Things did not start well for the Lakeside Warriors in their District 3-2A opener Friday night against Many at Warriors Stadium.
The Tigers drove to a first-and-goal at the 2. But the Lakeside defense kept them out of the end zone on four straight plays.
“That was huge for us,” Lakeside Head Coach John Ware said. “It kind of set the tone for the night.”
With the tone set, the Warriors went on to win 28-6.
Lakeside improved to 6-0. Last week, it was thought the Warriors were the first team in school history to start the season 5-0. But upon further review, the 2006 Warriors won their first five games.
That team went on to go 5-5, according to MaxPreps. There is obviously no chance for that to happen with this year’s squad. The 6-0 start is definitely the best in school history.
Many, the defending district champion, dropped to 0-6.
Lakeside got another outstanding defense performance.
“We played lights out on defense,” Ware said.
The first half turned into a defensive struggle after Many’s first drive.
The Warriors broke a scoreless tie late in the first half. Taron Riley caught a screen pass from Brock Case and went 15 yards for a touchdown with 50 seconds left.
Lakeside went into the locker room with a 7-0 lead.
The second half didn’t start well for Warriors. They lost a fumble on their first possession and soon it was a 7-6 game. The Tigers stopped a two-point conversion attempt.
“After that we just stuffed them on the defensive side the rest of the time,” Ware said. “And we made some good plays on offense.”
Riley scored on a 60-yard run extend the lead to 14-6. Kentravion Miller scored two rushing touchdowns in the second half.
Lakeside continues district play Friday at Red River in Coushatta. The Bulldogs (2-4) defeated Mansfield 20-12 in their district opener.
Note: This report will be updated with statistics.