The Kenmore Cardinals are 4-2 this season following their latest win over North 21-0.

in his second year as head coach of the Cardinals, Ed Peltz has been able to turn the program around. Numbers for the football team are up. The number of wins is up as Kenmore becomes a power once again in the City Series.

On his 'Local Loop' program heard on 1590 WAKR, Friday morning, Jeff Brewer talked with Peltz about the recent success of the Cardinal Football Program.

The Kenmore High School continues the resurgence in their high school football program with a convincing 21-0 win over the North Vikings Thursday night at InfoCision Stadium.

Kenmore improves their record to 4-2 overall, 2-1 in the City Series.  North remains winless on the season at 0-6 and 0-2 in the City Series. 

The Cardinals got on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Using their ground attack featuring Justin Jones and Willie Johnson, Kenmore took the ball from their 45 yard line to the North 25.  On the next play, Kenmore quarterback DeSean Ballinger completed a 19-yard pass to Sophomore Wide Receiver Chris Richardson to get the ball to the North 6.  On the next play, Jones took the ball up the middle and into the end zone for a touchdown.  On the try for extra point, Kenmore faked a kick by Deon’tae Moore and gave the ball to Tavares Parmer who ran it in for two points.  Kenmore had an 8-0 lead. 

Kenmore scored their next two touchdowns off North turnovers. 

The Cardinals recovered a North fumble at the Vikings 44.  In six plays, Kenmore got into the end zone.  Johnson scored on a three-yard run off tackle.  Moore’s try for extra point was no good and the Cardinals had a 14-0 lead less than one minute into the second quarter.  The Cardinals would have gotten into the end zone quicker, but were slowed by two false start penalties.  Those penalties and others in the game got under the skin of Kenmore Head Coach Ed Peltz.  ‘We got a little sloppy.  Mental mistakes.  Luckily, we have a longer week to fix those’. 

In the second quarter, Kenmore’s defense forced a second Viking turnover.  Following a North interception by Jashawn Williams at their 13, the Vikings offense took over.  Their possession lasted one play. 

On a quarterback sweep, North’s Caleb Kennedy lost the ball following a hard hit by Kenmore linebacker Deon’tae Moore.  Moore jumped on the loose football at the North 13.  Three plays later, Ballinger hit Ben Gulley on an 8-yard crossing route for Kenmore’s third touchdown.  Moore kicked the extra point giving Kenmore a 21-0 lead.

North’s deepest penetration of the game took place just before halftime.  North took the ball from their 25 to the Kenmore 8 yard line. With two second remaining in the second quarter, Kennedy’s pass to Shannon Johnson fell incomplete.

As the rains increased in the third and fourth quarters, both offenses put the passing offenses away and concentrated on the run game. 

“Our sloppy play has nothing to do with the weather”, said Peltz.  “I don’t want to make excuses.  We know what we are capable of doing and we have to play to that potential.

Kenmore plays at St. Thomas Aquinas next Friday night. North’s next opponent is the Buchtel Griffins next Saturday.

The Firestone Falcons captured their first victory of the season in defeating the Kenmore Cardinals 14-12 at Kenmore Stadium Saturday afternoon. 

The game could have been called the ‘turnover bowl’.  Both teams turned it over a total of nine times, five of those were committed by the Falcons. 

Firestone head coach Tim Flossie was glad his team cracked the win column.  “At the age of 62 any win is a good win.  We made a lot of dumb mistakes.  We were able to control the football in the second half and ran out the clock.”

But, the win wasn’t that easy. 

Kenmore took advantage of a Firestone fumble on their second series in the first quarter.  Linebacker Deon’tae Moore swatted the football out of Quarterback Nick Heimbaugh’s hands and pounced on the loose pigskin at the Falcon 29-yard line. 

In four plays, Kenmore found the end zone on a 14-yard run by sophomore running back Willie Johnson.  Ben Gulley missed the try for an extra point and the Cardinals had a 6-0 lead.

Firestone battled right back following the kickoff.  Heimbaugh completed three passes in the seven play drive.  He hit junior wide receiver Kevin Gladney with a 38-yard touchdown pass down the right sidelines to tie the game at 6.  Joshua Brebant’s try for the extra point was blocked by the Kenmore defense. 

Kenmore took over following the ensuing kickoff, the Cardinals turned the ball over as Stefan Willis picked off Kenmore quarterback DeSean Ballinger’s pass to the Cardinal 25 yard line. 

But, the Falcons couldn’t move the ball.  Brebant was called on to kick a 42-yard field goal.  Tavares Parmer picked up the ball and scampered 58 yards for a Kenmore touchdown.  The try for a two-point conversion was no good and Kenmore had a 12-6 lead just one-minute into the second quarter.

Each team had the ball three additional times in the second quarter, but couldn’t come up with any points.  The Cardinals held a six-point lead at half.

On their initial possession of the third quarter, Firestone got into the end zone for what proved to be the game winning score.  It was a 10-play, 50-yard drive, helped in large part by three Kenmore penalties.  The drive stayed alive thanks to a 13-yard hookup between Heimbaugh and Christian Morgan on a fourth-and-four.  Dontel Stone finished off the drive with a three-yard dash into the end zone. 

With the game tied at 12, Firestone lined up to kick the extra point.  The Falcons faked the try as the holder Brad Shields ran to the right and hit running back Edmund Williams in the corner of the end zone for two points giving Firestone a 14-12 lead.

Kenmore had a chance to re-take the lead in the fourth quarter.  Moore caused another fumble by Heimbaugh that was recovered by Kenmore’s Darnell Vickers at the Falcons 22-yard line. 

But, Kenmore couldn’t move the ball.  On a fourth-and-12 at the Falcons 24, Ballinger tried to hit Ben Gulley in the end zone.  Willis drifted over and picked the ball off and returned it to the Firestone four-yard line.

“I always try to read the quarterback’s eyes”, said Willis.  “When I see the ball in the air, it’s mine and I go and get it.”

“We made a couple of mistakes, a couple of balls that we should have caught.  Then, it would have been a different story,” said Kenmore head coach Ed Peltz. 

Firestone is 1-3 overall, 1-0 in the City Series.  Kenmore is 2-2 overall, 0-1 in the City Series.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Firestone 6-0-8-0=14

Kenmore 6-6-0-0=12

FIRST QUARTER       :

K – Willie Johnson 14 yard run (Kick no good) 6:04

F – Kevin Gladney 38 yard pass from Nick Heimbaugh (Kick blocked) 2:01

SECOND QUARTER:

K – Tavares Parmer 58 yard return of a blocked field goal (Pass failed) 11:46

THIRD QUARTER:

F – Dontel Stone 3 yard run (Pass good Shields to Williams) 2:31

FOURTH QUARTER:

No Scoring