It was week 6 in the high school football season and that means district play has begun. Games mean more, the rivalries are a bit more personal and the playoff picture starts its beginning stages of taking shape.
In Campti, LA a District 3 Division IV showdown took place between the LaSalle Tigers and the Lakeview Gators. In these games it’s important the favored team does not overlook the underdog and the Tigers took the game over from start to finish, keeping their winning streak going.
In the first quarter both teams traded stalled drives and both teams had good punts from both punters – kudos to those young men as that is hard to find in 1A ball.
On Lakeview’s second drive however, it ended featuring the most wonderful play in all of football, the big man interception! Senior lineman Landon Callendar caught an interception off of a batted ball and gave momentum completely to the Tigers gaining possession in Gator territory.
A few plays later Tuff Street threw an absolute dot to Caiden Finley for a 35-yard touchdown pass giving the Tigers the 6-0 lead.
The second quarter started with the Tigers driving with their running attack, capped off by 4-yard touchdown run by the bruising running back Jessey Stowe making it 12-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers had an impromptu onside kick, but it did not go the 10-yard legal distance, and amidst the confusion of not wanting to touch it and draw the penalty, the Gators sprinted in and grabbed the ball up with a surprise kickoff return touchdown, with it now 12-6.
The response from LaSalle was quick however keeping the same gameplan with a healthy dose of Street, Stowe and Wyatt King to march it down the field. The payoff was a trucking over defender 4-yard touchdown run by King to make it 18-6 to end the half.
Beginning the 3rd the Tigers continued to play lights out defense then got the ball back and capped their drive off with a 15-yard Jessey Stowe touchdown run, and the same exact play right after to convert the two-point try to make it 26-6.
Then to follow that up after another stalled Gator-drive, King took to the house for a second time showing off the speed on top of the muscle on a 67-yard touchdown run. He then threw a great pass to Alex Richmond on the two-point try making it now 34-6. To end the quarter, the Tigers recovered a backwards lateral and got the ball in prime position to score again.
To end the 3rd and start the 4th Head Coach Hunter Johnson tried to show some big man love being a former lineman himself with a couple of handoffs to Callendar (yes, the same one who got the interception. Callendar was living the lineman dream this past Friday night). Sadly, he showed why big men don’t get the ball much and did not gain a yard.
Sophomore Kurt Hawkes gave it a shot on third and goal as well, but he got stuffed when he attempted to score, leaving it to King to run it in for this third touchdown run of the night from five yards out.
Following the touchdown, Lakeview scored on another kick-off return, but the Tigers would throw the last punch with a 10-yard Mason Lee touchdown run making your final score 46-12 in favor of LaSalle.
The Tigers must keep this momentum going and they will need the community’s help as the Northwood Gators come to town. As the playoff push continues please show up and cheer loud as they strive to make it 6 in a row!
