King's football wins conference title on final-second kick

King's football players celebrated on Friday night after securing their seventh Emerald Sound Conference title in the last eight seasons. The Knights defeated Granite Falls 24-22 on a 32-yard field goal as the clock hit zero. The kick came from senior Nate Bjella, who had only taken over kicking duties for the team the previous Tuesday.

Bjella did not start the season as the team's kicker. Coaches noticed his strong leg during practices and gave him the job just days before the matchup. He missed an extra point attempt earlier in the game, which led the team to attempt a play in the end zone with eight seconds remaining. That play failed, leaving King's with three seconds and the ball at the Granite Falls 15-yard line.

The Knights had built a 14-point lead earlier in the contest. Granite Falls erased that deficit in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Senior Jaxx Goldsmith scrambled for a touchdown, and senior Beau Everson completed a two-point conversion to put the Tigers ahead 22-21 with 49 seconds left. A squib kick attempt by the visitors landed past midfield, consuming only two seconds of game time.

Coach Jim Shapiro said the team relies on a mentality of taking the game one play at a time. He told his players to focus on six seconds at a time and to never quit. With the ball in their possession and all three timeouts remaining, King's knew they had a chance to score. The offense moved the ball with two short completions to juniors AJ Alvarez and Edward Pellham, getting into Granite Falls territory with 30 seconds left.

Junior Henry Wilson then threw a 27-yard pass to senior Daniel Binkley down the right sideline. It was Binkley's only reception of the night, but it moved the ball close enough for a field goal attempt. Bjella lined up for the kick that would decide the conference championship. He stepped in and drilled the ball through the uprights just as the final buzzer sounded.

After the kick, Bjella ran all the way to the opposite end zone while teammates and students flooded the field at Woolsey Stadium. The senior described the moment as nerve-wracking but stated that he trusted his holder. He said he knew he had the ball placed correctly and just needed to nail the kick. This is the same venue where Granite Falls upset King's last year to break a championship streak.

Senior Cooper Ward led the King's offense with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Wilson passed for 160 yards and one score. Bjella also contributed on the ground, rushing for a 17-yard first down after audibling out of a punt. He also caught three short passes. Ward credited the offensive line for providing consistent blocking throughout the night, noting that the gaps were wide open for him to run through.

Granite Falls countered with a strong running attack. Everson led the Tigers with 135 rushing yards and a touchdown. Junior Blake Hudson added 55 rushing yards and a score. Goldsmith also recorded an interception for the defense. The Tigers converted seven of their eight fourth-down attempts, including four during a long drive in the second quarter that took more than eight minutes off the clock. That drive ended with Everson scoring a five-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 14-7.

The Knights re-established a two-possession lead late in the first half on a two-play drive. They scored on a 24-yard pass to Pellham. In the third quarter, Granite Falls took over after Goldsmith intercepted a fourth-down attempt. The Tigers capitalized on that turnover to score and cut the deficit to seven points. They later forced a three-and-out on King's, leading to the sequence that gave them a 22-21 lead before the final drive.