Football championships: Kentwood outlasts field for second straight year

Tahj Bomar basked in the afterglow.

The Kentwood senior was feeling a lot of satisfaction yesterday, and a little sentimental, as he reflected on the Conquerors' ability to successfully defend their Class 4A football title on Saturday night at the Tacoma Dome with a 35-28 win over Capital.

"Last year was exciting, because it was the first time," said Bomar, who can now concentrate on getting ready for his college career at Washington. "But this year it means a little more to the seniors because it was our last game."

Bomar was one of a handful of juniors who helped Kentwood win the school's first football title last year with a 38-24 victory over Pasco, the 2000 champion. Few expected the Conquerors to be back in the title game this season after losing a core of key players, including quarterback Carl Bonnell, a three-year starter, and 2,000-yard rusher Kevin Jones. But they never doubted themselves, not even after a 22-20 loss to Kentridge in the opening game of the season.

"Our goal all along was to do it again," senior Ryan Conwell said after the Conquerors won their final 13 games to repeat as champions at 13-1. "Even after we lost that first game, we knew we'd lost it because we made some bad plays. All we had to do was play the way we were capable."

Conwell was part of last year's championship team, too, starting at linebacker and seeing some time at tight end. But he played in the shadows of Bomar, the team's leading tackler, and Dane Bolinger, who exploded for a remarkable 20-1/2 sacks as a senior.

"This was better because I was more a part of it," Conwell said. "I started last year, but this year I was a captain."

And he closed out his Kentwood career in fitting fashion with another impressive defensive performance that included a bone-jarring sack that resulted in a Capital turnover in Saturday's first half. Conwell finished the season with a team-high 13-1/2 sacks. He also caught a season-high four passes in the title game for 33 yards.

Senior Justin Forney, Kentwood's blue-collar fullback, scored a touchdown, giving him 12 for the season. Brett Haack, another unheralded senior, was outstanding with three catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Ravotti, the team's leading receiver, hauled in two more balls for 47 yards and a TD.

Then there was James Sipe, who came up with the play of the game when he intercepted Jordan Carey's halfback pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown in what was basically a 14-point swing. Sipe, a senior who didn't get his first pick of the year until the final regular-season game against Tahoma, finished with three picks for the season. Not bad for a guy who hadn't played football since his sophomore year. He sat out last year, concentrating on school work, but caught the bug when he saw the Conquerors capture that first title.

"After watching last year's championship game and seeing how everybody came together as a team and how great they were, I just had to come out this year and play," Sipe said.

Two other newcomers to the lineup, quarterback Kalen Roy and running back Will Thompson, played monumental roles all season and were at their best Saturday night. Roy completed 10 of 17 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns. Thompson rushed for 214 yards on 34 carries and also caught a 21-yard touchdown pass. Afterward, he proclaimed himself the best running back in the state. With 1,895 yards in 11-plus games (he had two carries in a 12th), Thompson has a case.

Roy and Thompson are just juniors, which gives Kentwood fans reason to dream about a three-peat, something no 4A team has accomplished.

"You can never count Kentwood out," Bomar said.

Sandy Ringer: 206-464-8294 or sringer@seattletimes.com.