CLACKAMAS -- Another week, another big-time performance by Clackamas receiver Richard Kennewell.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound junior continued his breakout season Thursday night by catching three passes for 123 yards – all for touchdowns -- as the top-ranked Cavaliers turned back hungry Reynolds 38-12 in a 6A Mt. Hood Conference football game.
Kennewell scored on catches of 16, 83 and 24 yards to help host Clackamas (7-0, 2-0) expand its lead from 10-6 to 31-6.
“He’s a weapon, isn’t he?” Cavaliers coach Joe Bushman said of Kennewell.
Kennewell had two touchdown catches through three games but has nine scores in the last four games. The run started with an eight-catch, 233-yard performance against Lake Oswego and it hasn’t stopped.
“The balls are getting thrown to me, I’m making plays. It’s fun,” Kennewell said. “I’m getting more confident, but I’m still staying humble. I don’t want to be cocky.
“Lake Oswego was a big game for me. But I’ve always tried my hardest in whatever I do on the field. Lake Oswego just showed that a little bit more.”
Clackamas junior quarterback Austin Atkeson isn’t surprised.
“He’s a player,” Atkeson said. “Me and him growing up, he’s been my best pal all my life. Me and him have been playing football since the third grade together, and he’s my No. 1 receiver. I’ll throw it up to him anytime I get a chance. He’s a player. He’s really underrated, I think.”
Two of the scoring strikes came from junior Caleb Jordan, the 83-yarder from Atkeson. The latter occurred midway through the second quarter after the Clackamas defense made a goal-line stand, stopping the Raiders on fourth-and-goal at the 1.
“That was a big play right there,” Atkeson said of the long pass. “It felt really good to throw that. To see him running down the field, it felt really good.”
The play seemed to break the back of the Raiders (5-2, 1-1), who held their own early in the game but suffered from self-inflicted mistakes.
On its first play, Reynolds fumbled it away to Clackamas at its own 21-yard line, leading to a 42-yard field goal by senior Jeffrey Nelson to make it 3-0.
On the next series, Reynolds went for it on fourth-and-three at its own 38, but couldn’t handle the snap and took a 20-yard loss. Junior Anthony Talavera ran for an eight-yard touchdown, and it was 10-0.
In all, the Raiders had five turnovers. The Cavaliers had three fumble recoveries – two by junior JeanElie Fleck and one by senior Justice Pagan – and got interceptions from junior Aaron Ruth and senior Jailen Hammer.
Reynolds trailed 24-6 at half despite owning a 187-149 edge in total yards. The Raiders’ option offense, directed by senior Jaden Hawkinson, had the Cavaliers out of position at times but did not execute consistently.
“We thought we were just hanging around with one of the heavyweights in the state,” Reynolds senior receiver Kehdon Fletcher said. “Three turnovers in the first half put us down. It’s hard to overcome turnovers. I feel like we can go toe-to-toe with anybody in this state. We’ve just got to be able to execute.”
Bushman, whose team outgained Reynolds 343-341, was impressed with the Raiders.
“I think they’re really talented,” Bushman said. “They’re pretty physical up front, too. They’re a team, geez, I could see them getting into the playoffs and making some noise. They’re tough.”
Fletcher, who entered with eight touchdown catches, showed off his playmaking skills in the first half by making consecutive catches of 38 and 30 yards. He finished with five catches for 97 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown that finished the scoring.
“We knew he was a special kid,” Bushman said of Fletcher.
Talavera rushed for a team-high 68 yards on 11 carries before leaving with a leg injury in the third quarter. Senior Noah Hobbs ran for 51 yards on 16 carries for the Cavaliers.
Hawkinson completed 7 of 18 passes for 122 yards and rushed for 89 yards on 16 carries. Sophomore Miles Wilson added 83 yards on 18 carries.
jerryu@osaa.org
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