Knights Down King's Ridge 22-13

Pace Academy defeated King’s Ridge 22-13 on Friday night behind a record-setting performance by Denzel Franklin. The sophomore running back was dominant, totaling 330 rushing yards on 19 carries for the Knights, including a 75-yard rushing touchdown in the first half and a pair of 62-yard rushing touchdowns in the second half.  

“We wanted to get him 25 touches,” said Pace head coach Matt Hall. “Denzel carries this team. As he goes, we go. And he came up big for us tonight.”

Coming into the game, King’s Ridge hoped to avenge last season’s 37-7 home loss to the Knights. The Christian Tigers had good reason to believe this year might be different, given the young talent on the squad, including freshman running back Tarez Miller, who has been impressive through the team’s first four games.

Franklin had other ideas, however. His first score came in the second quarter of play after King’s Ridge had taken a 7-3 lead on Miller’s 46-yard run through the middle of the Pace defense. Following the ensuing kickoff, Franklin took a pitch on the first play from scrimmage, burst through the left side of the line, cut back hard to the right, and then ran 75 yards to the end zone. 

The Knights carried a 10-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, and in the second half Franklin picked up right where he left off, scoring on a 62-yard run on Pace’s first possession to make the score 16-7.

King’s Ridge controlled the ball for the remainder of the third quarter, but could not manage to put any points on the board. Their longest drive resulted in a missed field goal, and Pace maintained its nine point advantage heading into the final quarter of play.

Robert Jones and Brett Klugman were defensive standouts for Pace, and Klugman also handled punting duties for the Knights. His efforts, including a 47-yard punt early in the fourth quarter, resulted in difficult field position for King’s Ridge all night. Even so, the Christian Tigers found a way to keep the contest close throughout.

With 7:38 remaining, quarterback Bailey Miller delivered a touchdown pass to senior wideout Devon Schmitt, capping a 67-yard drive and cutting the Knights’ lead to 16-13. At that point King's Ridge looked like they might have a shot at the upset. But once again, Franklin answered the call for Pace, running for another 62-yard score on the Knights’ very next possession.

Franklin’s three touchdowns were almost identical- each time he ran left through the line then cut back hard right to exploit the over-pursuit by King’s Ridge's defense. His last scoring play put the Knights up 22-13, and that would hold up as the final score.

Place kicker Alex Nash accounted for Pace's only other points, connecting on a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter and converting one of two extra-point attempts.

Miller led King’s Ridge with 119 yards rushing on 29 carries, while Schmitt had five catches for 70 yards. Glen Harris was the top receiver for Pace, finishing with 33 yards.

With the win Pace evens its record at 2-2. Next week the Knights will go on the road to face Region 5N-A rival Wesleyan, who is 3-2 after their 14-7 victory over Fellowship Christian. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.