East Kentwood High School head coach Anthony Kimbrough, shown at practice with his Falcons team, talks about the good and bad of a tough early-season schedule. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By K.D. Norris
The 2021 high school football season did not start the way East Kentwood High School head coach Anthony Kimbrough and his Falcons team expected — going 0-4 as the team prepared this week to host Holland West Ottawa in a OK Conference Red game.
The Falcons did have a brutal early season schedule, by choice and by chance, with a home loss to state power Muskegon followed by road losses at another state power in Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and then at Rockford (4-0), before falling to Caledonia (4-0) on Sept. 17, the last two in OK Conference Red action.
Rockford is No. 1 in Division 1 the first AP state football rankings. Caledonia is #3 in Division 2, Brother Rice No. 1 in Division 3, and Muskegon (3-1) is— everyone knows — always ranked by year’s end.
“We are just trying to improve every day: basic fundamentals, little things,” Coach Kimbrough said to WKTV this week. “We went into the season knowing our first three opponents were big-time programs … but we are tying to stay positive … just getting the kids to believe in themselves. We are working hard and hopefully it will pay off this Friday.”
And about that brutal season-opening schedule?
“It is a combination of some people just don’t want to play us, so you are stuck playing the Muskegons and the Brother Rices of the world,” Kimbrough said. “But I do want our kids to understand that if you are going to win a state championship, you are going to have to beat those types of programs.
“It was a challenge going in. … (But) I never imagined us going 0-4. It’s been tough. But I have to give credit to our players and our coaches, they’ve stayed positive. We have a long season ahead and we have five games to get better.”
This week’s game, starting at 7 p.m., is not only this week’s WKTV Featured Game of the Week, with cable television and on-demand replays available, but will also be East Kentwood’s Homecoming Game.
Leaning on senior leaders
Coach Kimbrough said despite the rough beginning to the season, parts of the Falcon machine and several players are performing well on the field.
“I got to start with (senior) Jeffery Perry, our running back. He probably had his best game of the year against Caledonia. He rushed for 93 yards. He ran hard,” Kimbrough said. “And we have offensive linemen that have really played well. Bobby Durr, he’s a senior. He’s stayed positive and he’s a captain on the team.”
“My quarterback (Casey Joppie). He’s a sophomore. He’s taken some licks and got back up. He’s very coachable … very proud of him. And there has been guys on the defensive side who have played well — I could name a bunch.”
And coach also credits many of his seniors, playing or not, as helping to keep the team focused on the past and future winning ways of East Kentwood.
“Jalon Fuller, one of our safeties, he’s played well. Brian Dinh, possibly an all-conference kid, cornerback. He’s played well,” he said. “Those guys just lead by example. Play hard in practice. Staying positive. … I think our underclassman are appreciative of what out seniors bring.”
Along the other seniors are Joe Stille, Reginald Brown, Carlo Russel-Dumani, Dakota Stephens, Felice Messina, Devontae Savage, Shawn White, Jakeilon Heard, Jack Izenbart, Mehki Baker, Anthony Nelson, Alonte’ Brandon, Shawn Dumani, Levi Robinson, Bryson Woods, Patrick MacDonald, Jake Tate and Zachary Vanoverloop.
Where, when to catch WKTV’s feature games
WKTV featured games will on cable television in Wyoming and Kentwood on Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T Channel 99 Community Channel, rebroadcast on the night of the game and various days and times the week after. See the programming schedule at wktv.org. For more information on WKTV coverage of football and other fall prep sports, follow us at wktvjournal.org/sports.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV’s video coverage team, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvlive.com.
