With the game on the line and 4 minutes remaining, Issaquah left itself one option Saturday night — hand the ball to Grant Gellatly.
As he’s done all season, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior answered his team’s call. Gellatly, who rushed 31 times for career-best 313 yards, had five consecutive carries for 27 yards in the final three minutes. As a result, Issaquah ran out the clock and sealed a 31-28 win over Kentwood.
“My line was just phenomenal today,” Gellatly said. “I felt like I was getting to the second line every time. It really opened up.”
Gellatly’s record day resulted in three touchdowns, including a score on the opening drive of the second half. His 1-yard plunge gave Issaquah a 28-14 lead. Gavin Schumaker’s 28-yard field goal, with 2:07 left in the third quarter, provided the Eagles a commanding 31-14 lead.
But Kentwood wasn’t ready to lay down in the loser-out state contest.
The Conquerors, a team known for grinding out the clock, responded in just four plays. Quarterback Luke Angevine hit wide receiver Brad Duncan on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left in the third. The TD was set up by a 55-yard run from Darrius Coleman. Kentwood inched even closer with 4:40 to go in the game, scoring on a 7-yard scamper by running back Joseph Banks. The touchdown came after Issaquah turned the ball over on its third fumble of the game.
“I think we’ve only fumbled twice this whole season,” quarterback Joey Bradley said. “It’s just not us. It was a surprise.”
Issaquah took the first lead, 6-0, with 10:10 left in the first quarter. Gellatly ran up the middle of the line and juked two Kentwood players in the secondary, breaking free for a 68-yard score. The PAT was blocked.
“I told (my team) that they could score fast and they did,” Kentwood coach Rex Norris said.
The Conquerors responded on their next possession with a 5-yard TD from Coleman. Angevine gave Kentwood a 14-6 lead, just as the first quarter clock expired, connecting with Mike Roy on a 38-yard TD pass. The Eagles tied the contest with 3:24 left in the first half on a 3-yard dive from Dustin Talley and a two-point conversion pass from Bradley to Ross Zuhl. Issaquah then marched 76 yards in 1 minute, taking a 21-14 halftime lead after a 3-yard TD from Gellatly. The shifty running back had three carries for 60 yards on the drive.
“I knew from that first carry that he had a quicker step than I’ve seen,” said Bradley, who’s been friends with Gellatly since the third grade.
Issaquah improved to 9-2 with victory.
“I thought our kids played really hard, “Eagle head coach Chris Bennett said. “We were down early … with penalties and some bad field position, but we just kind of stayed with it and we were able to make some explosive plays on offense.”
Issaquah hosts Bothell (8-3), a team the Eagles beat 24-13 on the road earlier this season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., Saturday.
“They’re going to want to their revenge and we can’t let them have it,” Bradley said.
Issaquah vs. Bothell
Kickoff: 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22 at IHS
Quick look: The Cougars lost their first two games of the season and have since lost only one — the KingCo Championship contest, 16-12, to Skyline. Bothell relies heavily on the run behind back Patrick Ottorbech (1,294 yards, 20 TDs). Quarterback Mitchell Muller took over the reigns mid-season and has thrown for 1,110 yards and 15 TDs.
Prediction: If Issaquah line can contain Ottorbech as it did in the second half of the first meeting, the Eagles could find success again. Issaquah held the Cougar star to negative 1 yard after he went for 88 in the first half. The game will likely come down to the wire. Final score: 28-27 Issaquah.
