The opening of subregion play in 7-AAAAA turned out to be business as usual for fifth-ranked Kell, which won its 21st consecutive regular-season game on Friday at the Stockyard.
But Forsyth Central gave the Longhorns all they could handle, tying the game late in the third quarter before eventually coming up short in a 28-14 Kell victory.
Cameron Rosendahl threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Josh Blancato on the first play after Forsyth Central tied the game 14-14 with 2:35 to play in the third quarter, and the Longhorns put it away on Rosendahl’s 1-yard run with 2:58 remaining in the game.
Rosendahl completed 15 of 19 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Bryson Armstrong caught seven passes for 94 yards, and Blancato had 113 yards on three receptions. The Longhorns (4-0, 1-0) also got 74 yards rushing on 16 carries from Itabari Mason.
“We’ve got to go back and get better ourselves and do the things that we’re good at,” Kell coach Derek Cook said. “We’re not real sure what that is right now. In some cases we’re throwing stuff against the wall and hoping it sticks, having some success with some plays that I wouldn’t really call our bread and butter.”
Forsyth Central (2-2, 0-1) stayed close behind the running of Shaun Diebel and Sabrian Howard, who combined for 258 yards on the ground. Diebel finished with 161 yards on 24 carries, and Howard had 97 yards on 17 carries. The Bulldogs attempted just two passes, including one on their final drive after they had fallen behind by 14 points.
Kell took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 5-yard fumble return by Corey Robinson and an 8-yard pass from Rosendahl to Evan Carnes. Forsyth Central answered with a 1-yard sneak by Trey Abercrombie on the first play of the second quarter that cut the lead to 14-7.
“I told our guys this week that they’ve got a different head coach [Shane Williamson] and they’re playing different than they’ve ever played,” Cook said. “This is his second year with them, and they’re starting to show what their identity is going to be. They’re looking for a signature win and were looking for it against us tonight. And regardless of what it says on the scoreboard, they’ve earned our respect.”
Forsyth Central – 0-7-7-0 – 14
Kell – 14-0-7-7 – 28
K – Corey Robinson 5 fumble return (Julien Chang kick)
K – Evan Carnes 8 pass from Cameron Rosendahl (Chang kick)
F – Trey Abercrombie 1 run (Devin Wozniak kick)
F – Shaun Diebel 37 run (Wozniak kick)
K – Josh Blancato 73 pass from Rosendahl (Chang kick)
K – Rosendahl 1 run (Chang kick)
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