Ascension Episcopal could not find an answer for Kentwood's rushing attack as the Roos upset the Blue Gators 42-16 in the regional round of the Division IV select playoffs Friday night.
No. 12 Kentwood scored 30 unanswered points in the second half to escape the hostile home environment of No. 5 Ascension Episcopal.
"I told the guys, it stinks that this is the game we're left with," Blue Gators head coach Stephen Hearen said.
The Blue Gators struck first scoring on the second play of the game when Branon Mitchell connected with Hayes Trotter for a 62-yard touchdown with 11:22 remaining in the first quarter.
"We started off a little slow, but we knew we were a second half ballclub, and we knew if we could stay in the game, we would finish strong, we finished strong every week. We're gonna finish strong," Kentwood head coach Cornelius Blount said.
Ascension Episcopal were already missing sophomore quarterback DJ Kelly due to an ankle injury when second-string quarterback Mitchell went down to a rib injury with 6:45 remaining in the first quarter.
"Being down a quarterback in the first quarter completely takes you out of your game plan," Hearen said.
The Blue Gators trailed 10-12 at halftime despite the loss of their planned starting quarterback for the game, according to Hearen.
"We fought hard through the adversity and that's something we can point to. We weren't 9-1 for no reason," Hearen said
Ascension failed to score again without their two quarterbacks until 0:16 in the fourth quarter with the Kentwood starters on the bench.
"We just couldn't get multiple hats on the ball which is something we've done all season," Hearen said.
The Roos rushed 45 times for 295 yards in the game with Jamarion "Shun" Burton leading the way with 204 yards on 30 attempts mostly coming in the second half.
"That's all (Burton) does. We have full contact scrimmages every Wednesday, and he's out there punching our defense," Blount said.
The Blue Gators showed a lot of heart throughout the season to make it to (9-1) with a first-round bye after missing the playoffs in 2023, Hearen said.
"This has been from day one when the team came together on Memorial Day. The moments we had this season have proven that we had a great group of guys and I loved being around them," Hearen said.