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Early-season slate gets Lakewood in postseason form

 
Lakewood junior running back Cornell Battles said the team saw a shift in attitude after losing its first three games. (Dirk Shadd, Tims)
Lakewood junior running back Cornell Battles said the team saw a shift in attitude after losing its first three games. (Dirk Shadd, Tims)
Published Oct. 27, 2016

ST. PETERSBURG

The football season could not have started much worse for Lakewood. After weeks of practicing in the typically brutal summer heat, the Spartans were finally going to get a chance to open the season against rival Boca Ciega. Then a powerful summer storm camped itself over south St. Petersburg and forced a cancellation.

When the Spartans finally did take the field eight days later, the offense sputtered in a 14-12 loss at St. Petersburg. Then came a 54-12 home loss the next week against talented Jacksonville Bolles. Then another lopsided loss, 55-16 at Ocala Vanguard, another state-ranked team.

Lakewood was 0-3.

"We were wondering why we were losing all these games," junior running back Cornell Battles said. "It was really because of our mistakes. So we went back to working hard in practice. You practice how you play, and we knew we had to play better."

Lakewood's schedule was certainly front-loaded. Of the six games remaining after Vanguard, only one team, Pinellas Park, had a winning record in 2015. And three of those games were against Dunedin, Gibbs and Tarpon Springs, all Class 5A, District 9 opponents.

The Spartans beat Dixie Hollins by 28 points. They then slashed Dunedin 54-7 in a game where Battles scored five touchdowns. Then came the biggest win of the season to date, a 33-28 win over previously unbeaten Pinellas Park.

Lakewood (4-3) made it four straight by defeating neighborhood rival Gibbs 43-8. A win over Tarpon Springs this week would not only extend the win streak to five games, but it would clinch a district championship and a ninth straight playoff appearance.

"I think we're a much better team after playing those teams (Bolles and Vanguard)," said senior strong safety Chris Atkins, who has 62 tackles and three interceptions this season. "Those are very good teams and a lot of teams around here would've lost to them. We just wanted to show what we can do."

What the Spartans have done best this season is play defense and make big plays on offense. The defense allowed only one touchdown in the wins over Dixie Hollins, Dunedin and Gibbs. And against the Patriots, it was the defense that preserved the lead with fourth quarter sacks.

Junior TroyVon Johnson has emerged as the starting quarterback. He has thrown for 450 yards in seven games, not an overwhelming number by any means. But he also has run for 458 yards and scored four touchdowns, providing a double threat for the Spartans.

Battles has been the top rusher. He has gained 473 yards and scored eight touchdowns. When Johnson does throw, his favorite target has been junior Jalen Rogers, who has caught 16 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns.

Lakewood has gone from getting thrashed to thrashing teams. The final two regular-season games, Tarpon Springs and Northeast, should be winnable. If that happens, Lakewood will enter the playoffs with six straight wins.

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And the immediate future looks even brighter. There are only six seniors on the roster.

Lakewood coach Cory Moore said he purposely loaded his team's schedule with tough non-district opponents, which also included a spring game against powerful Braden River. He figured the beginning would be rough, but he hopes the season ends much better.

"I told the guys this, the race is not given to the swift nor to the strong, but to the one who endures to the end," Moore said. "I don't care how you start, it's how you end."

Contact Rodney Page at rpage@tampabay.com. Follow RodneyHomeTeam.