The Lakeland Hawks football lost to Hillcrest 35-14 on Nov. 7
In the first quarter the hawks scored on the opening drive. Which gave the hawks momentum. Jaren Yager had a 14 yard touchdown to start the game. Defense was a key factor in the first quarter, holding Hillcrest short.
Things had changed immediately for the hawks. The offense couldn’t push through and defense started to fall apart while Hillcrest scored two more touchdowns in the first half.
“We started to fall apart after the first quarter and they saw that and took advantage of it.” Senior Cyler Bauer said.
Hillcrest ended up scoring another touchdown in the third quarter, While the hawks offense couldn’t score and get through the first down.
Griffin Tamagni had a touchdown in the 4th quarter but it was too late for the hawks.
“If we didn’t get a lot of penalties and converted on 3rd and 4th downs we could have won,” Bauer said.
The hawks ended up Ninth for the 5a state tournament and finished 9-2 for the season. The Hawks were in the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Overall the hawks were a tough team all season making this season a year to remember.
