by Pepper Pike, Ohio – Sophomore running back J’Shon Sanders scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute remaining, propelling the Lakeside Dragons to a 43-40 victory over host Orange in the regular season finale for both teams.
The first quarter started off with rapid-fire offense from both teams.
After an amazing double pass got the Lions all the way down to the one, senior running Greg Beard punched it in from a yard out to give the Lions the early lead. Senior kicker Katie Hollington would also add the first of her four extra points on the evening.
Lakeside would tie it up moments later when J’Shon Sanders took a handoff nine yards to the house to knot the score back up.
But Orange would respond once again, as Greg Beard took a handoff and ran eight yards to the end zone to give Orange back the lead, 14-7.
After a Lakeside punt, the Lions would add to their lead when senior wide receiver Devin Culliver caught a seven-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Zak Basharat. The Lions led 21-7 after the first quarter.
Despite starting at the three-yard line, the Dragons offense was undaunted, riding the ground game all the way down the field. They would cap the drive with a five-yard touchdown run from AJ Raffa to cut their deficit to 21-14.
Greg Beard would take it to the house once again, this time from eight yards out, to give the Lions the lead, 28-14 with 51 seconds left in the first half.
Lakeside would respond once again before the half.
First, junior quarterback Garratte Siebeneck found junior wide receiver Sean Allgood for a 33-yard reception to put the Dragons at the Orange 1. From there, J’Shon Sanders punched it in to make the score 28-21 going into the halftime break, and giving the Dragons some much needed momentum.
Lakeside would start the half with the ball, and drove inside the 20 yard line. But the Orange defense stuffed Sanders on fourth down and took over. The Lions would take advantage, capping off the drive with a 16-yard touchdown reception from Zak Basharat.
The ensuing extra point was blocked, but Orange would increase their lead to 34-21. They would recover an onside kick, and drive the ball inside the five-yard line, looking to pad their lead to three scores.
But the Lakeside defense stepped up big time, forcing a fumble. Sophomore defensive back Angelo Collazzo did the rest, taking it to the house. This gave the Dragons some much needed momentum, cutting their deficit to 34-28 with 9:20 left.
“It only takes one play to make a change, and that was a huge spark for us.” said Lakeside head coach Buzz Edwards.
And they would further capitalize from there.
After a punt, J’Shon Sanders took a handoff and went 50 yards to the house to tie the score. The ensuing point after was good, and Lakeside took the lead for the first time, 35-34, with 5:59 left.
Orange would respond once again. This time, Zak Basharat found Devin Culliver for a 16-yard touchdown recpetion on fourth down. The ensuing two-point try was no good, but Orange had the lead, 40-35, with 2:53 to play.
J’Shon Sanders came up big once again, scoring from five yards out. He also converted the ensuing two-point try, giving the Dragons the lead, 43-40, with 50 seconds to go.
Orange had one final shot, but Basharat’s final pass was intercepted by freshman defensive back Jimmy Timonere.
“We’re blessed to have (J’Shon Sanders). He’s a sophomore with a bright future. We ran the ball real hard today. This is huge for our program. I tell our guys to keep fighting and swinging, and to keep coming to work every day.” Edwards added. “I’m really proud of our guys.”
“It was definitely an offensive game. Kids on both sides played hard and made some plays. Unfortunately, we didn’t make enough plays to win.” said Orange head coach Adam Bechlem. “We have a lot to improve and a lot to fix, and we’ll use practice to make that happen.”
Lakeside improves to 1-5 and travels to Nordonia to open up postseason play in Division II, Region 5.
Orange drops to 0-4 and travels to Lake Catholic to open up postseason play in Division IV, Region 13.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Lakeside RB J’Shon Sanders (Sophomore): 29 carries, 214 yards, 4 TDs
The running back played a vital part in the Lakeside offense Friday evening. He had several big runs, including a 50-yard touchdown run to tie the score, and a five-yard touchdown run with less than a minute to go. The sky’s the limit for this young man!
