Led by freshman Altahir, Kamiakin rallies to take down Kennewick
And so it was that a freshman named Tuna shall lead them.
Kamiakin’s football team found itself in a tight battle Friday night against the visiting Kennewick Lions, holding just a 14-12 lead at intermission.
Braves coach Scott Biglin let his team — which lost a 33-0 showdown at Richland the previous week — have it in the locker room during the drawn out Homecoming halftime at Lampson Stadium.
“We put it on the seniors,” Biglin said. “They’ve got to start leading if we’re going to get to the playoffs. We challenged them.”
And the Braves did rise to the challenge.
But it was running back Tuna Altahir — a 5-foot-11, 170-pound freshman — who really took Biglin’s words to heart.
His 48-yard touchdown scamper on Kamiakin’s first offensive play of the second half gave the Braves the cushion they needed en route to a 35-12 Mid-Columbia Conference victory.
In fact, Altahir did some serious damage, rushing 23 times for 179 yards and three touchdowns.
“He’s pretty good,” Biglin said. “He’s got a lot more to learn. He missed some reads. But he just turned 15 (Thursday). He’s got that natural ability we all wish we had. Unfortunately (senior running back) Talmage (Jacobsen) went down (with a shoulder injury earlier this season). We knew that means next man up in this league.”
That would be Altahir, who runs smoothly, but he also has quick, shifty moves where he can stop on a dime and change directions.
“I knew it was time to step it up and help the team,” Altahir said. “I’m usually reading (the defense) for cutbacks.”
But the big play — the 48-yard run — needed no cutbacks. Just a sprint through a hole.
“The line did a great job blocking,” Altahir said. “I saw where the nose guard was, and our line blocked out the linebackers.”
Meanwhile, the Kamiakin defense stepped it up in the second half, holding Kennewick to 46 yards of offense in the final 24 minutes.
“We talked about it in the locker room at halftime,” Kamiakin senior linebacker Dillon Crawford said. “We needed to shut them down on defense, then get a touchdown on offense.”
The Braves added a Champ Grayson 2-yard TD run and Altahir’s third TD, a 4-yard run, to finish the scoring.
The Lions came out in the first half by pooching the kickoff into a spot that no Brave could cover, and Kennewick senior Cedric Riel sprinted to cover the loose ball. Five plays later, Lions QB Tim Gee dived in from the 1 for a 6-0 Kennewick lead.
“We used every trick play in the book in that first half,” said Lions coach Bill Templeton, whose team falls to 0-5 MCC, 1-6 overall. “I was proud of their effort. Our defense had four picks, got good pressure on their quarterback. I thought Tim Gee made some good throws. It’s a game of breaks. Getting that kickoff return ball right off the bat helped. We had our script ready to go.”
Altahir answered on the Braves’ next drive with a 10-yard TD run, and the Braves had the lead for good.
“Kennewick had a good game plan tonight,” said Biglin, whose Braves are now 4-1 in MCC play, 6-1 overall. “Any time you play a crosstown rival, it’s important. We came out slow tonight. They came out fast and we weren’t ready for it. Our players have got to be better. Our coaches have to be better. I’ve got to be better. We all gotta get better.”
NOTES
The Braves sacked Gee six times. Crawford led the way with nine unofficial tackles (one for loss), one hurry, a pass breakup, and a half sack. He was outstanding on kickoff coverage with three tackles. Fellow LB Parker Larson also shined with six tackles (three for loss) and a QB sack, while DB Benson Smith had six tackles (one for loss), one pass deflection, and an interception. ... Defensively, the Lions were led by DB Cedric Riel, who had seven tackles, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery. LB Emilio Ramos added five tackles (one for loss), a pass breakup, a hurry and an interception. ... Grayson also had a big game for Kamiakin at receiver, with five catches for 100 yards. ... Kamiakin needs a victory, either at Walla Walla next Friday or against Southridge on Oct. 26, to clinch the MCC’s top 3A berth to the postseason.
BRAVES 35, LIONS 12
Kennewick 6 6 0 0 — 12
Kamiakin 7 7 14 7 — 35
SCORING PLAYS
Ken – Tim Gee 1 run (kick failed)
Kam – Tuna Altahir 10 run (Kaden Shymanski kick)
Kam – Benson Smith 8 run (Shymanski kick)
Ken – Tucker Newman 9 pass from Gee (pass failed)
Kam – Altahir 48 run (Shymanski kick)
Kam – Champ Grayson 2 run (Shymanski kick)
Kam – Altahir 4 run (Shymanski kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Ken, Cedric Riel 12-39, Isaac Ruiz 7-22, Ethan Woolery 2-5, Newman 2-3, Cody LaFontaine 1-minus 3, Gee 11-minus 52, Totals 35-14. Kam, Altahir 23-179, Grayson 2-18, George Ramirez 2-6, Smith 2-6, Lucas Castilleja 1-minus 5, Payton Flynn 2-minus 15, Totals 32-189.
PASSING – Ken, Gee 9-21-1-71, Newman 1-1-0-3. Kam, Flynn 15-33-4-163, Smith 1-1-0-26.
RECEIVING – Ken, Newman 4-39, Zenon Thornton 2-17, Emilio Ramos 1-13, Gee 1-3, Moses McAninch 2-2. Kam, Grayson 5-100, Smith 6-63, Thane Thomas 2-24, Altahir 2-6, Colten Chelin 1-minus 4.
FIRST DOWNS – Ken 8, Kam 20. FUMBLES-LOST – Ken 0-0, Kam 4-1. PENALTIES-YARDS – Ken 7-50, Kam 10-75.
This story was originally published October 14, 2017 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Led by freshman Altahir, Kamiakin rallies to take down Kennewick."