The Lakeland Hawks have once again shocked the league with a huge playoff win against the Vallivue Falcons. The Hawks pulled away 28-21 with just a one-score difference to secure their spot in the 5A semifinals.
Lakeland came out swinging in the first quarter, scoring the one and only touchdown. With a one-score lead going into the second quarter, the Hawks scored another touchdown. Vallivue would go on to tie the game, scoring 14 points in just the second quarter. As halftime approached for both teams, Lakeland knew that if they wanted to win, they had to leave it all on the field.
Coming into the second half all tied up, the Hawks secured another touchdown, putting them up again. The defense held it down all through the third quarter, holding the Falcons back to once again another scoreless quarter. The Falcons were not giving up going into the game’s final quarter.
Down two touchdowns, the Falcons scored, making it a one-possession game, but the Hawks shut it all down in the final minutes of the game, taking the win by just one touchdown. A close game like this one really shows the kind of discipline and commitment this Lakeland team truly has. Not only were the players on their A game, but the coaches also had a great night. They kept their lead and pulled away for the win at the end.
“I couldn’t ask for a better coaching staff to play under,” Jace Taylor said.
It was a great night for the Hawks, but the team knows there is always room for improvement, like any well-structured organization.
“We definitely have some stuff to work on this coming week to put our best foot forward for the semi-finals,” Cash Lund said.
With this game against the Falcons, we got to see how good this Lakeland ground game truly is. Throughout the whole game there were no passing touchdowns, all scoring came from on foot. Lovie Weil picked up another three touchdowns to add to the stat line, and Haydon Benson ran one in himself.
Although no passing touchdowns were completed, this didn’t stop Jace Taylor from breaking coverages and getting 75 receiving yards with 9 targets. The Hawks had all hands on deck to knock the Falcons out in the second round, but what’s next for this Lakeland squad?
In the Semi-Finals, the Hawks are set to play the number two seed, Hillcrest High School. Not only will the Hawks have to travel down south, but they will also be battling it out on Hillcrest territory. Although the home-field advantage may affect some teams, the Hawks are 5-0 on the road this season and look to extend that record to 6-0 to punch their ticket to the 2024 5A State Championship.
