Explosive Lakes rolls past Antioch
The most suspenseful part of Lakes’ 35-0 victory over Antioch on Friday was how to total quarterback T.J. Edwards’ stats.
On the Eagles’ first offensive play, Edwards took a shotgun snap and tossed the ball underhand to sophomore slotback Devyn Cedzidlo, who sprinted 84 yards for a touchdown.
Technically, the ball traveled forward and through the air as it moved from Edwards to Cedzidlo, so it could be considered a forward pass. On the other hand, the two players were close enough that it was practically a handoff.
Lakes ran the same play twice more in the second half. Once it went for a 34-yard touchdown to Jake Balliu, but that play was called back by a penalty.
So if Edwards was credited with a pass, he’d finish with 242 passing yards on 9-of-10 completions. If not, his yardage drops to 150.
“That’s what he asked me, too,” Lakes coach Luke Mertens said. “We call it a run.”
OK, then. But either way, the host Eagles showed big-play ability all night. Edwards had a conventional forward pass go for a 67-yard gain to Alex Murray, who got behind the defense.
“We have a lot of speed on the outside,” Edwards said. “Obviously, if the ball’s in their hands, good things will happen. We found a way to do that.”
Another quick strike by Lakes was a strange one. On the first play of the third quarter, two Antioch defenders burst into backfield and seemed to have Cameron Johnson wrapped up for a loss on the read option. But he somehow broke free and scampered for a 55-yard touchdown that made the score 21-0.
“I thought T.J. was going to take it,” Johnson said. “I was hoping he’d keep it, because I thought we were going to lose yards. The guy couldn’t secure me. I saw the daylight and just ran for it.”
It almost looked like the defender let go of Johnson because he decided Edwards still had the ball. Apparently, that was not the case.
“They knew he had the ball,” Edwards said. “There were three guys on around him. He just kept fighting like he always does. He just broke out of it.”
Johnson finished with 15 carries for 122 yards. He played defensive line last season, but now looks like a capable replacement for departed senior Direll Clark. Mertens said Johnson isn’t even 100 percent healthy due to a leg injury.
“A lot of people underestimate Cameron,” Edwards said. “Cameron is an absolute workhorse. He works hard and I know he’s going to do huge things.”
Mike Brey (3 carries, 53 yards) broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run, while Edwards went up the middle on the read option for scoring runs of 18 and 16 yards.
Antioch’s offense was usually good for a first down or two, but after pounding the inside run, it could never break any big plays on the outside. Halfback Cameron Corey finished with 56 yards on 13 carries.
“We didn’t tackle very well and we didn’t block very well,” Sequoits coach Brian Glashagel said. “Kudos to them. We had to play well to beat them and we laid an egg, that’s for sure.
“We can’t sustain any drives. We’re not sustaining blocks up front. We have a chance to make some plays and we’re just not making them. That was the emphasis — we’ve got to finish. Finish blocks, finish tackles and we didn’t finish.”