Patiently, Round Lake routs Maine East
The first delay was rather innocent, as the sophomore football game at Round Lake ran late and made for a late start for the varsity matchup.
The second delay, however, was extensive and a bit more serious.
Lightning visited the Round Lake football field Friday night and sent fans and players away. And this time, it was nearly two hours before play resumed.
The good news for Round Lake? All of this was very well worth the wait.
Finishing off this game that gave midnight a run was, perhaps for the first time ever, a running clock in favor of the Panthers. You'll forgive them if that part didn't go seamlessly.
"And the running clock didn't work,'' said Round Lake football coach Cristo Garza.
However, there was no one complaining on the Round Lake side. Almost everything else worked like a charm for the Panthers as they overwhelmed visiting Maine East 50-12.
Pass the word - Round Lake has an out-of-town transfer named Kevonne Peterson. On two pass plays in the second quarter, he teamed with sophomore QB Isaiah Nixon on scoring plays that totaled 100 yards.
Peterson is a transfer from Burlington, Iowa.
"It's a small town and there wasn't much to do except go to school," Peterson said.
Now, he has plenty to do, like catch TD passes from this suddenly potent offensive team from Round Lake.
Peterson gathered another TD pass from Nixon in the third quarter.
"We had a really good week of practice," Nixon noted. "I really think we can do something this year."
The Panthers didn't look like they would blow out Maine East in the first quarter. Jonathan Urbina's first carry of the night went 30 yards and the Panthers (1-1) were on the board. Extra points were hard on this night and Round Lake led 6-0 after one quarter.
Both teams tallied early in the second quarter, and the visitors were within a touchdown early. That's when Peterson showed what he could do, and his 2 touchdowns made it 26-6 at halftime.
Urbina broke off a 45-yard scamper to the end zone and the romp was on. Nixon, too, scored from 29 yards out.
The benches cleared as the skies finally cooperated, with both teams scoring on short runs as the running clock helped finally end the contest.