Eagles defeated after weather interruption
on September 13, 2011
Kennedy High had plenty of time to think about the second half of its football game against Miramonte – a full weekend, in fact, after the game was postponed Friday night by lightning and not resumed again until Monday. And although the Eagles lost to the Matadors, 42-22, they finished that second half strong to carry some positives into this week’s rivalry contest against Richmond.
With less than a minute left in the game, sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Whitely caught a 30-yard pass to put the Eagles in scoring position. On the next play, Whitely found the end zone on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Jason Thompson.
Senior wide receiver Kenny Walker then caught a pass from Thompson for the conversion and an additional two points, narrowing the final score.
“We finished strong and that is all that matters,” Walker said.
Walker, who has committed to play for Cal next season, had a visit after the game with one of his future college coaches.
After a series of lightning strikes, the game was delayed Friday night at Miramonte, freezing the score at 21-6 with 2:49 on the clock in the second quarter. The game resumed where it left off at Miramonte on Monday afternoon.
Even after the restart, the Eagles were slow to connect as a team.
“We made some key mistakes at 2:49,” Assistant Coach Dan Shaughnessy said about the beginning of the postponed game, “but at least we came back.”
At the halftime break, new Coach Mack Carminer urged his team to remember the essentials.
“We gotta execute,” he said. “We can’t forget what we are doing.”
The coach’s words seemed to resonate, as the Eagles improved in the third quarter, with a more successful passing game and stronger defensive line play.
At the end of the third quarter, Walker scored Kennedy’s second touchdown, narrowing the gap to 35-14, and giving the offense momentum to continue the game strong during the final quarter.
“The effort was getting there,” Carminer said.
Carminer may be new to the varsity coaching position, but he has been working with the same players since coaching the junior varsity since 2009, and carries that established rapport into the new season.
Kennedy now hopes to take some of that momentum into their home game against Richmond Friday at 7 p.m.
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