Year in and year out, the 6U championship game of the Northwest Premier Junior Football League is always full of excitement, and this year’s matchup between the Benson Bruins and the 5 Star Cougars would not disappoint. The game, which featured 5 Star’s “Mr. Touchdown” Khalil Ladd and the talented Benson duo of Knowledge Morgan and Maxwell Kis-Young, was the first of five championship games and set the tone for the type of action football fans could expect from their championship experience.
5 Star took possession of the ball first, but the Bruins’ swarming defense forced and recovered a fumble, leading to the game’s first touchdown by Benson’s Knowledge Morgan to give his team an early 6-0 lead. 5 Star would quickly respond as Khalil Ladd broke loose on a 40-yard touchdown run on their first play from scrimmage to tie the game at 6-6.
Benson’s Jaylen Mitchell would put his team in scoring position as he took a handoff from quarterback Maxwell Kis-Young and ran 19 yards before being tackled at the 5 Star 2-yard line. Kis-Young would finish the drive with a two-yard touchdown run to give his team a 12-6 lead midway through the second quarter. 5 Star would try to mount a scoring drive before the half, but the Bruins had other plans as their defense locked in and forced a turnover on downs to end the half.
On the first play of the second half, Kis-Young sprinted 40 yards for a touchdown as Benson built an 18-6 lead. The Benson defense would force and recover another fumble, which led to a 25-yard touchdown run by Morgan to make the score 25-6 in favor of the Bruins.
Ladd would try to keep his team in the game as he had a big run down to the Benson 11-yard line that would set up his second touchdown of the afternoon on a 5-yard run. However, Morgan would take over the late stages of the game, as he would have another big run to give his team a first down at the 15-yard line. One play later, Morgan would find his way to the endzone with a 15-yard run to seal the game for Benson, and secure a 31-13 win over 5 Star.
