The Central Kings Gators football team continues to roll, while the NKEC Titans got back on the winning track in NSSAF football action Oct. 13.
In the annual Thanksgiving ‘Turkey Bowl’ games, the Gators blanked West Kings 15-0 in Auburn, improving to 5-0 on the season, while the Titans shut out Avon View 13-0 in Windsor, snapping a one-game losing streak.
In Auburn, the Gators and Wolverines tangled in a defensive battle, with neither team prepared to give an inch.
Central Kings took a 1-0 lead, the first scoring of the game, in the final minute of the first half when a field goal attempt bounced through the end zone.
The score remained 1-0 until well into the fourth quarter, when the Gators’ Ben Best broke several tackles en route to a 35-yard touchdown run. A Tommy Daniels convert made it 8-0 CK.
On the ensuing possession, the Gators recovered a West Kings fumble and took over first-and-10 at the West Kings 11. Two plays later, Connor Ross connected with Matt Priestnall on a six-yard touchdown pass. Daniels’ convert rounded out the scoring.
“A win is a win,” CK head coach Larry Priestnall, who said his team could have played better offensively, remarked after the game.
Priestnall was glad for the fourth quarter scoring, adding, “I’m glad it didn’t end up 1-0.” The Gators, he pointed out, “decided to take the wind in the fourth quarter,” and it made a difference.
He acknowledged West Kings “has improved a lot” since the first time the teams met this season – a 36-3 CK win Sept. 7 in Cambridge.
Priestnall added his team “made a lot of mistakes on offence,” including penalties and a lot of dropped passes. “It’s something we’ll have to keep working on.”
The Gators’ defence, on the other hand, “was great, especially Noah Graves, who must have had seven sacks.”
On the other side, West Kings coach Aaron Evans was pleased with his team’s performance. “We held our own against a first-place team,” he said, adding the Wolverines “are a different team than when we played (CK) in September.”
A big part of the West Kings offence this season has been second-year quarterback Dylan Struble, who left the game in the third quarter with an injury to either his left shoulder or collarbone.
Struble did not return to the game. “We don’t know how bad it is,” Evans said after the game. “Hopefully he’ll be okay. He’s a big part of our offence.”
Unfortunately, the team confirmed Oct. 15 Struble had broken his left collarbone. “He’s doing okay,” coach Evans said, but he confirmed the quarterback was lost for the remainder of the season.
The Wolverines, who entered the game on a two-game winning streak, fell to 2-3 with the loss. The Gators, meanwhile, clinched first place with the win.
In Windsor, NKEC turned in what head coach Reg Ogilvie termed “an outstanding defensive game” in blanking Avon View.
The Avalanche, he said, “have improved greatly as the year has gone on, and gave us everything we could handle.” The Titans “didn’t execute well on offence, but had great special teams play, and our defence was lights-out for the entire game.”
Riley Misner and Morgan Isnor scored touchdowns for the Titans. Hugo Couvert had a pair of interceptions on defence, just one of the highlights for a NKEC defensive unit that was “outstanding.”
NKEC improved to 3-2 on the season with the win, while Avon View fell to 2-3.
View a slideshow from the game.
The Central Kings Gators football team continues to roll, while the NKEC Titans got back on the winning track in NSSAF football action Oct. 13.
In the annual Thanksgiving ‘Turkey Bowl’ games, the Gators blanked West Kings 15-0 in Auburn, improving to 5-0 on the season, while the Titans shut out Avon View 13-0 in Windsor, snapping a one-game losing streak.
In Auburn, the Gators and Wolverines tangled in a defensive battle, with neither team prepared to give an inch.
Central Kings took a 1-0 lead, the first scoring of the game, in the final minute of the first half when a field goal attempt bounced through the end zone.
The score remained 1-0 until well into the fourth quarter, when the Gators’ Ben Best broke several tackles en route to a 35-yard touchdown run. A Tommy Daniels convert made it 8-0 CK.
On the ensuing possession, the Gators recovered a West Kings fumble and took over first-and-10 at the West Kings 11. Two plays later, Connor Ross connected with Matt Priestnall on a six-yard touchdown pass. Daniels’ convert rounded out the scoring.
“A win is a win,” CK head coach Larry Priestnall, who said his team could have played better offensively, remarked after the game.
Priestnall was glad for the fourth quarter scoring, adding, “I’m glad it didn’t end up 1-0.” The Gators, he pointed out, “decided to take the wind in the fourth quarter,” and it made a difference.
He acknowledged West Kings “has improved a lot” since the first time the teams met this season – a 36-3 CK win Sept. 7 in Cambridge.
Priestnall added his team “made a lot of mistakes on offence,” including penalties and a lot of dropped passes. “It’s something we’ll have to keep working on.”
The Gators’ defence, on the other hand, “was great, especially Noah Graves, who must have had seven sacks.”
On the other side, West Kings coach Aaron Evans was pleased with his team’s performance. “We held our own against a first-place team,” he said, adding the Wolverines “are a different team than when we played (CK) in September.”
A big part of the West Kings offence this season has been second-year quarterback Dylan Struble, who left the game in the third quarter with an injury to either his left shoulder or collarbone.
Struble did not return to the game. “We don’t know how bad it is,” Evans said after the game. “Hopefully he’ll be okay. He’s a big part of our offence.”
Unfortunately, the team confirmed Oct. 15 Struble had broken his left collarbone. “He’s doing okay,” coach Evans said, but he confirmed the quarterback was lost for the remainder of the season.
The Wolverines, who entered the game on a two-game winning streak, fell to 2-3 with the loss. The Gators, meanwhile, clinched first place with the win.
In Windsor, NKEC turned in what head coach Reg Ogilvie termed “an outstanding defensive game” in blanking Avon View.
The Avalanche, he said, “have improved greatly as the year has gone on, and gave us everything we could handle.” The Titans “didn’t execute well on offence, but had great special teams play, and our defence was lights-out for the entire game.”
Riley Misner and Morgan Isnor scored touchdowns for the Titans. Hugo Couvert had a pair of interceptions on defence, just one of the highlights for a NKEC defensive unit that was “outstanding.”
NKEC improved to 3-2 on the season with the win, while Avon View fell to 2-3.
View a slideshow from the game.
