Lake Ridge pulls away from Skyline

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By Bob Kowalski

Mansfield Record

It took awhile for Lake Ridge to solve Dallas Skyline's defense, but the Eagles broke away for a 37-18 homecoming victory Friday night at Vernon Newsom Stadium.

And when the Eagles (4-2, 2-1 District 11-6A) stalled on offense, kicker Kyson Scott was there to ensure scoring. In addition to extra points on all four of Lake Ridge's touchdowns, Scott added field goals of 24, 37 and 27 yards for 13 points on the night.

Lake Ridge drove to the Raiders' 31-yard line to open the game, but turned the ball over on downs. After Skyline (2-4, 0-3) was forced to punt, Lake Ridge put the first points on the board with an eight-play drive, finished when Jonathan Mwangala took a pitch and shed tacklers for a 34-yard touchdown run and 7-0 lead with under 5 minutes left in the first half.

The Raiders tied the game at 7-7 midway through the second quarter when quarterback Tanard Counter rushed 36 yards for a score. Lake Ridge got back on top 3 minutes later when quarterback Deshawn Edwards found Micah Blow on a 27-yard TD pass for a 14-7 lead.

The Eagles defense held, bolstered by a 10-yard sack by Bryce Pilot, forcing a punt from deep in Skyline territory. A 21-yard punt return by Jayden Evans put the ball at Skyline's 28, and the Eagles needed only one snap to score, on Edwards' pass to Rayden Newsome for a 21-7 lead. Skyline drove to Lake Ridge's 18-yard line but was unable to manage a touchdown. Lake Ridge's Landon Pullen's diving tip on a would-be touchdown pass and another end zone pass breakup by Myles Johnson forced the Raiders to settle for a field goal and 21-10 score at halftime.

Lake Ridge did the only scoring of the third quarter, on one of Scott's field goals and a 2-yard touchdown run by Jaiden Cotton to take a 31-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

After Skyline scored on a 41-yard TD pass from Counter to Anthony Webb and added a two-point conversion run by Devin Buckley to make the score 31-18, Lake Ridge tacked on two more field goals by Scott in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

On Thursday, Timberview (6-0, 3-0 7-5A DII) stayed unbeaten with a 56-14 victory over Arlington Seguin at Vernon Newsom Stadium. On Friday, Summit (3-3, 2-1 8-5A DI) defeated Cedar Hill (1-5, 1-2), 41-19; Legacy (1-5, 1-2 8-5A DI) fell to Burleson Centennial (4-1, 1-1), 35-7; and Mansfield (2-4, 0-3 11-6A) lost to Duncanville (3-3, 2-1), 45-7.

Next week, Legacy meets Cedar Hill at 7 p.m. Thursday at Newsom Stadium; Mansfield plays host to Skyline for homecoming at 7 p.m. Friday at Newsom; Lake Ridge faces North Crowley at 7 p.m. Friday at Crowley ISD Stadium; and Timberview meets Joshua at 7 p.m. Friday at Owl Stadium.

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