Heaven forbid you left your seat at Rominger Stadium
midway through the second quarter to run to the concession stand.
If you did, you missed an explosion of special teams
scoring as Lake defeated host South Range 49-13 in both teams’ 2025 season
opener.
In a space of about 30 seconds, three consecutive
touchdowns were scored on three plays. The first quarter, which ended with Lake
leading 7-0 thanks to Ty DeGeorge’s short scoring run, gave no inkling of what
was to occur.
The Raiders matched the Blue Streaks early in the
second on a short TD run to tie the game at seven apiece. Lake QB Alex Quior
then hooked up with Quinn Snyder on a 75-yard catch and run score for a 14-7
lead.
Now, for the fireworks.
After Lake’s defense forced a Raider punt, DeGeorge
returned the ball for a 67-yard TD and a 21-7 lead. South Range’s Gavin Hiscox then
broke free of several tackles to take the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to the end
zone. After a missed PAT, the score stood at 21-13.
Eighteen seconds later, however, Lake’s Chase Fuller
was standing in the end zone after yet another kickoff return for a TD, this
one for 88 yards. DeGeorge’s two-point run was the cherry on the sundae as Lake
led 29-13.
DeGeorge, added a 16-yard TD pass to Snyder for a
35-13 halftime score, and he capped the scoring for Lake in the third period
with 65- and 46-yard touchdown runs.
On the night, DeGeorge rushed for 119 yards on six
carries, picked up 84 yards in punt returns, and threw the one TD pass,
accounting for five of Lake’s scores. Quior was a perfect 7-for-7 through the
air for 173 yards and a score, while Snyder had four receptions for 103 yards
and two TDs.
Lake (1-0) rolled up 225 net yards on the ground while
holding South Range (0-1) to just 63 yards.
Cross
Country
It’s always been considered a big cross country meet
in northeast Ohio. Now, it’s got a big name to match.
Formerly called the Riverside Kickoff Classic, the
annual meet hosted by Painesville Riverside High School is now the HOKA Kickoff
Classic XC Showcase. One thing that hasn’t changed is that it’s one of the biggest
meets to send cross country season into gear.
Speaking of kickoffs, the Lake girls’ cross country
team kicked off the post-Dani Scheffler era with a strong performance at the
showcase, and the Blue Streaks did it with a mix of youth and experience.
Lake, which finished in 10th place out of 40 teams, was
led by freshman Heidi Hart, who placed 46th with a time of 21:19.39. Two spots
behind and right on Hart’s heels was senior Madeline Utz (21:21.14), while
junior Ava Volpe finished in 52nd place (21:30.18).
In the high school boys gold division, sophomore
Brycen Vensel paced the Blue Streaks with his 30th place finish in 17:18.49,
while fellow sophomore Mason DeBois was a little more than a second behind in
32nd. Overall, the Blue Streaks placed seventh out of a field of 43 teams.
Boys
Soccer
Lake’s first week of the season is in the books, and
the Blue Streaks are still in search of the first victory in the Brad Dobney
era.
Lake’s 5-0 loss to Stow-Munroe Falls of the Suburban
League on August 19 marks the second consecutive year the Blue Streaks were
shut out by the Bulldogs.
Lake then went on the road four days later to face off
against Tallmadge in another non-conference match. The Blue Devils opened a 2-0
advantage in the first half, forcing the Blue Streaks to play catch up in the
second. Lake did break through in the second thanks to a goal by sophomore
forward Aldo Ortiz Jimenez, but it was not enough as Tallmadge scored an
insurance goal and hung on for the 3-1 win.
As Dobney has pointed out, Lake does not have the
luxury of a deep bench this season, and the injury bug has taken a bite out of
the Blue Streaks. With Federal League play beginning, Lake should get
healthier, which will improve the Blue Streaks’ chances.
