Coe’s Brady Kelly leads impressive pass attack in 62-6 victory over rival Cornell

MOUNT VERNON – Coe quarterback Brady Kelly said he earned the nickname “Joe Cool” in high school.

The junior from Boca Raton, Fla., had a knack for being chill and unfazed under pressure.

“I've always been that way,” Kelly said. “I could have my fiery moments, but for the most part I'm pretty even-keel.”

Kelly was calm, comfortable and commanding in the season opener against rival Cornell. He passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns and spearheaded the Kohawks soaring pass attack in a 62-6 victory over the Rams in the 134th meeting in the Bremner Cup series Thursday night at Van Metre Field of Ash Park.

“We knew that if we executed and did all the things we needed to do that we would have this result,” Kelly said. “And when you got rivalry game, you want to come out and stick it to them, so it felt good.”

Coe won its 25th straight game over Cornell, improving to 79-51-4 in the series.

“I was happy with how our guys played,” Coe Coach Tyler Staker said. “Lost a lot of guys off last year's team, and coming out of fall camp, we felt pretty good about what we saw.

“You never know until the lights are on, you know. “I thought our guys came out and played really well. I'm proud of all three phases. Just really happy with a performance tonight.”

Kelly was unflappable in the pocket. Even when Cornell pressured and almost had him pulled down in the backfield, Kelly slipped free, scrambled and hit Senters for a 12-gain.

Kelly needed one half to pass for his single-game high. He was settled in from the first snap, hitting Jeron Senters for a 7-yard gain. Kelly didn’t look back, completing 16 of 19 passes.

“I thought he ripped it really well tonight,” Staker said. “He stayed in the pocket, trusted his receivers and some of the one-on-one situations he gave guys some opportunities.

“Brady, he just had good composure. Led the offense really well. His numbers speak for themselves, but just really happy with how he did.”

The Kohawks scored on their first five possessions, building a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and 42-0 halftime advantage.

Kelly hit a wide-open Devon Kollasch down the right seam for a 49-yard scoring strike and a 7-0 lead, capping a 72-yard, 5-play opening drive. The pair teamed up again for a 31-yard TD pass on the same play call that also produced the first score.

Kollasch finished with four catches and 108 yards. Latrell Taylor led Coe with six catches and 110 yards. Senters added four catches for 45 yards. James Hutton reeled in a 9-yard TD pass for a 35-0 lead in the second quarter.

Kelly developed a strong rapport with receivers during offseason work.

“I actually stayed up in Iowa because I'm from Florida, so I stayed up in Iowa and I was able to work with all the receivers,” Kelly said. “We were able to build a really good connection.”

Tre’sean Cunningham rushed for a 2-yard score and Quincy Dummer added a 1-yard TD.

An unlikely source provided the last points before the break, Defensive tackle Brant Tedrow scored his first career touchdown. Teammate Stone Cummins chased down and hit Cornell quarterback Thomas Monken, who was trying to throw on the run.

Tedrow was pursuing the play and plucked the ball out of the air. He rumbled down the near sideline for the score.

“To be honest, It just kind of fell in my hands and I just tucked it and took off with it,” Tedrow said. “I was trying not to fall down or anything.

“At first, I thought about trying to go down and I was like, ‘Aww, screw it. I'll just take off running with it.”

The Kohawk defense allowed 135 offensive yards, holding the Rams to 41 in the first half before reserves filtered in after halftime.

“Coach (Cody) Baethke and his defensive staff do a tremendous job of preparing our guys,” Staker said. “To be honest, that was kind of a question mark for us, graduating a lot of those guys on defense a year ago. Who are we, who are we going to be and what's going to be our identity this year.”

“They put together a really good game plan and package,” Staker said. “Our guys executed it well. We played fast and physical.”

Coe amassed 579 offensive yards, including 392 through the air. Andrew White added two rushing TDs, while Luke Smith hit Jackson Baethke for a 20-yard TD pass in the fourth.

The Kohawks posted the biggest margin of victory since beating the Rams 63-6 in 2016 and spoiled Curt Ritchie’s debut as Cornell head coach.

“Coe was a much more physical and better football team in every area,” Ritchie said. “We needed to find out where we are and where we need to go. I believe in the character of our team at Cornell. We will learn from this and get better.”

The Rams got on the board late in the third. BooBoo Browning rushed for a 7-yard TD with 3:19 left in the third.

“I thought our effort was good,” Ritchie said. “I thought we may have had a little let down early but do not question our effort. We just need to put our guys in better position to get better.”

Coe travels to University of Wisconsin-River Falls on Sept. 13. Cornell hosts University of Chicago next week.

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