Lake Park scoops up key win at Waubonsie Valley

What's better than a turnover late in a tied ballgame? How about a "scoop and score."

That's what Lake Park pulled off with the score tied at 28-28 at Waubonsie Valley on Friday night. The Lancers used a sack, a strip and a scoop to score what proved to be the winning points in a wild 36-34 victory.

Lake Park's massive Perrion Winfrey used his 6-foot-5, 300-pound frame to wrap up and wrestle a Warriors player to the ground and knock the ball loose. Defensive end Isaac Moore then corralled the loose ball inside the Warriors' 20-yard line and scampered home with what proved to be the winning touchdown, but not before a little more excitement.

"I honestly don't know what got over me," said Moore, who scored his first touchdown at any level. "I just saw the ball, picked it up and ran it in. Coach (Chris Roll) always tells us scoop and score and coach is always right."

The score followed a 2-point conversion run by holder Gino Romano after he decided to run the ball rather than try and get the kick off after a bobbled hold - those two points proved mighty big. That 36-28 lead with less than a minute to play appeared safe, but the Warriors used a long kick return and later a 25-yard touchdown pass from Warriors quarterback Tanner Westwood to Nate Ashford to close to within 36-34 with 29 seconds left.

But when the Warriors' 2-point pass attempt fell incomplete and the Lancers then covered up the ensuing onside kick, the visitors had escaped with an impressive road win to open the new season.

"Our defense may be a no-name defense, but we have a lot of seniors and a lot of hard workers and they did a great job tonight," Roll said. "They've got a lot of great offensive weapons over there (at Waubonsie) and our guys did just enough to get a big win."

The Warriors led 21-13 at the half after a pair of touchdown runs by sophomore Bryce Logan and a 31-yard TD pass to Harper Cole with less than 10 seconds to go in the half.

But the Lancers converted twice on fake punts with runs from quarterback/punter Jackson Behles, then recorded two big takeaways late to turn a 28-21 deficit in the fourth quarter into a crazy 36-34 victory.

"We had too many turnovers and dropped passes tonight and Lake Park executed when it mattered most," Warriors coach Paul Murphy said. "But even after they went ahead late, we got a score and I liked the play we had called for the 2-pointer. Our kids never quit."