by Dan Resciniti

The Wyoming Area Freshman Warriors were defeated, in a heartbreaker, by the Lake Lehman Knights on Saturday morning; bringing their early season record to 1 – 1.  Lake Lehman’s first possession of the game was stalled by the Warrior defense, issuing a “3 and out.”  After taking over on offense, the Warriors marched the ball down the field.  Early in the first drive, RB Cody Schmitz bulled through the Knights defense for 26 yards, giving the Warriors better field position.  On 2nd and 7, WR Dylan Pegg hauled in a 36 yard pass from QB Jordan Zezza giving the Warriors 1st and 10 on the Knights 18 yard line.  The drive was capped off with a Schmitz 15 yard touchdown run off the O-line’s left side.  The 2-point conversion try was good, giving the Warriors an 8 - 0 advantage.  With 3:12 left in the first, the ensuing kickoff was taken for a 76 yard return and touchdown by Lake Lehman’s RB Barry Butler.  The point after try was denied by the Warriors, leaving the Warriors in front of the Knights 8 – 6.  The second possession for Wyoming Area, ended after a Zezza interception.  Sensing the urgency of ball control, the stringent Warrior defense retrieved the ball for their offense on the first play of Lake Lehman’s 2nd offensive possession.   DL Tyler Strok was able to recover a missed Center / Quarterback exchange fumble on the first play of the drive.  The next few possessions were not productive, for either team.  While under duress on the 3rd offensive drive, the Knights quarterback was pinned for a 7 yard loss by DL Tyler Strok; who recorded his first unassisted sack of the season.   Just prior to the half, with :54 seconds before the break,  the Knights RB Brandon Kelly was able to squeak through the Warrior defense for a 56 yard touchdown.  The Warrior defense disallowed the 2-point conversion try, bringing the halftime score to Wyoming Area 8 and Lake Lehman 12.

The Warriors received the ball to start the second-half.  On 2nd and 9, The Warriors offensive line created a tremendous hole for RB Schmitz, who was able to parade off the right side for 21 yards; giving the Warriors a fresh set of downs.  After key penalties backed the Warriors into a 3rd and 23, Zezza had difficulty handling the football.  A fumble, recovered by the Knights defense, gave Lake Lehman the first of only three offensive possessions in the second half.  Strengthened by the defensive line penetration and good defensive secondary reads, the Warrior defense issued another “3 and out,” forcing a Knight’s punt.  Taking over on the Lake Lehman 45 yard line, the Knights were able to put Wyoming Area into a 3rd and 8.  Knowing that they needed to convert this huge third down, the entire O-line “stepped up.”  They created a gap that Schmitz sailed through for a 15 yard gain.  With 7:02 left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors continued to avoid turnovers.  A Zezza pass was intercepted by Lake Lehman’s Kelly, and taken for a 71 yard return and score.  Again, the 2-point conversion was denied giving the Knights an 8-18 advantage.   Keeping their “heads up” and staying in the game, the Warriors generated a scoring drive to answer the Knights.  A  Zezza 20 yard pass to Schmitz and a 27 yard connection to Pegg took the Warriors to their opponent’s 1 yard line, giving the Warriors a first and goal.  Schmitz bailed into the end-zone, from the 1 yard line, for the Warrior’s second score.  Coach Speece called on Schmitz again to add the point-after, and he did so smashing through the guard / center gap into the end-zone.  The Warriors had cut the Knight’s edge to 2, leaving the score Wyoming Area 16 and Lake Lehman 18 with 3:20 left in the game.  The Knight’s final possession was unproductive, with the exception of a big first down run, forcing a punt.  The Warriors took over with just over 1:00 minute left on the Lake Lehman 20 yard line, and a chance to secure a victory.  Working the sidelines, Schmitz grabbed a screen-pass from Zezza, and flew up the Warrior sideline and was forced out-of-bounds for a 56 yard gain.  Facing a 4th and 10, and only one timeout remaining, a similar screen-pass to the right flat gave the Warriors a 1st and 10 in the red zone.  Prior to the down-conversion, Schmitz was forced out-of-bounds at about the 12 yard line; stopping the clock.  With :32 seconds left in the game, a pass to the end-zone was intercepted by Lake Lehman’s DB Jordan, ending the Warrior effort.  After a “kneel-down” by Lake Lehman’s quarterback, the final score was posted Wyoming Area – 16 and Lake Lehman – 18.

The Wyoming Area Freshman Football Team will be preparing for a “huge” test this week.  They travel next Saturday morning, September 19th, to Krispin Field and face the Berwick Bulldogs Freshman.   Warrior Nation’s support is huge to the success of player development and “our” program, so come out and help us to cheer them on!