10/29/2026
Kentwood 34, Stadium 24
(Kent, WA) It was a final tune-up on Thursday night as the Stadium Tigers and Kentwood Conquerors battled at French Field in Kent. With third place in the NPSL 4A on the line, both Stadium and Kentwood already had punched their tickets to the Round of 32 but would hope to boost their rankings and get a more favorable matchup in the playoffs. Momentum was also at stake as Stadium entered the night coming off back-to-back wins while Kentwood was in search of their fourth win in a row. A two-point win for Kentwood late year indicated that they were in for another tight ballgame with Stadium.
1st Half
Stadium received the opening kick and thanks to a penalty and a couple of completions from Alexander Richards moved the ball past midfield. A tackle for a loss by James Armstrong would put a stop to that drive and forced a punt. Kentwood didn’t far much better as the Conks went three-and-out to give the ball back to Stadium but the defenses continued to shine. A pitch on an option hit the turf and was scooped up by Eden Gilbert who took it in for the score. A defensive touchdown got the scoring started with Kentwood grabbing a 7-0 lead.
Stadium responded with a couple of first down runs by Liam Clayton before a 20-yard completion from Richards to Abe Cooper to move the Tigers right back down the field and into Kentwood territory. Penalties would then plague Kentwood as a pass interference and a hold moved the ball inside the 10 and the game into the 2nd quarter. On the first play of the quarter, Liam Clayton finished off the 11-play, 85-yard drive with a a four-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 11:54 left in the 2nd quarter.
It looked like the Stadium defense would force a quick three-and-out again, but the corner tried to make a play on the ball and came up empty, resulting in a 27-yard catch and run for Eden Gilbert into Tiger territory. A touchdown pass from Calvin Ibale was dropped which could have derailed the Conks drive. However, a screen pass to Jacob Bail moved the sticks as Kentwood continued to march. A hold would negate a completion inside the 10 and instead Kentwood had to go for it on 4th and 17 and Michael Fike made up for the drop with a 28-yard reception to the seven. Another hold negated an Ibale touchdown run as Kentwood started to go backwards. A strong catch and run of 15 yards for Caleb Erickson set up a run down to the one for Eden Gilbert. On 4th and goal from the one, a direct snap to Ezra Moaalii resulted in a short touchdown to cap off a 15-play drive to put Kentwood back in front 14-7.
Looking to steal a free possession, Kentwood went with an onside kick but it bounced out of bounds to give Stadium great field position at their own 45. Alex Richards started to use his legs more with some scrambles and run-pass options. He continued to target primarily Abe Cooper but Liam Clayton continued to be a workhorse. Head coach Patrick Johnson decided to get crafty and rolled Richards out to his right befored handing it back to Vincent Nofo heading the other way. Nofo would have three blockers for just one defender and made his way in for a 15-yard score to tie the game back up 14-14.
Kentwood wasted no time in marching down the field starting from their own 35 with just 2:27 to go before halftime. They needed just three plays to get inside the 10 thanks to a 42-yard pass from Calvin Ibale to Jacob Bail. The senior wide receiver also fought inside the 10 on a screen pass as Kentwood kept the clock from moving while quickly moving the ball down the field. Calvin Ibale would find Ezra Moaalii for a 10-yard touchdown pass in a 43 second drive to make it 20-14 Kentwood after a missed PAT. The final 1:44 came off with a missed 51-yard field goal by Noah Collins which sent us to halftime with Kentwood leading Stadium 20-14.
2nd Half
Some confusion on the opening kick of the second half forced Kentwood to begin their driver at their own seven. A great tackle by MarQuees Huggins forced a three-and-out for Kentwood and the Conks had to punt from their own goal line. That gave Stadium great starting field position at the Kentwood 47 with an opportunity to tie or take the lead. A nice scramble on 3rd down by Alex Richards moved the chains and kept Stadium from having to make a decision on 4th down. A hold would slow down the Tigers but beautiful movement in the pocket by Richards erased that penalty on 10-yard pass to Vincent Nofo. Another 3rd down conversion to Abe Cooper set up Stadium but the Kentwood defense made a stand, forcing 4th and goal from the two. Stadium would go for it but the Cnnks stood strong with a goal line stand to keep Kentwood out in front on a turnover on downs.
A couple of nice runs by AV Woods would allow Kentwood to get a little bit of breathing room for a punt. A bad snap made things worse for Kentwood as Stadium got the ball at the Conks 17. Stadium would kill the final 1:44 of the 3rd and took the game into the 4th with the ball at the 6. Alex Richards rolled to his right and fired a six-yard strike to Kyle Bolender. A successful PAT from Noah Collins and Stadium was in front 21-20 with 11:52 to play.
