Tri-Cities Christian battles early before TKA pulls away

JOHNSON CITY — Tri-Cities Christian Academy football coach Robbie Norris will gladly run a ball-control offense over his preferred "modified air raid" if it means the Eagles have a better chance to win. That approach kept TCA alive in the first half. But a few explosive plays allowed The King's Academy to finally distance itself at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium on Thursday, defeating the Eagles 44-14. Down 23-0 after a high snap resulted in a safety, Tri-Cities Christian (2-2) tried for the onside kick from Phillip Hauk. Nathan Rashidi recovered, igniting a quick three-play scoring drive. Coen Kestner found Hauk wide open for a 27-yard gain, and Ian Kelly busted loose up the middle for a 33-yard touchdown. Kestner hit Kelly for the 2-point conversion to make it 23-8. "He never came out of the game, until I had to take him out," Norris said of Kelly. "He's a dang warrior." Matthew Strickler gave the Eagles a chance to pull even closer before halftime with his interception and 19-yard return near midfield on an out route. Josiah Williams' run and Kestner's 15-yard completion to Kelly both converted fourth downs before time ran out. Kestner drove TCA 80 yards in 11 plays for their final touchdown, scoring himself on a 2-yard sneak. He completed 8-of-15 passes for 162 yards, four of those to Kelly for 84 yards. "Coen, just a warrior, playing quarterback and defensive back, his second year playing … Ian's second year playing football, a lot of 8-man last year, he just keeps getting better," Norris said. "In grades 9-12, we have like 18 kids. We dressed some eighth graders that we didn't play. It sounds like excuses, but it's not meant to be. We're improving, we're getting better. I'm proud of the way they played. They played hard." And they dominated time of possession 34:22 to 13:38 while converting all three times on fourth down. Kelly led the rushing attack with 97 yards on 13 carries, and Maddox Johnson had two catches for 37. Williams finished with 12 carries for 45 yards and grabbed one of TCA's biggest highlights when he hurdled a would-be tackler in the fourth quarter. Had he been playing in a college game, Williams wouldn't have drawn a penalty for hurdling. "That's my fault coaching wise, but that was sort of fun to watch," Norris admitted. "I'd be remiss if I didn't say our offensive line is playing a lot better. We're playing some young guys and they're getting better, showing some physicality." WELCOME BACK, LIONS The King's Academy (2-0) — one year removed from not fielding a gridiron team at all — scored six plays into its first drive, which covered 83 yards. Nickolas Martinez got the payoff on a 51-yard catch from Samu Kurtyak. Mate Boros burned the Eagles twice in the second quarter, catching a 32-yard TD from Kurtyak and then a crossing pattern from Younes Halabi which turned into a 79-yard score. Kurtyak and Boros connected again for a 47-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Kurtyak, who went 8-of-9 for 191 yards and four touchdowns while Halabi hit 1-of-3 for 79, found Cosmin Susara for a 27-yard TD to make it 37-8. Viktor Kristiansen gained 110 yards on nine carries, capping his night with a 7-yard touchdown. Boros led the Lions with three TDs and 176 yards on just four catches. UP NEXT TCA heads to Raceland, Ky., on Sept. 4 to face Fairland (Ohio) at 6 p.m. THE KING'S ACADEMY 44, TRI-CITIES CHRISTIAN 14 TKA&emsp;7 16 14 7 — 44 TCA&emsp;0 8 0 6 — 14 First quarter TKA — Nickolas Martinez 51-pass from Samu Kurtyak (Leonard Heinicke kick) Second quarter TKA — Mate Boros 32-pass from Kurtyak (Heinicke kick) TKA — Boros 79-pass from Younes Halabi (Heinicke kick) TKA — SAFETY (high snap recovered in end zone) TCA — Ian Kelly 33-run (Kelly pass from Coen Kestner) Third quarter TKA — Boros 47-pass from Kurtyak (Heinicke kick) TKA — Cosmin Susara 27-pass from Kurtyak (Heinicke kick) Fourth quarter TKA — Viktor Kristiansen 7-run (Heinicke kick) TCA — Kestner 2-run (pass failed)