By ERICK WALKER

The Reporter

Edmonds-Woodway had the biggest name Friday night.

Kentwood, however, had the biggest performance.

Darrius Coleman rushed for 193 yards on 26 carries, including a 40-yard touchdown on Kentwood’s first play of overtime, leading the Conquerors past the Warriors 35-28 in a state-qualifying game at French Field.

Coleman, who finished with 255 total yard, also hauled in a short pass from quarterback Luke Angevine in the second quarter and skirted down the left side line for a 62-yard touchdown.

But he saved his biggest play for last, bolting through the right side of the Warriors’ line, shedding a pair of one-armed tackles and going 40 yards for the score.

It was Coleman’s longest run from scrimmage all night.

“This is amazing,” said Coleman, a first-year starter, who now has more than 1,300 yards rushing this season. “Coach told me before (overtime) to keep my feet moving and to hold the ball tight and I got loose. My line was blocking for me, everybody came over to get me and I just kept my feet going. Just like my coach said.”

Coleman outperformed Edmonds-Woodway star Tony Heard, one of the state’s premier running backs. Heard, a punishing 5-foot-11, 230-pounder, was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year last season and came into the night averaging more than 160 yards per contest.

He fought for 139 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries on Friday, but was mostly contained by a geared up Kentwood defense.

That defense turned it up yet another notch on Edmonds-Woodway’s lone possession in overtime. Moments after Coleman’s score, the Warriors received the ball at Kentwood’s 25-yard line. Rather than go with Heard up the middle, the Warriors’ bread-and-butter play all night, E-W chose trickery.

It failed miserably.

Quarterback Sean Lindsey pitched to Heard, who rolled out for a halfback pass. The pass, intended for star receiver Din Kuses, was picked off in the end zone by Kentwood’s Devin St. Clair, sealing the victory and sending Kentwood Nation into a wild, celebratory frenzy.

“I remembered that they did the halfback pass and I saw (Kuses) go out deep,” said an elated St. Clair, who was equally huge Friday night, racking up 189 total yards (143 in returns, 30 receiving and 16 rushing). “I saw it was going to be a sweep, so I was going to come up, then I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not.’ And I tried to sprint back there as fast as I could.”

“He threw it the wrong way.”

Indeed.

Because with the win, Kentwood (8-2) grabbed its first state berth since 2005. Edmonds-Woodway (7-3) falls on the other side of the spectrum. The Warriors, who advanced to the state semifinals in each of the last two years, will be going home.

Kentwood will play the winner of tonight’s Issaquah/Marysville-Pilchuck game on the road this Friday or Saturday in a state opener.

Afterward the, Kentwood coach Rex Norris couldn’t have been happier with his team’s performance. It was Kentwood’s seventh straight victory since starting the season 1-2.

“When you can pull off games like this with everything in the background, it validates everything,” he said.

It appeared the Conquerors would wrap up the win in regulation.

Tied 21-21 with 6:45 remaining in the game, Kentwood delivered one of its finest drives of the season, alternating handoffs between Coleman and sophomore Joseph Banks. The tandem helped the Conquerors eat up 4:03 of the game clock, culminating with a 2-yard touchdown run from Angevine. The score gave the Conquerors a 28-21 lead with just 1:42 remaining.

Coleman accounted for 39 of the 75 yards while Banks added 34.

“That’s the toughest (Darrius) has run all year,” Norris said proudly. “He was lowering his shoulder and the catalyst to that long drive.”

Edmonds-Woodway immediately answered as Az Primacio followed with a 94-yard kickoff returning, tying things 28-28 and momentarily silencing the Kentwood crowd.

The touchdown return set the stage for Kentwood’s frantic finish.

“This means everything,” St. Clair said.

Tahoma falls to Jackson

Tahoma delivered one of its finest defensive performances of the season Friday night at Everett Memorial Stadium.

But in the end, it simply wasn’t quite enough for the Bears, who fell to Jackson 16-10 in a loser-out, state-qualifying game.

The Bears took a 7-0 first-quarter lead over the Wolves, the Wesco South’s No. 1 seed, on a 5-yard touchdown run from Josiah Anderson.

Jackson’s Taylor Cox responded with a 5-yard touchdown run of his own in the third quarter. The Wolves pushed their lead to 10-7 at the half on a 38-yard field goal from kicker Daniel Sullivan.

Tahoma (6-4), the South Puget Sound League’s No. 4 seed, tied it in the third quarter with a 21-yard field goal from Britton Jolley.

Jackson put the game away in the final quarter on an 8-yard touchdown run from Riley Carr.