The play is named “Hudson” and Young doesn’t call it very often.
It’s reserved for when the Dolphins really need a long gain, and the timing was clearly right on Saturday afternoon at Lane.
Kenwood had just scored to go ahead by six points with under two minutes left. Young took over after the kickoff on its own 48-yard line.
On the first play, senior Quinn Duhon was wide open down the left sideline and caught the perfectly thrown pass from junior quarterback Von Konrad for a 52-yard touchdown. Solomon Bradley kicked the PAT and the Dolphins’ defense closed out a 14-13 Public League Red victory.
“I was surprised I was so open,” Duhon said. “But I don’t know what they were expecting. I just ran past my guy and it was good to get in the end zone.”
When Konrad saw the play unfolding, he had one thought: “Better put it on him, wide open.
“That one’s been brewing all year. It was electric.”
Nikola Dale, a four-year starting lineman who had never beaten Kenwood, couldn’t believe it.
“I was so shocked,” Dale said. “I’m blocking, I don’t know what’s going on, there’s like four defensive linemen in front of me. And I just watched the ball go to Quinn Duhon wide open. It was crazy.”
Dan Finger, whose first game as Young coach was a 48-0 loss to Kenwood in 2019, said the Dolphins worked on the play all week.
“We just didn’t want to run it into the wind and then we didn’t want to run it on certain down and distance. Saving it, saving it, saving it. And we talked about it at halftime, we gotta run [it].
“We knew he was gonna be open, we didn’t think he was gonna be that open, though.”
Neither did Kenwood coach Chris Goffer. “Busted coverage,” he said. “We’re not doing our job.”
Konrad was 6 of 12 for 114 yards for Young (6-0, 4-0) and Luke Yolich added a short touchdown run late in the first half.
The game was a rematch of last year’s Public League title game, won by Kenwood 26-19.
“We’ve arrived, right?” Duhon said. “Coach was saying that whatever we do today, it’s not going to avenge the loss last year. Those seniors we had last year went home with a loss, but it’s really good for this team this year to win.”
For Kenwood (2-4, 2-2), junior dual-threat quarterback Anthony Crooms was effective in both phases. He was 15 of 25 for 160 yards passing and ran 17 times for 55 yards and two touchdowns.
His second TD run from 1 yard came with 1:46 left and gave the Broncos a 13-7 lead. Kenwood lined up to kick the PAT, but a high snap led to a desperation pass that fell incomplete.
The Broncos also lost a fumble at the Young 5-yard line that was recovered by Yolich, who had a late interception as well.
“We’ve just got to get out of our own way,” Goffer said. “Simple as that. I don’t think Whitney Young beat us. I think Kenwood beat Kenwood at the end of the day.”