Somehow, it adds up in Conant’s favor

What do 4 interceptions and 12 penalties for 146 yards add up to?

How about Conant 28, Lake Park 14 in Saturday’s season opener for both.

Guess which team had the four miscues and the 12 mistakes? Yes, Lake Park. And they came in key situations, along with some costly penalties.

Conant needed to capitalize on every one of them. That’s because the visiting Lancers finished with more total offense, more yards rushing, more plays from scrimmage and, in the end, more angst.

Lake Park watched Conant score on its first three possessions for what would be a decisive 21-0 lead.

The first score was set up by Danny Modelski’s 57-yard slant to lanky D’Angelo McBride, who scored on an almost impossible-to-defend jump-ball fade two plays later.

The second was set up after a penalty on the kickoff return left the Lancers in poor field position. Conant only had to drive 29 yards for that TD on Modelski’s slant to Dante Marski on a play that was open all afternoon.

Finally, it became 21-0 when Matthew Mills blocked a Lake Park punt and Odell Andrews recovered it at the Lancer 2, setting up a Modelski quarterback sneak for a 21-0 lead.

Lake Park subsequently dominated the stats, but to no avail.

“We kind of made some plays when we had to,” said Conant coach and Bill Modelski, the quarterback’s dad. He was proud of a defensive unit with four sophomore starters.

And while senior son Danny directed the offense efficiently, his father was not completely pleased with the 8-for-22 passing effort that included a pick.

“We’ve seen what he can do,” in seasons past, coach Modelski said of quarterback Modelski. “He’s not at all where he should be.”

Quarterback Modelski agreed.

“It all starts with me,” he said after the offense slowed down following the first quarter. “I can’t turn the ball over. It’s just bad decisions.”

But he cited a different unit as key to the win.

“Special teams won the game for us,” Danny Modelski noted, what with the blocked punt setting up a 2-yard drive and Kevin Copher, who had two picks, bringing a punt back 33 yards for a TD in the third quarter.

Lake Park bounced back and flexed its muscles as Antonio Shenault sparkled on both sides of the ball and Curtwan Evans rushed for almost 80 yards to help set up two scores. Shenault, who caught, completed and intercepted passes, showed why D-I colleges have him on their recruiting lists.

“Our defense is going to be a strength,” said Lake Park coach Chris Roll, whose club did limit the Cougars pretty well after the first quarter.

But oh, that first quarter.

“After the first quarter, we found out how dangerous they can be,” Roll said of his defense.

As for Conant?

“We have a lot of room for improvement,” said Danny Modelski.

“We’ve got some youth,” said Bill Modelski.