The Lakeland Hawks survived a wild finish Friday night, Oct. 31, in Lewiston, fending off the Bengals 28–27 in an overtime showdown to advance to the second round of the state playoffs.
The Hawks came out firing on all cylinders, dominating the first quarter with a balanced attack that stunned the Bengal crowd.From quarterback play to explosive runs and catches, Lakeland jumped out to an early 21–0 lead before the Bengals could find their footing. The Hawks’ defense forced two early turnovers, setting the tone and giving their offense short fields to work with.
“We were just shutting them down early on and it felt great,” Noah Bodak said.
But Lewiston wasn’t going down without a fight. The Bengals clawed their way back, scoring twice before halftime to close the gap and building momentum as the game wore on. By the fourth quarter, Lewiston’s offense had found its groove, and a late touchdown tied the game at 21–21, sending it into overtime.
In the extra period, both teams traded blows. Lakeland struck on a short touchdown run, but the game came down to the leg of kicker Parker Sterling. With the score tied at 27, Sterling stepped up and drilled the extra point through the uprights, sealing the 28–27 victory and sending the Hawks sideline into celebration.
With the big win, the Hawks advance to face Hillcrest in the second round of the playoffs next week, a matchup that promises another hard fought battle as Lakeland looks to continue its postseason run.
“We have some work to do, but we’ll be ready,” Bodak said.
