The Rams pulled within 21-16 with 8:05 remaining on a six-yard touchdown run by Elliott. A two-point conversion attempt failed when Knighton threw incomplete.
Knighton completed 23 of 42 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown. Souders had eight catches for 109 yards and sophomore tight end Jalen Ridgeway caught six passes for 75 yards.
Elliott led all rushers with 75 yards on 18 carries. He also caught an 11-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
