Hawks improve to 4-0

Another win in the books for the Lakeland Hawks football team has boosted the squad to a 4-0 record for the first time since 2001. In a game that included a lot of defensive highlight reel plays and even a trick play that consisted of two passes, the Lakeland Hawks handled the West Valley Eagles(1-2) with ease and came out with a 23-point win in shutout fashion.

“The offense came out slow, and we definitely need better production there. West Valley couldn’t move the ball against our defense, and we pressured their QB well. However, our offense needs to pick it up a little because Caysen was also pressured,” said wideout Ezra Benson.

Benson had a 45-yard touchdown called back due to an illegal man downfield penalty. “My touchdown getting called back was frustrating, but we bounced back and ended up putting the ball in the endzone anyways.”

After neither team was able to put any points on the board in the first quarter, John Cornish put two goalline scores on the board for Mike Schroeder’s Hawks. The score at halftime was 13-0 due to West Valley blocking Owen Forsman’s PAT.

“I think we should have won by a lot more, but I’m at least glad that we got the win. Our o-line played horribly. We need to condition and communicate a lot this week and figure our struggles out,” said right tackle Taylor Winkelkotter.

After Cornish’s two scores, the only touchdown scored in the remainder of the game was a double pass in which the quarterback, Caysen Loutzenhiser, threw a screen pass to his left to Caden Smith, who found a wide-open target in Zack Kuenkler for a score up the sideline. Roan Reilly had an interception to seal the Hawks ‘ score lead late in the fourth, and the final score was 23-0.

When asked his thoughts on the blowout, starting linebacker and superstar kicker Owen Forsman said, “We played well defensively; a couple of obstacles to overcome on offense. If we put in the work this week, we will challenge Couer d’Alene next week. During this break, we need to put in the work like we have all season and put it all together against Couer d’Alene to get the win.”

Speaking on his talent and future as a kicker, Forsman humbly stated, “It’s a blessing to be part of this team. I really enjoy kicking and helping my team out any way I can, and I hope to pursue it in college.”

“I thought we have made improvements in some areas and grown as a team. We played with class which impressed me and represented the school well. We will continue to learn from our experiences and keep winning football games,” said coach Dustin Frank.

The Hawks will perhaps have their toughest matchup at home against the always brutal Couer d’Alene Vikings at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 16.