Devon La Pierre scored three touchdowns to boost Redmond High to its second straight 3A KingCo football triumph, 28-25 over Mercer Island, on Friday night in Redmond.
The Mustangs, who are now 2-0 in league and tied for second with Bellevue, will play at Juanita (1-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday. Liberty is in first place at 3-0.
Against Mercer Island (1-1), Redmond quarterback Teryn Berry connected with La Pierre on the three touchdown passes of 3, 78 and 21 yards. Joel Hargin scored the Mustangs’ other touchdown on a 5-yard run and Pedro Menchaca nailed all four PATs.
Redmond head coach Jason Rimkus said Friday’s contest was: “A great game against a great opponent. They’re always so well coached and we knew it would come down to who could be the most physical team and the team to blink last.”
Major keys to the victory were the Mustangs’ execution on offense, consistency in the kicking game and continued improvement in tackling defensively, Rimkus said. “All have been major focuses for us this season.”
Redmond scored first on La Pierre’s 3-yard snag in the second quarter, led 7-3 at halftime and built a 21-10 lead after three quarters. In the fourth, Mercer Island scored to cut Redmond’s lead to 21-17, but the Mustangs answered with Hargin’s score to go up 28-17. Mercer Island closed out the scoring with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
Hargin amassed 160 yards rushing on 38 carries. Berry was 9-for-13 for 196 yards passing, La Pierre caught three passes for 102 yards, Ryan Mossman caught three passes for 57 yards and Nikhil Jatekar caught two passes for 24 yards.
Defensively, Redmond got seven tackles each from Kellen Shoup, Cameron Boone and Hayden Poore, and Mossman pitched in with six tackles.
With three consecutive victories — two league and one nonleague — under their belt, Rimkus said, “Right now, the kids are certainly confident, but I am really sensing a hunger and desire for more,” meaning that they’d like to continue building upon their regular-season success and qualify for the playoffs.
When looking at his team’s next opponent, Rimkus said Juanita is a big, speedy squad. Where Redmond may lack size or speed, the Mustangs will counter with effort and discipline, the coach added.
“This, too, will be another battle against a respected conference opponent,” he said.
Below, Redmond holds off Mercer Island to win on last play. Courtesy of Peg Jatekar.
