Kelly football team's offense comes alive in 36-6 win over Charleston

~ Ethan Faries finished with 156 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries to lead the Hawks

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Kelly offense was in control for most of the game on the road against Charleston on Saturday, due largely in part to Hawk running back Ethan Faries.

The junior rushed for 156 yards on 17 carries and scored twice to lead Kelly to a 36-6 win over Charleston at Charleston High School.

"I honestly had no idea how many I had, I was just finding holes and making my way through them all day," Faries said about his career day carrying the football. "Those guys on the O-line made it possible, though. It was tiring for all of us, but they made everyone's day a lot easier."

Kelly (3-3) was coming off its first-ever road win and looking to add the first-ever winning streak to its resume.

Hawks coach Kenneth Riedinger said it was the best game he's seen his team play this season.

"We're getting better everywhere," Riedinger said. "It's just the fact that we're getting some experience. Each and every week we get a little bit better, so that's what it's all about for us. We didn't have any experience at all and now six weeks into the season we're 3-3 and showing some teams we can play. We just like playing football and getting that experience."

The two teams exchanged fumbles to begin the game, before Brenton James forced another Charleston (0-6) fumble that landed right at the feet of teammate Maurice Davis.

Davis wasted no time jumping on the ball, but instead scooped it up and worked his way down the right side of the field and into the end zone for the first score of the game. The 45-yard fumble return and James' extra point gave Kelly a 7-0 lead with 5:13 remaining in the first quarter.

"I just saw the ball on the ground, and I couldn't believe it was right there," Davis said. "I just took advantage and took it to the house."

Less than a minute later, Kelly forced another turnover when Faries picked off Charleston quarterback Evan Burton and returned it for 46 yards to the Charleston 1 yard-line. On the next play, Faries carried for the 1-yard score, and James' extra point was good for a 14-0 lead with 4:31 left in the first.

The Hawks forced two more turnovers in the first half, including an interception by James.

"Two weeks in a row, we've had near shutouts," Riedinger said. "There are a few mishaps and some penalties here and there, but other than that, we're playing pretty good defense. We just have to keep tackling and keep getting better."

Davis scored his second touchdown of the game with a little over two minutes to play in the first half. Davis beat his man down the right side of the field on a wheel route. Kelly quarterback Kyle Fitzgerald found a wide-open Davis for a 40-yard touchdown pass. Davis scored on a two-point conversion run to extend the lead to 22-0 before halftime.

"Off the ball, I made a pretty good move and got behind him. I knew my quarterback would find me," Davis said. "I just saw the ball and made sure to catch it before I ran it in."

Charleston only had two first downs in the first half. The Blue Jays struggled to establish any kind of offense throughout the game.

Charleston had a chance to get on the board before halftime after driving 40 yards down the field to the 20-yard line, but penalties stalled the drive.

The Blue Jays committed 12 penalties for 80 yards in the game.

"When you put the ball on the ground, commit that many penalties and give up 22 quick points when you're not a high scoring offense, it's going to hurt you. It's as simple as that," Charleston coach Brett Blackman said.

Kelly didn't waste any time on offense in the second half. Faries set the Hawks up with good field position at the 35-yard line. Fitzgerald found Huffman on a 10-yard slant over the middle during the next play, which was good for a first down. A 15-yard face mask penalty put the Hawks in Blue Jay territory. Faries took off on the next play with a 25-yard run, his longest of the day, putting Kelly at the Charleston 15.

Fitzgerald found Huffman for the second time of the drive, this time in the back of the end zone. Faries ran in another two-point conversion to make it 30-0 with 9:49 left in the third quarter.

Charleston finally got on the board with 7:58 to play. Fitzgerald dropped back and felt pressure immediately from Charleston defenders. Flushed in the pocket, Fitzgerald threw an off-balanced pass right to Charleston linebacker Jeremy Tucker, who returned the interception 25 yards for a touchdown. A two-point conversion failed as Charleston cut into the lead 30-6.

Kelly answered back with a score three minutes later. Faries took control of the drive by either rushing or catching a pass during the six-play drive. Faries rushed for 35 yards, caught a 19-yard pass and capped it off with a six-yard touchdown run to extend the lead and secure the win.

Riedinger said he's proud of how well his team has done so far this season.

"We were sound in everything we did today," Riedinger said. "It feels great to be where we're at, and to work as hard as we do in practice, it's nice to come out with wins. When we're winning ball games right now, we deserve them, and we're doing it the right way."

Kelly 14 8 8 6 -- 36

Charleston 0 0 0 6 -- 6

First Quarter

K -- Maurice Davis 45 -- yard pass interception return (Brenton James kick), 5:13

K -- Ethan Faries 1 -- yard run (Brenton James kick), 4:31

Second Quarter

K -- Davis 40 -- yard catch (Davis two -- point conversion), 2:05

Third Quarter

K -- Dalton Huffman 15 -- yard catch (Faries two -- point conversion), 9:49

Fourth Quarter

C -- Jeremy Tucker 24 -- yard pass interception return (two -- point conversion failed), 7:58

K -- Faries 6 -- yard run (two --point conversion failed), 5:12

K C

First downs 9 12

Rushes-yards 26-168 43-147

Passing yards 94 29

Passes 7-10-1 2-6-1

Fumbles-Lost 3-2 3-3

Penalties-Yards 5-35 12-80

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Kelly, 17-156, Dalton Huffman 2-4, Maurice Davis 2-20; Charleston, Jeremy Tucker 19-65, 10-43, Tyler Craig 6-25, Evan Burton 6-18.

PASSING -- Kelly, Kyle Fitzgerald 7-10-94-1; Charleston Burton 2-6-29-1

RECEIVING -- Kelly, Davis 1-40, Huffman 2-22, Faries 1-19; Charleston, Rontavious Clark 1-15, Jamarious Fisher 1-14.