ROSEBORO — A lively homecoming crowd packed into the James Lewis Stadium at Lakewood Friday night and was rewarded with a show of determination and second-half dominance. The home Leopards overcame a slow start to roll past the Union Spartans 40–14 in their homecoming game, one that showcased grit, leadership, and growth from both programs.
The Leopards came out with energy as senior Calvin Lacewell Jr. powered through the Spartan defense for several early gains. Quarterback Reed Ammons found space on the ground, moving the chains before sophomore receiver Marquis Owens took a jet sweep 35 yards down the left sideline for the game’s opening touchdown. The extra point was true, giving Lakewood a 7–0 lead.
Union tried to answer quickly. Quarterback Derick Aycock connected with Tobias Cromartie on a short completion, and Joseph Suarez powered ahead for modest gains, but the Spartan drive stalled as Lakewood’s defense forced a punt.
On their next possession, Lakewood’s rhythm continued. Ammons completed a pass to Burroughs Strickland, then Dontavius Smith finished the drive with a jet sweep touchdown to make it 14–0 after another successful kick.
Union’s offense began to find footing behind the power running of Cromartie and Suarez, but the Leopards’ defensive front, led by senior Devin Jones, clogged the lanes. Jones recorded a key sack on third down midway through the second quarter, helping preserve the shutout through halftime.
The first half ended with a scare when Cromartie was pushed out of bounds into a member of the chain crew, momentarily halting play. Once resumed, Union’s final drive was stopped cold by JJ Smith’s backfield tackle as the horn sounded, sending the Leopards into the break leading 14–0.
Union came out of halftime determined to swing the momentum. Cromartie found daylight on the right edge, breaking tackles for a touchdown before adding the two-point conversion to narrow the deficit to 14-8.
Lakewood immediately responded with a strong return by Deshaun Carr, setting up a drive near midfield. Lacewell Jr. and Donovan Smith churned out key yardage before Lacewell plunged across the goal line to make it 20-8 late in the third.
Moments later, Lakewood’s defense pounced on a Spartan fumble near midfield. Ammons capitalized, slicing through the right edge for a touchdown to extend the lead to 27-8 with 1:07 left in the third quarter.
Union refused to quit. Aycock led a determined march capped by a five-yard quarterback keeper for a score midway through the fourth. The two-point try failed, keeping the score 27-14.
From there, Lakewood’s depth and versatility took over. Ammons added another rushing touchdown before Donovan Smith powered up the middle for the Leopards’ final score. The extra point made it 40-14, sealing a homecoming victory that reflected both balance and resolve.
Lakewood’s defense closed strong, with Cameron Williams notching a late sack and a fumble recovery on Union’s final drive.
Lakewood now stands at 5-2, 3-0 in conference, while Union sits at 2-5, 0-3 in conference. The Leopards will have a good test on the road against East Bladen, who is within their conference, while Union will face off with North Duplin at the Spartans’ home.
After the win, Lakewood head coach Travis Elliott credited his team’s response to halftime adjustments and a challenge issued behind closed doors.
“Basically, it was me challenging their execution,” Elliott said. “I’m not a big fan of Homecoming Week because there’s a lot of distractions, and I think that showed in the first half. That’s not a discredit to Coach (Mark) Oates and his team. They’re a great group of young men. We just weren’t executing well.”
Elliott said his halftime message was about self-reflection as much as football.
“It was about identity,” he continued. “How you finish this game defines you. Sometimes in life, you’re not going to show up and do things very well, but you get a chance to correct it. The question is, do you correct it or just be okay with being that way? That was the challenge. A challenge to their character and who they are.”
Elliott also praised his young quarterback duo, sophomores Burroughs Strickland and Reed Ammons, for their maturity and teamwork in running Lakewood’s dual-QB system.
“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Elliott said. “They’re both high-IQ players and bring different things to the table. It’s nice having two guys who are friends and pull for each other. When one’s under center, the other’s often at receiver. It gives us versatility, and depending on who we’re playing, we can attack in different ways.”
On defense, Elliott had high praise for senior Devin Jones, who was a force up front.
“DJ is a class act young man,” Elliott said. “He’s a yes-sir kid who shows up every day and works hard. He’s learned how to use his body, not just fight the man but move the man. You see his pursuit and effort every play, and when someone that size gives that kind of effort, you better acknowledge it. He’s one of three senior leaders on defense with Deshaun Carr and Juan Parker, and those guys set the tone for us.”
Despite the loss, Union’s Oates saw positives in his team’s effort and progress.
“I think we took a step in the right direction tonight,” Oates said. “We were talking about that on the sideline. We took a step. But we had to go all the way up on the porch, you know? We took that first step, we fought.”
Oates said he saw belief growing within his young roster.
“We felt like if we showed up and played, we could play with Lakewood. And I think the kids started to see that, started to believe,” he said. “We just shot ourselves in the foot a couple times. But yeah, we took that step.”
Looking ahead, Oates said the next focus is cleaning up mental errors.
“We’ve got to cut down on the mental mistakes, the self-inflicted wounds, and just continue to grow and play harder,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Lakewood will look to carry its momentum into next week’s conference showdown at East Bladen, where they will aim to solidify their playoff standing. Union will return home to face North Duplin, eager to build on Friday’s strides and take another step in the right direction.