Lake used its punishing ground attack to build a 17-point lead and was able to hang on for a 24-14 lead Friday night at home.
The combination of Marc Qualls and Ethan Gray proved to be a difficult matchup for the Dragons, as Qualls finished with 111 yards on 15 carries and Gray with 96 yards on 13 carries.
The Hornets (3-1), however, had no idea what the Dragons were going to do in the first game after losing star running back Don Ragsdale to injury.
“We really had no idea what they were going to do,” said Hornet coach Tate Hanna. “Defensively, we kind of prepared for them bland. I should have done a better job preparing for them. When the best 2A player in the state is out, you don’t know what they’re going to do. We didn’t play like we’ve been playing on defense. We didn’t get that pressure up front.”
One thing that Hanna hopes his team can find in the next couple of weeks is an offensive identity. It appeared like the Hornets did just that, as they rolled off back-to-back touchdowns at the end of the first half and the beginning of the third quarter.
But that rhythm disappeared at times as penalties and turnovers abruptly ended a few drives.
“We’re not a team that can really have much success when we’re second down and 15,” Hanna said. “That kills us. That gets us out of what we do and our rhythm. Everybody’s going to load the box. You know it’s hard to run against people in there with nine people in the box with 12 yards to go. So we need to keep a short field and get better on offense.”
Qualls got the scoring going with a 38-yard touchdown run.
After a poor Hornet punt, Pisgah answered with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Zane Cothem to Trevor Hallett. Noah Thweatt added the extra point to give the Dragons a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Late in the second quarter, the Hornets put together a 10-play, 82-yard drive that took up more than five minutes, capped off by a two-yard Gray touchdown. Qualls had 64 yards of that on five carries.
Then after the break, the Hornets took advantage of Pisgah misfiring on a fourth down attempt near midfield. Gray then rumbled 55 yards for the score on the next play, putting the Hornet advantage at 18-7.
Mickey Parker gave the Hornets some insurance, as he found Desmond Harris for a 50-yard scoring strike to give Lake a 24-7 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Dragons took advantage of a muffed punt to cut the deficit to 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter.
However, D’Alex Jennings clinched the game with an interception in the end zone with less than two minutes to go. Cantrell Banks also recovered a fumble in the win.
