First-year Lake football coach Tate Hanna said well before the season started that his defense would have to carry the load while his offense caught up.
So far, the Lake defense has done its part.
The Hornets pitched their second straight shutout as they blanked Clarkdale 42-0 on Friday night at Clarkdale.
It’s the second straight win for the Hornets and their second straight shutout after beating Sebastopol 39-0 last week.
“Of course, any time we get a win, I’m proud,” Hanna said. “We could do a better job up front on offense. But I thought the defense has stepped up while the offense is still a work in progress. Defensively, we are playing a lot of people, especially on the defensive front. That’s something we have tried to do is play a lot of people. Two weeks in a row, we have kept people scoreless and under 100 yards of total offense. I thought that was impressive.”
Clarkdale managed just 64 yards rushing and 8 passing for 72 total yards while the Lake offense had some solid numbers, rushing for 149 yards and throwing for 116 for 265 yards of total offense.
“We are still trying to get some folks in the right place on the offensive line,” Hanna said. “I’ve been trying to get guys in a better position. I still feel like there is way to much penetration. I’m pleased with what we did but we have to find the right fit up front.”
The Hornets took control of the game early. After forcing a Clarkdale punt, Lake’s Marc Qualls returned the punt 65 yards for a touchdown. Mickey Parker booted the PAT and Lake led 7-0 early in the first.
While both teams struggled on offense, it was Qualls and the return game that helped Lake get on the board again. This time, Qualls had a 36-yard return to set the Hornets up at the Clarkdale 30-yard line. Five plays later, Theory Harris hit Janorious Jones on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 8:10 left in the first half. The PAT failed and Lake led 13-0.
After a quick three-and-out by Clarkdale, Lake got another quick score as Ethan Gray scored on a 56-yard run. Qualls ran in the two-point conversion and Lake led 21-0 at the half.
“I was really pleased with my young fullback this week,” Hanna said. “Ever since James Walker got hurt, that’s something we’ve been searching for. The fullback position is crucial in this offense. Ethan has got a lot of potential and we stayed on him this week and I thought he stepped up and responded with a good game.”
The Hornets put any thoughts of a second-half comeback to rest as Qualls took the ball on their first play of the half and raced 64 yards for a touchdown. Will Burns booted the PAT and Lake led 28-0.
The Hornets added another score on their next possession as Johnson hit Desmond Harris on an 85-yard touchdown pass. The PAT failed and Lake led 34-0.
The Hornets got its final score through the air as well as Ledbetter hit Jodorian Pace on a 5-yard touchdown pass. On the PAT, a fumbled snap forced Qualls to roll out where he his Cantrell Banks for the conversion and a 42-0 lead.
Qualls led the Hornets with 89 yards rushing on six carries while Gray had 64 yards on three carries.
On defense, Aaron Campbell had 10 tackles while Seth Prestage had 9.5 stops. Jadorian Pace and Janorius Jones each had nine tackles while Zeke Chapman had 8.5 tackles and Cantrell Banks had 7.5.