A hold on the kickoff once again pinned Kentwood deep in their own territory, starting at their own 10 and trailing for the first time in the game. AV Woods found room for a 19-yard gain to at least jump start the Conquerors drive to get some momentum back on their side. The next play would be a fumble recovered by Stadium’s Marko De La Torre to give the Tigers a takeaway at the Kentwood 31. The Tigers quickly faced a 4th and four but decided to go for it and Alex Richards found some running room for six yards and a first down. Jacob Bail ended up knocking away a 3rd down pass and Stadium had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Noah Collins, which he hit to make it 24-20 with 7:09 to go.
It took 13 seconds for that Stadium lead to disappear. The Tigers elected to go with a squib kick that made it back to Eden Gilbert. The big weapon on offense made and impact in the other two phases as he found room up the Kentwood sideline and with clean blocking, he was gone. 85 yards from Eden Gilbert brought the home crowd to life as Kentwood went up 27-24 with 6:56 to play.
Stadium had to start a drive on their own side of the field for the first time in the second half and it didn’t go well. They would quickly face a 4th down and a fake punt wouldn’t bail them out as it was incomplete for a turnover on downs. Kentwood had the ball at the Tiger 37 with just 5:50 to go and they were more worried about the clock than scoring. However, they wouldn’t pass up on a score. Ezra Moaalii broke through on 3rd down for a 28-yard score to give Kentwood the largest lead of the game at 34-24 with 4:18 to go.
All hope was not lost as Stadium started a big drive from their own 45. They would march down thanks to a big catch by Odin Kalalau but a field goal try was what Stadium had to settle for. A delay of game negated a 21-yarder from Collins and the 26-yarder was blocked by Mana Vi in what turned out to be the knockout shot. However, the Tigers would force a punt down by 10 with 1:27 to go. That was too tall of a task for the Tigers with Darian Williams finishing off the game with an interception. Kentwood’s defensive and special teams touchdowns lifted the Conks to a 34-24 win over Stadium.
Sumner Holiday Inn Express MVP of the Game
The MVP went to Kentwood senior Eden Gilbert. Gilbert got the scoring going for the Conks on a scoop and score on the defensive side. He also ran back an 85 yard kick-off to retake the lead in the 4th quarter. On top off all that he played lock down corner all game on Stadiums top receiver.
Stats
Kentwood 109 yards Rushing and 156 yards Receiving
Calvin Ibale 10-18 156 yards and 1 TD 3 rush 6 yards
Avan Woods 7 rushes 42 yards, Darian Williams 4 rushes 8 yards 1 catch 0 yards INT , Ezra Moaalii 5 rushes 44 yards 2 TD 2 catches 18 yards 1 TD, Eden Gilbert 2 rushes 9 yards 2 catches 36 yards Def TD 85 yard Kickoff return TD, Jacob Bail 2 catches 25 yards, Michael Fike 2 catches 62 yards, Caleb Erickson 1 catch 15 yards.
Stadium 132 yards Rushing and 211 yards Receiving
Alex Richards 16-30 211 yards 1 TD 1 INT and 15 rushes 35 yards,
Liam Clayton 17 rushes 70 yards 1 TD, Dayton Sorn 3 rushes 12 yards, Vincent Nofo 1 rush 15 yards 1 TD 4 catches 60 yards, Odin Kalalau 4 rushes 5 yards 3 catches 38 yards, Abe Cooper 7 catches 79 yards, Kyle Bolender 2 catches 34 yards 1 TD.
What’s Next?
Kentwood ends the regular season at 5-4 overall and 5-2 in NPSL play while finishing 3rd in the league and enter the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. Stadium ends the season at 4-5 and 4-3 in the NPSL 4A and finish 4th in league. Both teams will wait for Sunday when they find out their Round of 32 opponent with time and location to be determined shortly after.
Link to watch full game replay on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
West 42 Sports Postgame Show
Video Highlights
Eden Gilbert Scoop and Score Touchdown for Kentwood
Vincent Nofo Reverse Sweep Ends in Touchdown for Stadium
Alexander Richards Finds Kyle Bolender To Take the Lead for Stadium
Eden Gilbert Gives Kentwood Back the Lead with a Kickoff Return TD
Mana Vi II With the Game Sealing FG Block for Kentwood
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