LAKERS RUN GAME MAKES A HUGE SPLASH
Photo Credit: Kelly York Summers
Andover, OH- Hoping to make their homcoming a sweet one, the Pymatuning Valley Lakers clashed with the Southeast Pirates in a high-scoring battle that had fans cheering the whole game. The Lakers displayed their dominance on the ground, led by the dynamic duo of Ryan Croston and Ty Vickery. The final score read Pymatuning Valley Lakers 64 – Southeast Pirates 34, leaving the Lakers with a triumphant victory.
The first quarter saw Pymatuning Valley strike first, as Ryan Croston bulldozed his way into the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown run, followed by a successful two-point conversion run by Ty Vickery, giving the Lakers an early 8-0 lead. Southeast answered back with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Antonio Mejia to Jack Muldowney, but their two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 8-6 in favor of Pymatuning Valley.
The Lakers continued to pour on the points in the first quarter, with Ryan Croston finding the end zone again on a 7-yard touchdown run, followed by another successful two-point conversion, this time by Ty Vickery, extending their lead to 16-6. Before the quarter ended, Ty Vickery added to the lead with a 5-yard touchdown run and another two-point conversion, making it 24-6 in favor of Pymatuning Valley.
In the second quarter, Ryan Croston broke loose for a spectacular 37-yard touchdown run, and Ty Vickery’s two-point conversion run was good, stretching the lead to 32-6. Southeast fought back with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Antonio Mejia to Case Meyers, and Gavin Bertka’s extra point brought the score to 32-13.
Just before halftime, Ty Vickery found the end zone again with a 2-yard touchdown run, and his two-point conversion run was successful, giving the Lakers a commanding 40-13 lead at the break.
The third quarter saw Southeast’s Antonio Mejia connect with Austin Mejia for a 30-yard touchdown pass, and with the extra point from Gavin Bertka, the score tightened to 40-20. The Pirates continued their comeback efforts in the fourth quarter, with Antonio Mejia throwing a 56-yard touchdown pass to Austin Mejia, and Bertka’s extra point made it 40-27.
But Pymatuning Valley had an answer every time, as Ryan Croston and Ty Vickery continued their dominant performance. Croston’s 8-yard touchdown run and Vickery’s two-point conversion pushed the lead to 48-27. Southeast battled on with Antonio Mejia’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Case Meyers, and Bertka’s extra point cut the deficit to 48-34.
In the waning minutes of the game, Ty Vickery added two more touchdowns to his impressive performance with runs of 44 and 50 yards, along with successful two-point conversions on both occasions, sealing the Lakers’ 64-34 victory.
The Pymatuning Valley Lakers showcased an unstoppable rushing attack, with Ty Vickery leading all rushers with nearly 300 yards on the ground, 4 touchdowns, and 8 two-point conversions. Ryan Croston also had a remarkable game, amassing over 200 yards rushing and contributing 4 touchdowns of his own. Defensively the Lakers were just as impressive with multiple tackles for loss and snagging 3 interceptions including one by Alex Simon who brings his season total to 3.
With this victory, the Pymatuning Valley Lakers improved to 3-3 and are set to begin conference play on the road against the Fairport Harding Skippers (2-4) in week 7. Meanwhile, the Southeast Pirates, with a 5-1 record, will kick off their Portage Trail Conference campaign at home against the St. Thomas Aquinas Knights (0-6) in week 7.
