Knights back in Final 4

ALBANY — In a wild game that shifted from a head-spinning first half of offensive fireworks to a second-half defensive standoff, the Deerfield-Windsor Knights’ decisive final drive followed suit.

In all, it spanned six minutes, went 86 yards and featured two fourth-down conversions. As DWS nursed a seven-point advantage they marched the field in 15 plays — 14 runs, one pass.

One pass that returned Deerfield-Windsor to the GISA Final 4.

On third-and-5, Knights QB Banks Kinslow faked a 15th consecutive run and found Justin Webb running open down the middle of the field for the game-clinching final touchdown in a 35-21 victory against First Presbyterian Day at Webb Memorial Field.

“That was the greatest feeling I have felt in my whole life,” said Webb, whose team will host Pinecrest on Friday for a berth in the state title game. “I didn’t know what to do. I just started jumping with everybody and just celebrating. I just put the ball down and ran around looking for anybody to hug.”

The touchdown and celebration took down a resilient FPD team that racked up 425 yards of offense and scored a TD as time ran off the clock before halftime to pull within 28-21.

In the second half, though, the DWS defense that had not allowed more than 13 points since a 24-21 loss to FPD on Sept. 4 made a stand. Three times the Vikings held the ball with a chance to drive for the game-tying score but came away empty. Two of those drives died in Deerfield territory.

“There is nothing like playing the team that beat you by three points and then just shutting them down in the second half and not giving them anything,” linebacker Rhett Cooper said.

The Knights defense held up the first-half work of running back Tony Zenon, who had touchdown runs of 48 and 57 yards. He finished the game with 16 carries for 154 yards.

Still, the Vikings could have tied the game if not for the long final Deerfield drive. It nearly stalled at midfield when the Knights were faced with fourth-and-1. Without hesitation, coach Allen Lowe decided to go for it and a QB sneak by Kinslow made him look good.

The same decision and result came again on fourth-and-inches from the 40 on the next set of downs.

“If you (punt) it, your kids won’t look at you,” Lowe said of the call. “You’ve got to go for it. We went for it twice and if you can’t get an inch you deserve what you get.”

What they got was the perfect call for a touchdown. Kinslow says there were whispers throughout the preceding 14 plays of hitting one shot over the top against the FPD defense stacking the box. Zenon even asked the sideline for it at one point.

“I would have liked to just churn it out and run the whole clock out,” Lowe said. “We felt like we had a good chance to get the big one.”

Zenon came in motion to fake a running play the Knights ran all game. The defense bought it.

“The safety came up and Justin ran right by him,” Kinslow said. “I just laid it up there for him.”

The two connected for a 60-yard touchdown pass earlier — one of only three Kinslow complete passes in the game. He finished 3-of-8 for 119 yards and two scores.

Following the game, Cooper’s eye black ran down his face and he screamed about defending last year’s state championship with the same intensity as when he was chasing FPD QB Ryan Smith around the field.

By moving the Knights’ winning streak to 10 games and avenging its last defeat, they return to the doorstep a year later.

“We wanted these guys bad,” Cooper said. “We wanted to get them back for beating us in the season. Now the next game is for getting back to the state championship and winning another ring.”