Watkins rushes for more touchdowns in league-opening victory over Fort Bragg
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LAKEPORT >> The Kelseyville Knights were a team on fire Friday night as they rolled up 41 first-half points while torching the Fort Bragg Timberwolves 41-14 in the North Central League I opener for both of these varsity football teams at Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport.
Senior running back Kyle Watkins rushed for four more touchdowns – giving him 10 in just three games this season – as Kelseyville improved to 2-1 overall. The heat generated by the Knights’ offense – 189 yards on the ground, including 131 by Watkins, and 163 through the air, including 139 yards receiving by Reme Strong – might have contributed to a fire atop the light standard that houses the large osprey nest on the visitor’s side of the field. It broke out after the game had concluded and was put out in short order by the Lakeport Fire Department.
All the scoring Friday took place in the first half as the Knights took a 41-14 lead into halftime. Kelseyville led 14-0 after one quarter, the first score coming on a Watkins 1-yard run set by a 56-yard pass from quarterback Brock Barrick to Strong. Following a Fort Bragg fumble recovered by the Knights’ Milez Gambria, Kelseyville scored again with 3:35 remaining in the quarter on a Barrick 35-yard strike to Strong. Jose Juarez kicked the extra point (he was 5-for-6 on the night) to make it 14-0.
Another Timberwolf turnover, this time a Watkins interception and 14-yard return, had the Knights on the move again early in the second quarter. Watkins capped the drive with a 5-yard run to make it 21-0 with 9:21 remaining in the half.
After forcing a Fort Bragg punt, Kelseyville needed only two plays to move 50 yards for a touchdown. After a Michael DeJohn 10-yard run, Watkins broke loose on a 40-yard touchdown run, and just like that it was 28-0 with 6:34 left.
The Timberwolves broke onto the scoreboard at that point with a long pass to make it 28-6, but Kelseyville answered on its next possession, DeJohn’s 6-yard touchdown run boosting the Knights’ advantage to 34-6.
Another Gambria fumble recovery, this time at the Fort Bragg 10-yard line, set up Watkins’ fourth touchdown of the half, a 10-yard run. Juarez booted the extra points to make it 41-6.
The Timberwolves scored on another deep pass right before halftime and added the two-point conversion to close to 41-14.
Barrick went 8-for-11 on the night for 163 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball twice for 17 yards. DeJohn added 36 yards on five carries.
River Calhoun helped anchor the Kelseyville defense with three solo stops, two of which resulted in negative yardage, and he also had five assists. DeJohn added three solo tackles and four assists while Daniel Anderson had four solo tackles and three assists.
Junior varsity
Kelseyville also won in junior varsity action, building a 21-0 lead and beating Fort Bragg 21-8. Like their varsity counterparts, the Knights are now 2-1 overall.
A punt block by Andrew Souza set up Kelseyville’s first score as teammate Jayden Fabisch scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown with five minutes left in the first quarter.
The Knights scored again with 1:11 remaining in the quarter on a 51-yard run by Aiden Smith.
Kelseyville’s defense came up big early in the second quarter as a Gordon Astrup quarterback sack led to a fumble that the Knights recovered. They then went on a 6 ½-minute drive that ended with quarterback Kimo Brown’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Brayton Thomas.
Fort Bragg scored late in the fourth quarter to break up the shutout.
Kelseyville amassed 199 yards on the ground, divided between eight players. Smith led the way with 71 yards on four carries while Thomas finished with 51 yards on three carries. Thomas also had two catches for 19 yards, including the touchdown.
Brown finished the game 6-for-8 for 55 yards with two interceptions and a TD.
Deake Lyndall (two solo tackles, eight assists) and Case Pivniska (two solo tackles, seven assists) led the Kelseyville defense. Astrup finished with one solo tackle, five assists and two sacks.
Kelseyville’s teams hit the road on Friday to play Middletown. JV action kicks off at 5 p.m.
Kelseyville notes: As a “home team” at Don Owens Stadium, where the Knights are playing three games as the “home team” this year because their own field is undergoing renovations, Kelseyville now has the best winning percentage of any team to play there (1.000) … Clear Lake played in Upper Lake on Friday night and as the Cardinals were returning home to Lakeport, head coach Mark Cory said he could see the glow from atop the light standard where the fire was burning. “That doesn’t look right,” Cory said. “I just hope they have it fixed by next week.” Clear Lake is scheduled to host St. Bernard’s of Eureka in a home game this coming Friday … Coming home to your field on fire was just the perfect capper to the Cardinals’ evening after they lost 32-6 at Upper Lake in their league opener. Clear Lake’s JVs also came up short, falling 6-0 to the Cougars … The last time the Cougars won three games in a row was 2022 when they won their first three games of the season … Upper Lake has twice as many wins this season as last season (1-7).
