Des Moines North 28, Des Moines East 14: Kinnick Dutcher helps Polar Bears to strong start
Des Moines North and Des Moines East boast one of the oldest, if not the oldest, rivalries in the state, but on Saturday it was all about the Polar Bears.
North stopped the Scarlets in their tracks, winning the first game of the season 28-14.
The Polar Bears tacked on the touchdowns early, scoring 22 points before East could get on the board. Jamal Taylor scored the Scarlets' first touchdown of the day and Braiden Johnson added another in the final five minutes, but they weren't enough to get past a North offense with several playmakers on the roster.
“It feels great anytime you get a win versus East,” North coach Eric Addy said postgame. “We broke a 20-year streak last year, and now we’ve fortunately taken care of business and we won two in a row. They’re a tough, physical football team, much like us, so hats go off to them.”
Kinnick Dutcher stands out in season opener
North's repeat victory came despite some personnel struggles in the offseason. Jayden McGregory, one of last season’s stars and the projected starting quarterback, transferred to Valley. Gabe Gunn, a running back poised for a breakout season, was injured in a preseason scrimmage.
That left a lot of question marks to start the season.
There were no questions about Kinnick Dutcher, though, after Saturday’s game.
The junior safety and running back kicked things off with a pick six less than two minutes into the game. With the 2-point conversion, he gave North an 8-0 lead that held for most of the first half.
At 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Dutcher doesn't look like he would be a menace with the ball in his hands, but he was tough to take down, often dragging defenders to pick up an extra yard or a two. On defense, he was equally irksome for East, and not just because of his pick-six to start things off.
“Confidence usually happens the harder you work, the more time that you invest and that’s what Kinnick’s done this offseason,” Addy said.
North opponents can’t plan to just cover Dutcher. Also making an impact again East were Dein Gaye, Aaron Marino-Moreno, Jadrian Naab and Teagen O’Brien.
“A football team is never going to be one or two guys,” Addy said. “It’s very much by committee, and I feel like that’s what’s different between this year’s team and last year’s team.”
East shows potential, but needs time to adjust
North wasn’t the only team with unanswered questions to start the season.
Like North's McGregory, last season’s starting quarterback, Je’Cari Patton, also transferred in the offseason, which left East without a leading man behind center. Devin Holman was the man who filled the gap on Saturday.
Holman had solid completions to Daniel Zeoh and Johnson, and Qwaden Clearwater and Javarius Hughes were strong in the ground game.
The Scarlets' defense also showed promise, particularly the defensive line which, despite the score, managed to keep North’s run game at bay.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines North defeats Des Moines East 28-14 in season opener
