Eighth-grader Kash Kirkland steals the show as Westminster Christian beats Belen

While most middle school football players were preparing for a good night’s sleep before taking the field Saturday afternoon, Westminster Christian eighth-grader Kash Kirkland was already slicing through a varsity defense Friday night.

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In Westminster’s 35-14 win over Belen Jesuit, Kirkland finished with 212 rushing yards, 11 catches for 78 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

It was quarterback Anthony Vera who got Westminster (4-0) on the board first, barreling through Belen’s defense on a designed quarterback run to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead with 10:25 left in the first quarter.

Belen (4-1) threatened later in the quarter after a defensive pass interference penalty was called on a deep throw from starting quarterback Jake McFarlin intended for Henry Brumfield, but the Wolverines were stopped short and struggled to sustain drives throughout the first half.

With 4:25 remaining in the second quarter, Kirkland took a Wildcat snap near the goal line and punched it in to extend Westminster’s lead to 14-0.

Just a few minutes later, after Vera moved the Warriors back into Belen territory with chunk completions to Matthew Sili and Caden Bayag, Kirkland took a jet sweep to the left, made a defender miss with a sharp jump cut and raced into the end zone to make it 21-0.

Whether he was evading tacklers in tight spaces out of the backfield or properly selling his route vertically before suddenly snapping out of his breaks to win on quick slants, the middle-schooler showed poise and athleticism beyond his years.

After stopping Westminster to open the second half, Belen made a change at quarterback, turning to mobile freshman Marcus Rivas in an attempt to spark its offense.

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With 9:41 left in the third quarter, Wolverines running back Marcelo Perez took a handoff up the left side, broke a tackle and raced 40 yards for the touchdown. The PAT was missed, making it 6-0.

Kirkland still had some magic left in the first half, breaking loose for a 55-yard touchdown run on a play where multiple defenders appeared to have him wrapped up. Somehow, he contorted his body just enough to keep his knee off the ground, shook free and dashed into the end zone with 7:26 to go in the third quarter.

An interception by Francisco Irurita with 20 seconds left in the third quarter gave Belen some life, but after the Wolverines’ ensuing drive stalled, Westminster’s offense proved too difficult to slow down.

Vera had played pitch-and-catch with his receivers throughout the night, rarely needing to push the ball deep to move the offense.

He eventually finished off another Westminster drive himself, scoring on a quarterback draw to extend the lead to 35-14, where it would remain.

Westminster Christian will look to remain unbeaten when it hosts Killian on Friday at 4 p.m. Belen Jesuit has a week off before returning home to face Florida Christian on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.

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