Kings Dominates in Victory over Withrow

It wasn’t IMG Academy and West Toronto Prep bad, but the Kings Knights 49-28 victory over the Withrow Tigers on Friday night was one-sided. This was a matchup between the Tigers, 8-3 and champions of the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference and the Kings Knights, 10-1, second in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. There was some hype going into this matchup between the fifth seed Tigers and fourth seed Knights.

On a beautiful night for football in the tri-state, the stage was set for the second round of the Division II, Region 8 playoffs. The Tigers won the coin toss and chose to defer, giving Kings the ball to start the game. The opening kickoff was returned by Jake Cameron to the 42 yard-line. Quarterback Will Kocher, the fourth highest passer in the city, went to work. Early in the season, Kocher utilized his legs more than his arm but that changed throughout the season. Kocher, who threw for 2,847 yards and 33 touchdowns on the season, marched his team down the field on two passes to Michael Mussari and one to Jay Holubetz, for a total of 36 yards, setting up a first down from the 22 yard line. After a 10 and 5 yard run by Kocher, the Knights were facing a 3rd and 5 from the 7 yard line. Kocher dropped back and found Cameron in the end zone for a touchdown, giving Kings the lead.

Withrow sophomore athlete, Quintin Simmons got things going for the Tigers with a kickoff return to the 31. Quarterback Troy Montgomery and the Tigers offense were unable to muster anything, coupled with a personal foul penalty, the Tigers were forced to punt after three plays. The Tigers defense was not to be outdone, two plays after Kings taking over, Kocher made his first mistake, having his pass intercepted by Eric Gayle. With the ball at their own 36 yard-line, Montgomery and the Tigers offense marched down the field in seven plays, capping off their touchdown drive with a 29 yard touchdown strike from Montgomery to Gideon Tafari-Thompson. The PAT was good and we had a brand new game, tied at seven.

The ensuing Kings drive was the beginning of the end for Withrow. The Knights went on a 10 play, 89 yard drive that culminated with a Kocher 4 yard touchdown run.

Montgomery through the air and the combination of LeShawn Huckleby and Zion Shaw on the ground helped Withrow drive it down to the Kings 35 yard line. The drive lasted 9 plays before the Kings defense forced another punt. Taking over at their own 18 yard-line, Kocher and the Knights offense went to work. After 10 yards on the first two pass plays, Kocher found Nate Lyman for 21 yards and Cameron for 46 yards, setting up a first and goal from the 5 yard-line. Three plays later Kocher found Mussari to give Kings the 21-7 lead. Two plays later, senior linebacker Nick Hoying picked off Troy Montgomery to once again give Kings the football. Up 21-7, Kocher found Lyman for the touchdown, extending their lead to 28-7.

The Tigers were not going to go away. After returning the kick off to the 39, three plays later Montgomery hooked up with Galen Combs for a 62 yard touchdown, cutting the Kings lead in half. After Cameron muffed the ensuing kickoff, Kocher and the Kings offense started their drive at the 13 yard-line. The drive start didn’t matter to Kings because their response was swift. On the first play of the drive, Kocher and Mussari hooked up once again, this time for an 87 yard touchdown. Up 35-14 and under 8 minutes to go in the half, the Kings defense went to work. The Tigers were able to drive the ball to the Kings 41 yard-line before Eric Gayle sacked Troy Montgomery on 4th and 5, giving Kings the ball back. Kings eventually made Withrow pay as Kocher once again found Mussari for their third touchdown connection. Two plays later Michael Evans picked off Montgomery two plays into the ensuing drive, giving Kings the ball back with just 27 seconds left in the half. Kocher took the knee and Kings went into the locker room up 42-14 at the half.

Down 28 points to start the second half, the Tigers went to work trying to cut into the Kings lead. The opening kickoff of the half was returned by Terhyon Nichols to the 40 yard-line. On the first play, LeShawn Huckleby ran for a solid gain of 19 yards. He followed it up with a 5 yard gain. Two plays later, he rushed it again for 26 yards, setting up a first and goal from the 4 yard line. On 4th and goal from the 2, Zion Shaw rushed it in to cut the lead in half. Down 42-21 the Withrow defense rose to the occasion when junior defensive back, Chris Payne intercepted a Will Kocher pass, giving Withrow the ball back and a chance to cut into the Kings lead even more. Troy Montgomery rushed for 10 yards on the first play. Things got worse for Withrow on the next play when the Tigers attempted a trick play, wide receiver pass but Galen Combs’ pass was intercepted by Kings defensive back, Paul Kelly.

The Knights were unable to convert on their opportunity as Withrow’s defense forced a Kings punt. With the momentum on their side, Withrow put together a decent drive before the Kings defense snatched the momentum right back. On the seventh play of the drive, Kings linebacker Nick Hoying got his second interception of the game, this time housing it for a pick six and sending the crowd into a frenzy. The PAT was good and Kings restored their 28 point lead. Withrow was driving down the field once again before Montgomery was intercepted for the fourth time. This time, Montgomery was victimized in the endzone and it was Colton Weisbrod who made the pick. Weisbrod returned the interception to the 10 yard line.

The Tigers defense stepped up, forcing a three and out. The Tigers went on a 10 play drive that culminated in a touchdown pass from Montgomery to Quinton Simmons. The PAT was good and the score was 49-28 with just 3:47 to go. That would be how the game would finish. Ultimately, Montgomery trying to force some passes and penalties that were the downfall for the Tigers. Withrow had one hell of a season but the highly disciplined and fundamentally sound Knights proved to be too much. The victory sends Kings into the regional semifinal matchup against top-seeded Winton Woods. These two teams met in a classic battle in week 7, where the Warriors came out on top.

Chris Asbrock is the owner, writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy