Kentwood beats Capital for repeat title

TACOMA — James Sipe made the swipe of his life to help Kentwood defend its Class 4A state high-school football championship last night at the Tacoma Dome with a 35-28 victory over Capital.

Sipe, a senior who didn't play last season, picked off Jordan Carey's halfback pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown as the Conquerors took a 35-21 lead early in the fourth quarter, then held on for the victory.

Junior running back Will Thompson added 214 yards on 34 carries and, after the game.

"I just wanted to let everyone know I'm the No. 1 back in the state," he proudly proclaimed afterward.

But it was Sipe's third interception of the season that broke Capital's will and made up for what he felt was a lackluster performance in the state playoffs.

"I've been feeling like I haven't been doing enough in the past few games," he said. "It feels good to have the opportunity to do something good for the team."

It was about the only bad thing the versatile Carey did all night. The Capital senior, who has signed with Oregon, finished with 163 all-purpose yards, including 129 yards receiving. He caught eight passes, two for touchdowns.

Sipe's interception came when Kentwood (13-1) led 28-21 early in the fourth quarter. The Cougars (10-3) from Olympia were driving for the tying touchdown and went with some trickery. Carey, who generally lines up as a wingback or wide receiver, took a handoff from quarterback Jon Oatman and tried to throw back across the field to Oatman. Sipe stepped in front of the ball and had clear sailing into the end zone.

"The ball was coming right to me and I just did my job and took it to the house," he said.

Carey, who threw a touchdown pass earlier this season, made no excuses.

"I just threw it out there and the cornerback made a good play," he said.

Kentwood, which beat Pasco 38-24 in last year's championship game, became only the fourth school in 4A history to win back-to-back titles and the first since Curtis of Tacoma did it for the second time in 1995 and '96. The Vikings also won in 1989 (over Kentwood) and '90. Juanita (1984-85) and Mount Tahoma (1979-80) also captured two straight.

This was the Conquerors from Covington's third appearance in the title game over the past four years. They lost in 1999 to Richland, after eliminating Capital in the semifinals

Last night's victory was the 13th in a row for the Conquerors (13-1), who lost their season opener to Kentridge, 22-20. It took them awhile to put Capital away, despite taking 14-0 and 21-14 leads. But the Cougars tied it at 21 when Carey turned a short catch into a dazzling, 31-yard touchdown as he broke three tackles on his way to the end zone with 4:16 left in the third quarter.

Thompson helped put Kentwood back on top again, breaking runs of 19 and 18 that helped set up Justin Forney's 3-yard TD burst with 54 seconds left in the third period as the Conquerors went back on top 28-21.

Then came Sipe's interception.

But Kentwood was able to run out the clock, thanks to some nifty runs by Thompson and a lucky bounce. It was third-and-one at the Kentwood 46 when fullback Justin Forney fumbled. But he recovered the ball and gained just enough for the first down with a little less than two minutes left.

There were plenty of heroes in this one. Junior quarterback Kalen Roy completed 10 of 17 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns — each to different receivers. Thompson didn't have a rushing TD, but turned a screen pass into a 21-yard score that staked Kentwood to a 14-0 lead.

"He's as quick as a hiccup," Capital Coach Wayne Sortun said.

But momentum quickly turned on a pair of Kentwood fumbles, both of which led to Capital touchdowns. Thompson lost the handle on his 12th carry of the game, and the Cougars recovered at their own 37. It took them just five plays to get into the end zone, including a 21-yard pass from Oatman to Carey, who went up and took the ball away from Ravotti to set Capital up at the Kentwood 30. Ben Tolman ripped off a 17-yard run to the 13, and Carey picked up seven more to the 6. From there, sophomore Tony Davis fought his way in from 6 yards, and Ben Schrager's extra-point kick cut the gap to 14-7 with 5:26 left in the half.

A Kentwood bad punt snap then set Capital up at the 35. It took the Cougs just two plays to score from there, with Tolman running up the middle on a 25-yard TD tie it at 14.

That was plenty of time for Kentwood to answer back. Adrian Chandler returned the kickoff 34 yards to the Kentwood 47. It was the Roy show from there — with some help from Brett Haack. Roy completed four passes on the 53-yard drive, two of them to Haack, who made diving catches on both, including the 3-yarder just inside the goal line with 38 seconds left.