Kenston defeated Solon 26-9 to begin the 2026 season on a winning note.

The game began in electric fashion as sophomore Ethan Lawrence, making his first career start, hit junior wideout Kahlil Hinton for a short slant pass that Hinton took 79 yards into the end zone for the early 7-0 lead.

On the ensuing drive, the Bomber defense forced Solon into a three-and-out and Jackson Ehrenbeit blocked a Comet punt to give Kenston the ball right back on the Solon end of the field.

A couple of costly penalties forced Kenston into a kicking situation and senior Ethan Dennis drilled the first field goal attempt of his career from 32 yards to give Kenston a 10-0 lead.

The two sides exchanged defensive stops and Kenston was again in field goal position. Dennis knocked through a 24-yarder for his second make of the game to give Kenston a 13-0 lead.

A series of defensive stops again ensued before a methodical Bomber drive culminated in a 33-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Hinton to make it 19-0 into halftime.

Solon got on the board in the third after a 23-yard punt return gave them some great field position that they capitalized on for a short TD run to bring the count to 19-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore Jackson Reed took the kickoff back 71 yards to give Kenston another short field to work with. Lawrence tossed his third score of the game when he hit Reed from seven yards out right before the end of the third quarter and gave Kenston the 26-7 lead.

Solon then led a sustained drive, earning four first downs before the Kenston defense finally shut them down for a turnover on downs on the Kenston one-yard-line. But a Bomber run was stuffed in the end zone, granting Solon a safety and drawing them within 26-9.

On the next possession, any threat of a Comet comeback was denied when senior linebacker Dominic Silla intercepted the ball. The final offensive series proved costly for Kenston though, as Lawrence was injured on the penultimate play of the game before taking a knee to end the contest.

Lawrence finished the game 9 of 20 for 192 yards passing and three touchdowns as well as 10 carries for 27 yards - an excellent debut that will have to likely wait several weeks for an encore.

Senior Will Hamm led the Bomber rushing attack with 16 carries for 94 yards. Hinton finished with four receptions for 157 yards (6th most all-time) and the two scores.

In typical fashion, senior Jake Rostocil led the Kenston defense with 10 tackles (6 solo, 4 assists, 1 TFL) and a QB pressure. Hairston added nine tackles and junior Liam Cufr finished with three pass breakups to go with five tackles.

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vs. Perry on 8/28