Kenwood 31, Phillips 6
After receiving a bye in the quarterfinal round of the Prep Bowl playoffs, Kenwood, the second seed overall, faced off with Phillips, which was coming off of a win over Lane the previous week.
The wait was worth it for the Broncos as they got out to a quick lead and never looked back, cruising past the Wildcats into the city championship game for the second time in the past three years. They’ll look for the chance to again represent the Public League in the Prep Bowl on the day after Thanksgiving, but will need to get past Whitney Young first Saturday at Lane Stadium.
Kenwood’s offense has been dynamic all season, but unlike many of their games where it was the passing attack, it was the ground game that led the way against Phillips. Six Broncos combined for 29 carries and 326 yards. Senior Mako Grant led the way, rushing 15 times for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Grant hadn’t rushed for more than 53 yards in a game and had only rushed for a total of 249 coming into the game. Ethan Middleton was second on the team with eight rushes for 37 yards.
Young 14, Simeon 0
The Dolphins have had quite the year, coming into the game with an 8-3 record. Much like many of their games, it was the defense that led the way, shutting down a Simeon offense that had scored 26 or more points in four of its six wins.
Not only did Young shut the offense down, it didn’t allow the Wolverines to punch the ball into the end zone at all, picking up its fourth shutout of the year. The win puts the Dolphins in the city championship game, where they will attempt to win their first city title and make their first Prep Bowl in program history. They’ll have to get past a Kenwood team that scored 31 points in its wi over Phillips in the other semifinal, first though.
The game was tied 0-0 at half, with nobody scoring until multi-sport star Nasir Rankin scored on a run from over 30 yards out. The touchdown was his seventh offensive score of the year. He also added his sixth interception of the season and a forced fumble and recovery. Harrysson Ngassa sealed the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Hood with around three minutes remaining.
