Kennedale coach Richard Barrett picks up win number 250 as the Wildcats top Lake Worth

The Kennedale football team built an early 24-point lead then held off a scrappy Lake Worth squad 38-28 in a key, high spirited, District 6-4A Division 1 game on Friday night at Wildcat Stadium.

The win gave Kennedale head coach Richard Barrett his 250th career win.

“It’s like I told the kids, it’s certainly an honor,” said Barrett who’s in his 23rd year at the helm of the Wildcats. “It’s a culmination of a lot of effort by a lot of really outstanding players, tremendous coaches, support from our administration and our parents and fans...our community.

“Everybody has a hand in those 250 wins and it’s just nice to be able to do it here at home and it feels so awesome.”

Kennedale (3-3 overall, 3-0 in district) scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and led 24-0 at the half. Wildcats’ quarterback Lawrence Hodge scored on a 32-yard run on Kennedale’s first possession.

Following a Lake Worth punt, running back Jeremiah Clea capped a six-play, 67-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run to put the Wildcats up 14-0 with 6:28 left in the first quarter.

Lake Worth (4-2, 2-1), No. 3 in the Star-Telegram Class 4A-3A rankings, struggled in the first half with a stingy Kennedale defense as well as committing untimely penalties. On the ensuing drive, the Bullfrogs had a 57-yard touchdown run by speedy running back Cornell Avington called back because of a procedure penalty.

The Bullfrogs did overcome the flag and moved the ball down the field only to have the drive end in disaster.

Kennedale defensive lineman Isiah Morris picked off a middle screen pass and showed off some speed in racing 73 yards to put the Wildcats up 21-0 with 4:22 left in the opening frame.

“It felt like I was moving pretty slow,” said Morris with a grin. “I couldn’t believe it. They hiked the ball, I got through and I saw the ball coming towards me and I caught it and just ran for the touchdown. I didn’t feel that fast.”

Kennedale kicker Lance Pate booted a 42-yard field goal to up the lead to 24-0 with 7:54 left before the intermission.

Lake Worth finally got moving in the third quarter, but the Bullfrogs wound up trading scores with the Wildcats and couldn’t pick up any ground on the scoreboard.

Avington took the first snap of the second half 52 yards down to the Kennedale 16. Four plays later running back Damion Hopkins darted in from the seven to cut the lead to 24-6.

But Kennedale answered with running back Laurrence Watkins who got loose for a 54-yard score just two plays later to put the Wildcats back up 31-6 with 8:10 left in the third quarter.

Hopkins scored again from five yards out to make it 31-13, but Watkins countered with a two-yard TD to make it 38-13 Kennedale with 2:50 left in the third.

“It’s my first game back and I had to show them that I’m still here,” said Watkins who returned from a knee injury to pick up 130 rushing yards on 14 carries. “They beat us last year and we just had to get it back. We needed it. Back on top of district.”

The Bullfrogs threatened in the fourth quarter getting a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Jose Meza. Avington hauled in a five-yard scoring pass with 7:40 left to cut the lead to 38-21 and Charles Williams-Lawrence caught a 10-yard TD pass with 2:25 left to make it 38-28.

Lake Worth forced a Kennedale punt on the Wildcats’ next series. But on the first play after the change of possession, Kennedale defensive back Daunte Scott picked off a Lake Worth pass to seal the game.

The game was very physical on both sides with both defenses playing fast and hitting hard.

“I love the competition,” said Hodge, who also plays in the secondary on defense and remembers vividly the Wildcats’ loss to Lake Worth a year ago that snapped Kennedale’s 61-game district winning streak. “Last year they were not supposed to beat us, but this year we showed them who runs the district, Kennedale Wildcats. They shut down our win streak last season so we had to get it back and start a new one.”

Lake Worth’s 10-3 win over Kennedale last year was the first time the Bullfrogs had defeated the Wildcats since 1999. Kennedale’s district win streak had dated back to 2011.

The Bullfrogs had a pair of 100-yard rushers in Avington (15 carries-100 yards) and Hopkins (21-108). Meza added 134 passing yards completing 13 of 28 passes, six of those to Avington for 63 yards.

Lake Worth out gained Kennedale 344-291 in total yards. Clea added 68 rushing yards for Kennedale on 11 carries.

“This one was very important because now we’re tied at the top with Dunbar who we finish with, both at 3-0 right now, and it will be a dog fight to the end,” said Barrett. “We have four district games left and we’re going to have to be ready to play in all of those to get where we want to get. We still have to improve so much.”