Kaplan knocks out Pine; travels to Kinder on Friday

The Kaplan Pirates moved on to the second round of the Division III Non-Select Playoffs after surprising No. 12 Pine with a 34-18 win on Friday. Their next opponent will bring a different style of football.
The Pirates (6-5) travel to Kinder to battle the No. 4 Yellowjackets, who drew a bye in the first round.
The Yellowjackets are undefeated at 10-0, averaging 48 points per game on offense and allowing 21 points per game on defense.
They have scored 60 points in one game and topped 50 points five times this season.
Their lowest offensive output was 22 points, which came in a 22-20 win over Eunice.
“They have good athletes who move quickly to the ball,” said KHS Head Coach John Thompson, who earned his first playoff win as a high school head coach. “They play a spread offense.”
In short, Kinder likes to throw the football.
Pine completed just four passes in the whole game against Kaplan. Kinder will likely complete that many in their first offensive series.
The player-leader of Kinder’s offense is Isiah Thomas, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs 175 pounds. Thomas is considered one of the top passing quarterbacks in the state. He has thrown for 1,990 yards and rushed for 600 more. He has completed 108 of 205 passes for 22 touchdowns, with only three interceptions in those attempts. Against Logansport earlier in the year, Thomas rushed 229 yards and threw for 169 yards.
Thomas has several reliable receivers, with Brandon “King” Perkins, who is 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, as his main target. Over the past two years, Perkins has collected more than 1,600 receiving yards and over 100 catches.
This season, Perkins has 40 catches for 819 yards and seven touchdowns.
“We know Kinder is going to score. But we have to do our best to get them off the field. We can’t let them keep converting third downs. If they make a big play, our players need to forget it and focus on the next play. In football, you have to have a short memory.”
The Pirates hope to have a balanced offense again, like they did against Pine. Kaplan rushed for 120 yards and passed for 185 yards in that game.
It was only the second time this season that Kaplan passed for more yards than they rushed.
Kaplan ran for 120 yards, and quarterback Sabe David threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns. That brings his season total to a career-best 829 passing yards.
“People have underestimated Sabe,” said Thompson. “In my opinion, he is one of the best quarterbacks in the district.”
David threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Roy and a 42-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Devoltz against Pine. Roy finished with two catches for 73 yards.
Over 11 games, Roy has 19 catches for 355 yards and five touchdowns, while Devoltz has eight catches for 134 yards and one touchdown.
Friday’s playoff win also marked the return of Kaplan running back DaMarion Cormier, who had missed two games with a shoulder injury. Cormier has nearly 1,100 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 11 games. Against Pine, he scored twice, with a 28-yard touchdown run and a 4-yard touchdown run in the second half to secure the win.
With the Pirates leading in the fourth quarter, the Kaplan defense kept Pine from scoring, while the offense ran down the clock.
Cody Clement made a big impact on defense, recording five tackles, returning a fumble for a 32-yard touchdown, and grabbing a fourth-quarter interception.