Whatever is being said at halftime is working for the King’s Way Christian football team.
That’s because the Knights have shown to be a dangerous team in the second half through six games this season.
King’s Way scored 28 straight points in the second half to pull away for a 42-24 win over Stevenson on Friday.
Owen Paulsen threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Caleb Silva. The sophomore quarterback also rushed for a touchdown.
Asher Wyckoff had three interceptions to lead a defense that held Stevenson to 219 yards.
With King’s Way (4-2, 2-2) tied for fourth place in the Trico League, Friday’s home win was crucial in the chase for the league’s four postseason berths.
After Friday’s game, King’s Way coach Dale Rule implored his players to replicate how they’ve played late in games earlier.
“We’re 6 for 6 in playing great in the second half,” King’s Way coach Dale Rule said. “But we might be 0 for 6 playing great in the first half.”
King’s Way jumped ahead 14-0 when Silva got behind Stevenson’s defense for a 42-yard touchdown catch with 4:04 left in the first half.
But Stevenson (2-4, 1-3) responded on the first play of the next drive. Derek White hauled in a deep pass for an 80-yard touchdown from Jude Travinski.
The Bulldogs then pulled even just before halftime when Travinski scored on fourth and goal from the 2 yard line. That was set up by a blocked kick that gave Stevenson the ball at the 6.
King’s Way used halftime to regroup.
“We went up to where we meet and we got together as a team,” Wyckoff said. “We believe in each other and what we can do. Just fly around, hit people, get through our gaps and do our jobs. If we do that, we’ll win the game.”
Wyckoff’s first interception kick-started the second-half surge. Paulsen then threw a 74-yard pass to Ryan Charlton to flip the field. Two plays later, Paulsen was in the end zone on a 10-yard run.
“We came out flat but at the end of the day we know we’re better than that,” Paulsen said. “We just had to raise our expectations.”
One week after rushing for 280 yards and three touchdowns, Charlton was held to 58 yards on 19 carries. But that led to opportunities in the passing game including a season-high 119 yards receiving for Charlton.
“They keyed on Ryan,” Rule said. “They had a great gameplan early but we made some adjustments. If you’re going to pack the box, we’ll throw the ball on you.”
Silva, a state track and field champion in his first year of football, caught his second touchdown late in the third quarter. That 20-yard strike put the Knights ahead 28-14.
Paulsen extended the lead early in the fourth quarter by finding Grayson Bagley for a 20-yard touchdown. His 327 passing yards were a career high and his second game this season of more than 300 yards.
Charlton’s 10 yard rushing touchdown put King’s Way ahead 42-14. The senior has seven rushing touchdowns this season, including at least one in five games.
The Knights have a tougher test next week against undefeated Seton Catholic, the No. 2-ranked team in Class 1A. For King’s Way to have a chance, the Knights know they must play their second-half brand of football from the opening kickoff.
“We can be so much better,” Wyckoff said. “We have so much potential. We just need to use it.”
KING’S WAY CHRSTIAN 42, STEVENSON 24
Stevenson 0 14 0 10—24
King’s Way 7 7 14 14—42
First quarter
KW – Ryan Charlton 10 pass from Owen Paulsen (Colin Hermes kick)
Second quarter
KW – Caleb Silva 42 pass from Paulsen (Hermes kick)
S – Derek White 80 pass from Jude Travinski (Skylar Polzel run)
S – Travinski 2 run (run failed)
Third quarter
KW – Paulsen 10 run (Hermes kick)
KW – Silva 20 pass from Paulsen (Hermes kick)
Fourth quarter
KW – Grayson Bagley 20 pass from Paulsen (Hermes kick)
KW – Charlton 10 run (Hermes kick)
S – Nate Kick 12 pass from Travinski (Polzel run)
S – Safety, runner out of bounds in end zone
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Stevenson: Skylar Polzel 10-23, Jude Travinski 12-6, Derek White 2-(minus-3). King’s Way: Ryan Charlton 19-58, Sam Somarakis 1-(minus-5), Kian Krueger 2-3; Grayson Bagley 1-5, Owen Paulsen 2-8.
PASSING – Stevenson: Jude Travinski 16-30-3-193. King’s Way: Owen Paulsen 14-25-0-327.
RECEIVING – Stevenson: Derek White 6-123, Nate Kick 3-43, Logan Polzel 5-33, Skylar Polzel 2-12. King’s Way: Ryan Charlton 4-119, Rylan Richter 2-56, Asher Wyckoff 3-43, Sam Somarakis 1-15, Caleb Silva 3-62, Grayson Bagley 1-20.
