Living to see another day. That was the motto Lakewood adopted after defeating the Princeton Bulldogs 42-22 Friday night to move on to the third round of the 2016 Football Championships.

The Lakewood Leopards kicked the night off in a big way with a long 58-yard pass from quarterback Zach Tanner to running back Carsell Bennett, who caught a contested ball down the middle and outraced his lone defender for a score. The touchdown had the crowd roaring as it put the Bulldogs in a hole, something the Leopards have done to nearly every team they have faced so far this season and postseason. The extra point was missed, but Lakewood still had the early 6-0 lead.

However, Princeton responded, and in a big way. The Bulldogs pinned their ears back and attacked the Leopards’ run defense, running the ball up the gut on nearly every play and exhausting Lakewood on a 5-plus minute drive. They scored with a two-yard plunge up the middle by Earl Gibson Jr. The Bulldogs decided to gamble with an attempted two-point conversion, and it paid off. Gibson got the rock again and converged into a mass of Lakewood black, only to come out of it in the end zone for a successful try to take the lead 8-6 with just over a minute left in the first quarter.

That lead was the only one Princeton would have during the game, and it did not last long, as the Leopards responded in their own way in only three plays. Bennett again gassed the Bulldogs with a long 63-yard sprint for a touchdown. Bennett was just too much for Princeton to handle, and Lakewood converted on a two-point conversion to go up 14-8 as a result of a drive that barely took more than a minute, and left Princeton with just two seconds to work with before the first quarter ended.

Lakewood would score one more time before the first half came to a close off a 10-yard carry by running back Dre Oates to put the score at 20-8. Oates also had a solid night and complemented Bennett nicely to create a special one-two punch that Lakewood took advantage of all game. The Leopards cashed in on the point after to take a comfortable 21-8 lead with just over five minutes left in the first half.

Lakewood looked poised for another blowout win after they racked up another touchdown on their first drive after halftime thanks to a shifty five-yard run by running back Keshon Bailey to put his Lakewood squad up by 20 after a successful extra point early in the third quarter.

However, the Bulldogs began to find their groove, again finding success running the ball up the middle. Princeton cut the lead to just 14 with 5:38 left in the third quarter after a three-yard run by Trace James. This touchdown came on the heels of a Lakewood fumble in their own territory, as running back Oates tried to make the best of a desperation lateral pass by Tanner, who was about to be sacked. Oates was wrapped up and the ball punched out. Princeton took advantage and the energy momentarily leaned toward the Bulldogs. Princeton’s two-point conversion failed, keeping Lakewood’s lead at just 14.

Unfortunately for Princeton, the Leopards woke up, responding with a touchdown of their own to push the lead back to 21 deep in the third quarter after Oates got his revenge for his costly fumble with a 15-yard touchdown. A successful extra point put the score at 35-14.

Princeton cut the lead to just 13 with 10:01 to go in the fourth quarter as Bulldogs quarterback Adam Crocker lofted a pass for Garrett Klein, who hauled in the 25-yard pass and scored, slimming the lead down to 35-22, causing fans of both teams to anxiously sit on the edge of their seats.

Although Princeton had the momentum, they were unable to do anything with it and failed to generate any offense, allowing Lakewood to kill the clock and score again off a tackle-breaking 39-yard run up the middle by Tanner, thus sealing the victory for the Leopards. After the successful extra point, Lakewood led 42-22, and no further scoring would occur in the game.

Princeton Bulldogs head coach Travis Gaster was upset at the lack of tackling in the loss, but was pleased at how much effort his players gave, in particular his seniors, throughout the season as a whole. After the tough and hard-fought loss, many of the Princeton players had tears in their eyes knowing that they had come to the end of the season, and some players to the end of their high school football career.

Despite the loss, Gaster credited his team for their defense and how well they attempted to stop the high-flying Lakewood offense. “We covered the pass better, and our special teams excelled,” Gaster noted.

Lakewood Leopards head coach James Lewis was very excited about the win and was already looking forward to next week, as his top-seeded Leopards do work against the second-seeded Wallace-Rose Hill Bulldogs. “Wallace-Rose Hill will definitely be a challenge, but we are really looking forward to it,” Lewis said.

The Princeton Bulldogs end the season with a 7-6 overall record with a solid 5-1 conference record. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs will hope to have a big off-season in hopes of returning to the playoffs next year. Lakewood, on the other hand, is on a roll and advances to the third round of the playoffs, where they will host Wallace-Rose Hill in a huge game.

The game is scheduled for next Friday at 7:30 p.m. Wallace-Rose Hill is coming off of a 38-0 beatdown of the Union Spartans on Friday night. Lakewood has won their past six games and hope to keep the momentum rolling.

Offensively for the Leopards, Bennett finished with 125 yards on seven carries with a touchdown, Tanner had 73 yards on six carries with a touchdown, Oates had 65 yards on six carries with two touchdowns, and Bailey had 53 yards on eight carries and a touchdown. Tanner was 3-of-9 passing for 84 yards and one touchdown. Bennett had 58 yards on one catch for a touchdown. Camron Sessoms had 14 yards on a catch, and William Peete had 12 yards on a grab.

Offensively for the Princeton, Gibson led the team with 95 yards on 29 carries and a touchdown, James followed him up with 67 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown, and Matthew Stallworth had 24 yards on 12 carries. Crocker was 2-of-10 passing for 41 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown. Gibson also had 16 yards receiving on a catch, and Klein had 25 yards on a snag.

Defensively for the Leopards, Luke Brewer paved the way with 11 tackles, Tristan Holmes raked in 9.5 tackles, Tristan Hawks had seven tackles, Harold Faison had 5.5 tackles, Akili Underwood had an interception to go along with five tackles, and Quamaine Williams intercepted a pass and had two tackles.

Dre Oates tries to avoid two Princeton defenders on Friday night.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Lakewood.jpgDre Oates tries to avoid two Princeton defenders on Friday night.

Keshon Bailey protects the ball while looking for an opening in the offensive line. The Leopards defeated Princeton and will host Wallace-Rose Hill in the third round on Friday.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_Lakewood-3.jpgKeshon Bailey protects the ball while looking for an opening in the offensive line. The Leopards defeated Princeton and will host Wallace-Rose Hill in the third round on Friday.
Lakewood win sets up third round game with Wallace-Rose Hill

By Adam Johnson

Sports Writer