Kenwood rallies but comes up short in 5A playoff loss to Memphis Central, 35-29

George Robinson
Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle

Kenwood's season came to a close but not without some late-game drama in Memphis.

Facing a fourth down, the Knights were stopped two yards shy of a first down as Memphis Central survived for a 35-29 victory over Kenwood in the first round of the Class 5A football playoffs on Friday night.

Kenwood needed four yards at the Central 8-yard line with 30 seconds left and an opportunity to tie the game. But Memphis Central held to advance to the second around where it will face Springfield. 

Kenwood players celebrate with Cam'ron Dowell (31) after he intercepted a Rossview pass in a TSSAA football game between the Kenwood Knights and Rossview Hawks at Kenwood High School in Clarksville, Tenn., on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021.

Kenwood quarterback Jaylen Washington ran for two touchdowns and threw another to Corben Howard. Washington also had two of Kenwood's four interceptions along with Cameron Dowell and Nashaud White.

FINAL:Clarksville football upsets top seed Cane Ridge, adding to Wildcats' rollercoaster of a 2021 season

The Knights trailed 35-14 at halftime but shut out Memphis Central in the second half. They scored with two minutes left in the game, recovered an onside kick before the decisive fourth-down play.

Want to stay informed on the latest high school and college sports news? A subscription to The Leaf-Chronicle gets you unlimited access to the best information and updates on prep sports, Austin Peay and the ability to tap into over 200 local sites in the USA TODAY Network.

Reach sports writer George Robinson at grobinson@gannett.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.