Reedy belts Lake Ridge in football season opener

By Bob Kowalski

Mansfield Record

Frisco Reedy cashed in on first-half turnovers to defeat Lake Ridge, 61-7, in the high school football season opener Friday at Vernon Newsom Stadium.

Lake Ridge (0-1) took the opening kickoff and moved to its 27-yard line, but an interception by Reedy’s Trent Lankford set up the Lions at the Eagles’ 41-yard line.

Lake Ridge’s Amos Prince welcomed Reedy’s offense to the field with a thunderous solo hit on running back Jarrett Walker, knocking him back to the 43-yard line.But four plays later, quarterback Jake Ferner passed to Darren Nickerson for a 10-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Reedy lead.

Lake Ridge’s next drive started on its own 8, and the Eagles went three-and-out, giving Reedy (1-0) another start in Lake Ridge territory. On third-and-12, Ferner threw a 43-yard bomb that Mason Easley caught in coverage at the 14-yard line. Consecutive carries by Walker put Reedy in the end zone again for a 14-0 lead with 6 minutes left in the first quarter.

The teams traded possessions throughout the rest of the first quarter before Lake Ridge got on the scoreboard. This time, it was the Eagles’ turn to convert a turnover into points.

Sophomore Joshua Woods intercepted a Reedy pass at Lake Ridge’s 34-yard line with 1 ½ minutes gone in the second quarter. Quarterback Kennen Miller put together a 66-yard drive, starting with a 9-yard scamper and closing with 34-yard touchdown pass to Noel Butler to cut the lead to 14-7 with just under 9 minutes to play in the half.

After swapping possessions, Reedy increased its lead, requiring only three plays to cover 58 yards, the last a 56-yard strike from Ferner to Nickerson, who caught the ball at the 12 and raced into the end zone for a 21-7 lead.

A fumble on the kick return by Lake Ridge gave Reedy the ball at the Eagles’ 29-yard line, and the Lions cashed in quickly, with Ferner’s TD pass to Jackson Ford giving Reedy a 28-7 lead with two touchdowns in 16 seconds.

The Lions added to that less than a minute later when speedy defensive back Josiah Fuksa intercepted a Lake Ridge pass and soared 61 yards up the sideline for 35-7 lead with 3:47 left in the half.

A three-and-out by Lake Ridge gave Reedy another chance before halftime, and the Lions took advantage, scoring on a 52-yard pass from Ferner to Ford for a 42-7 halftime lead.

In the second half, a field goal and blocked punt attempt through the end zone gave Reedy a 54-7 lead before capping the scoring with a 4-yard TD run by Chase Posner with 8 minutes left to play.

In the second half, Lake Ridge managed only three trips into Reedy territory, including on its final possession when quarterbacks Conrad Nolan and Ian Glendenning combining to drive to Reedy’s 15-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

Last season, Reedy went 10-2, reaching the Class 5A Division I area finals.

Among other Mansfield ISD schools, Mansfield defeated Mesquite Horn, 38-20; Justin Northwest beat Legacy, 36-17; and Lewisville topped Summit, 51-7. On Thursday night, Timberview defeated Dallas Kimball, 20-6.

Next week, Timberview visits Denton Ryan at 7 p.m. Thursday at C.H. Collins Stadium; Lake Ridge faces Haltom at 7 p.m. Friday at R.L. Anderson Stadium; Legacy visits Chisholm Trail at 7 p.m. Friday; and Summit plays host to Mansfield at 7 p.m. Friday at Vernon Newsom Stadium.

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