Lake Ridge cruises to playoffs with win over Boswell

By Bob Kowalski

Mansfield Record

Lake Ridge showed it’s ready for the postseason by blowing open a close game in the first half on the way to a 69-34 win over Boswell on Friday night at Vernon Newsom Stadium.

The Eagles (8-2, 4-1 District 3-6A) scored three touchdowns and a field goal in the second quarter after the teams were tied 14-14 after the opening quarter.

On a night when Lake Ridge honored the 10th anniversary of the 2015 team that reached the UIL state championship game, the Eagles opened the game explosively. Quarterback Deshawn Edwards passed to Jayden Evans on a 73-yard scoring play on the game’s second snap, giving Lake Ridge a quick 7-0 lead.

Boswell (4-6, 2-4 3-6A) answered with explosiveness of its own when Chance Lassiter took the kickoff 63 yards to set up the Pioneers at the Lake Ridge 22-yard line. Six plays later, Jace Richardson scored from a yard out for a 7-7 game with less than 3 minutes gone.

Another big passing play by Edwards – this time a 45-yard sideline bomb to Mikah Blow – put the Eagles at Boswell’s 17-yard line. Three plays later, Nolan Conrad relieved Edwards at quarterback and threw an easy TD toss to Evans on his first snap for a 14-7 lead 4 ½ minutes into the game.

The Pioneers got a 33-yard run from Lassiter to set up five consecutive carries by Richardson, the last a 6-yard TD run and 14-14 tie with 3:53 left in the first quarter.

Boswell’s defense forced Lake Ridge to go three-and-out, but the Eagles’ Keon’Dre Warner recovered Boswell’s fumble on the punt at the 30-yard line. Edwards capped the short drive with a 2-yard TD run for a 21-14 lead on the first play of the second quarter.

The Pioneers answered with a 10-play drive, ended on a 14-yard TD run by Richardson. Lake Ridge blocked the extra-point attempt to hold a 21-20 lead with 8 minutes to play in the first half.

On the fourth play of Lake Ridge’s next drive, Boswell’s Nate Rosales recovered a fumble, but the Eagles forced a punt. It took eight plays for the Eagles to score, again aided by big gains, including a 23-yard pass from Edwards to Noel Butler. Edwards’ 5-yard pass to Kamron Jackson gave the Eagles a 28-20 lead with 2 ½ minutes before halftime.

Lake Ridge’s Eury Newkirk recovered a short kick and Edwards’ 29-yard pass to Blow gave the Eagles a 35-20 lead on the first play after the two-minute timeout.

Boswell turned the ball over on downs, and Lake Ridge drove close enough for Kyson Scott to kick a 41-yard field goal to end the first half with the Eagles leading 38-20.

The Eagles kept up the attack in the second half, with Edwards passing to Butler for a TD to extend the lead to 45-20 before Boswell answered with a 33-yard scoring run by quarterback Djmarques Lords.

Edwards then found Jaiden Cotton on a swing pass that Cotton took 53 yards for a score and 52-27 lead. After Lords and Lassiter connected for a touchdown, Dylan Altmanshofer made the first of his two onside kick recoveries. Scott’s field goal made it 55-34 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Edwards and Dylan Flanagan scored the final two rushing touchdowns to seal the win for Lake Ridge, which awaits its opponent from District 4-6A next weekend.

On Thursday night, Mansfield (5-5, 4-2 3-6A) defeated Weatherford, 55-41, and advances to the Class 6A postseason. Summit (6-4, 5-3 3-5A II) lost to Arlington Seguin, 23-22, to end its season. Timberview (7-3, 6-3 3-5II), which has captured a Class 5A Division II playoff slot, was idle, as was Legacy (4-6, 2-4 3-6A), whose season ended last week.

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