Etherson Is Nearly Perfect in Leading Kennedy to Victory

Geoff Etherson was nearly unstoppable Friday night as he completed 17 of 19 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns to lead Kennedy to a 26-0 Empire League victory over Katella at Western High.

Reaping the benefits of Etherson’s accuracy was wide receiver Rhema McKnight, who caught 10 passes for 179 yards, including a 32-yard leaping grab between two defenders in the end zone to give Kennedy a 7-0 first-quarter lead.

After Katella quarterback Chris Haller fumbled the snap at the 17-yard line with 48 seconds left in the first half, Kennedy quickly capitalized on the miscue. Etherson found McKnight for a 16-yard pass to the one, and Kelvin Beatty took it in for the touchdown on the next play for a 14-0 halftime lead.

Kennedy (7-1 overall, 3-0) scored on the opening drive of the second half as Etherson eluded several would-be tacklers in the backfield and fired a 34-yard touchdown strike to a wide-open Dionte Holloway, finishing off a six-play, 63-yard drive.

The game’s final score was highlighted by the hustle of Holloway. From the 38, Etherson lobbed a pass to McKnight along the sideline. McKnight caught the ball, juked a defender and appeared to have an easy score. However, McKnight was stripped of the ball at the seven, it rolled into the end zone, and Holloway covered it up for a 26-0 lead.

The Fighting Irish defense, which allowed only 13 points a game, kept Katella (3-5, 1-2) out of its territory most of the game. Ruben Torres was a bright spot for the Knights, finishing with 103 yards rushing in 25 carries.