Courtesy of LMPS
The 2018 Lakeland Middle Prep football team took to the field for the first time Thursday night (8.23.18) against crosstown rival Arlington Middle, and it had fans on the edge of their seats until the final play. The Lions dropped a heart-breaker by a score of 26-24, but it was not for a lack of effort.
The game started with a bang when Hayden Kee hooked up with Jackson Hair for a
48-yard touchdown pass on the third play from scrimmage to take an early lead over the Tigers. It would be the only score of the half for the Lions who saw two key possessions slip away with two crucial penalties and missed opportunities.
After giving up a touchdown to start the second half, the Lions began to come alive. Trailing 20-6, Kee this time found running back Carter Wood for a 7-yard touchdown strike. The Lions converted the two-point conversion with a pass from Kee to Hair. The following possession the Tigers answered. On a third and long, a miscommunication in the secondary led to a long Arlington touchdown pass which stretched the lead to 26-14. The Lions, however, weren’t backing down.
On the ensuing possession, key runs from Carter Hein and Ron Wilson set up another Kee to Wood touchdown connection this time from 15 yards out. Like clockwork, the Lions converted another two-point conversion closing the gap to 26-22. The defense then stiffened its neck and rose to the occasion driving Tiger offense backwards and forcing a punt. The excitement, however, was not even close to being over.
After a costly penalty halted what looked to be a promising Lakeland drive with under four minutes to play, the Tigers had the ball inside their own ten-yard line. The Lion defense again rose to the occasion. The Lion front seven including Sean Thorpe, Drake Gonzalez, Mason Ladd, and Harrison Jones continued to drive the Tiger defense backwards. After two near takeaways, the Lions forced a safety bring the score to 26-24 with just under ten seconds to play. On the next kickoff, Ron Wilson took a reverse near the 50-yard line and raced down the field in front of the Arlington sideline. He broke tackles and made defenders missed, but a great effort from the Tiger special teams gang tackled Wilson on the two-yard line as time expired, and the Lions fell two yards short of a season opening win.
“I’m very proud of the effort these kids showed tonight,” stated Lakeland Coach Tyler White. “The fought hard all night. We left a couple of plays out there that could have really changed the landscape of the game. This one will sting for a while, but it doesn’t overshadow what accomplished out here tonight.”
Hayden Kee finished with three touchdown passes on the night. Carter Wood was on the receiving end of two of them, and Jackson Hair caught the other to go along with his two 2-point conversion receptions. The Lions will take the field again next Thursday night vs Bon Lin Middle School at Bartlett High School.
The Lion’s JV football team opened its season Thursday as well. They fell to the Tigers, but got a lot of much needed playing experience. The JV team also plays Bon Lin next Thursday night as well. JV will kick off at 6 p.m., and varsity will begin at 7:30. Be sure to come out and support your Lakeland football team!
Also, the spirit wear orders have arrived at LMPS. They can be picked up at the school beginning Monday (8.27.18)
