KENNEWICK -- Joey Jansen has all the offensive weapons in the world on Kamiakin's potent spead offense.
So it was a little odd to see him throw a 17-yard fade to defensive standout Jon Allen for the Braves' final touchdown in a 25-13 CBBN 3A win over Kennewick on Friday night at Lampson Stadium.
But after the kind of night Allen had -- nine tackles, 2 1/2 sacks and two tackles for loss -- the touchdown pass was well earned after leading Kamiakin's defense against a pumped-up Lions team led by Drew Loftus.
"I haven't been getting that many reps (at tight end). This was my time to shine," said Allen, who stopped Loftus on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line on Kennewick's first drive and then sacked him twice in the fourth quarter to help squelch Lions drives.
"You can't say too much about (Allen). He's 160 pounds but he plays like he's 260," said Braves coach Scott Biglin, who watched his team improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the CBBN 3A. "At the beginning of the game, he was getting blown back (by Kennewick tackle Tyler Morfin), but he made some adjustments."
The Lions came out fired up, as Loftus marched his team down the field on the first drive, flaring a pass to Bodie Simpson for 18 yards and a first down at the Kamiakin 8.
But the Braves held them off, as Loftus tried to sneak in behind a trio of backfield blockers on fourth-and-2.
Allen was one of the first players to meet the senior quarterback, helping the Kamiakin defense make its first big statement.
"We knew Drew was a key player, and we tried to target him," Allen said.
Kamiakin's offense started slow, going three-and-out on its first two possessions before Jansen hit Tim White for a 65-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline just 22 seconds into the second quarter, giving the Braves a 7-0 lead.
Jansen hit White for another score just before the half. White hauled in a pass in the left flat and beat Loftus to the pylon to make it 13-0 with 40 seconds remaining before halftime.
"White's a great player. We made a couple of mistakes in the back end," said Lions coach Bill Templeton. "It was a frustrating start."
But Kennewick fired back on its first drive of the third quarter as Grant Woods scampered off right tackle for a 36-yard touchdown, capping a six-play, 60-yard drive to pull the Lions within 13-7.
The teams traded scores later in the quarter to make it 19-13 Kamiakin heading into the final frame.
Loftus was heating up, starting from his own 23 he led the Lions past midfield and into Braves territory. But the drive stalled, setting up a fourth-and-2 at Kamiakin's 42 yard line with 7:54 left in the game.
The handoff went to Woods, who appeared to be close to the first-down marker. But the official spot left the ball inches short of a first, and Kennewick turned it over on downs.
"We fumbled the ball away two plays later, but it was big stop," Biglin said.
The Braves forced a three-and-out and then Jansen led a 10-play, 94-yard drive with a TD pass to Allen for the final score.
"At Moses Lake we ran the same play but threw to (Zach) Umemoto, so (Allen) was crying about that," Biglin joked. "Tonight, he showed he can do it all."
Kamiakin 25, Kennewick 13
Kamiakin 0 13 6 6 -- 25
Kennewick 0 0 13 6 -- 13
SCORING PLAYS
Kam--Tim White 65 pass from Joey Jansen (Garrett Bowe kick)
Kam--White 18 pass from Jansen (kick failed)
Ken--Grant Woods 36 run (Paul Martinez kick)
Kam--Dom Davis 3 run (pass failed)
Ken--Devven Ramos 24 pass from Drew Loftus (kick failed)
Kam--Jon Allen 17 pass from Jansen (kick failed)
STATISTICS
RUSHING--Kam, Zach Umemoto 9-36, Cody Wilmoth 3-11, Jansen 4-23, James Swinyard 1-10, Davis 5-14. Ken, Loftus 23-86, Zak Albertin 9-33, Ramos 1-8, Woods 7-42.
PASSING--Kam, Jansen 16-32-2-245. Ken, Loftus 15-28-0-129.
RECEIVING--Kam, White 5-115, A.J. Griffiths 6-76, Tyler Perrins 1-14, Swinyard 1-4, Umemoto 1-11, Jesse Houser 1-10, Allen 1-17. Ken, Bodie Simpson 6-33, Ramos 7-78, Albertin 1-8, Bryce Leavitt 1-10.
FIRST DOWNS--Kam 15, Ken 18. FUMBLES-LOST--Kam 1-1, Ken 1-0. PENALTIES-YARDS--Kam 6-45, Ken 11-101.
