A week after turning the ball over five times, scoring only two touchdowns and needing to recover an onside kick to secure a victory, Lakes High School scored a dozen touchdowns and smothered Sumner on Friday night.
“This was unbelievable,” said senior Anthony Wright, marveling at the Lancers’ 83-0 drubbing of the Spartans in a South Puget Sound League 3A contest at Harry E. Lang Stadium in Lakewood.
“We needed to show everyone that we’re a state contender,” Wright said. “We hit them hard and fast and kept the pedal to the metal.”
Lakes erupted for six first-quarter touchdowns, leading 42-0 at the end of the period. Here’s how it happened:
• Lakes ran 12 offensive plays, gaining 110 yards and scoring touchdowns on all three possessions.
• Sumner fumbled twice and threw two interceptions, leading to 28 Lakes points.
• Willis Wilson scored Lakes’ first touchdown on a 32-yard run.
• Wright scored touchdowns on 24-yard fumble and 35-yard interception returns.
• Dalton Gervais threw touchdown passes to John Goldwire and Jordan Rivera.
• Fudarrell Maggitt scored on a 55-yard punt return.
Lakes (5-0 overall, 5-0 SPSL 3A) added 21 points in the second quarter, taking a 63-0 lead at halftime. Gervais threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Kearse, Cotton scored on a 5-yard run and John Taufa capped the first-half scoring with a 2-yard plunge one play after returning a punt 62 yards.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever scored 83 points,” Lakes coach Dave Miller said, “but I know we’ve never had 63 at halftime like tonight.”
“The thing I like the most is that we did it all. Offense, defense and special teams all played big roles.”
DeShawn Arnold kicked touchbacks on seven of his first nine kickoffs, pinning the Spartans deep. When they turned the ball over – Sumner totaled eight turnovers – that left Lakes with excellent field position.
The Lancers’ starters remained in the game for the first offensive and defensive possessions of the second half. Lakes’ first-string defensive unit forced a fumble, giving the offense the football at Sumner’s 11.
On the next play, Gervais, who was 6-of-9 passing for 174 yards and four touchdowns, connected with Kearse for a touchdown.
Kearse had three receptions for 124 yards and two scores.
“These kids were on a mission,” Miller said. “They wanted to show what they’re capable of.”
Lakes had a chance to tack on a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. But Miller had his fourth-string quarterback take a knee deep in Sumner territory with three minutes remaining.
The Spartans (3-2, 3-2) came into the contest on a three-game winning streak, which included wins over Franklin Pierce and Enumclaw, the team the Lancers struggled to get past last week.
Lakes squeaked past Enumclaw, 14-7, a week ago, turning the ball over five times and running only 27 plays against the Hornets. The Lancers were intent on proving they were better than how they played last week.
“We wanted this bad,” Kearse said. “Everybody wanted to play better, to prove to ourselves and everyone else that we were better. That we were a playoff team.”
Doug Pacey: 253-597-8271
blogs.thenewstribune.com/preps
