The Tigers rallied from a 7-0 deficit to defeat Lakeview .

By DOUG CHAPIN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

CORTLAND — Howland High scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, all set up by Lakeview miscues, and the Tigers (2-0) posted a 21-7 victory Thursday night on the Bulldogs’ home field.

“Both teams played well defensively and it’s a shame somone had to be on the short end,” Howland coach Dick Angle said. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re happy to be on the long end. We are excited to be 2-0, we’re fortunate to be 2-0 and we’re proud to be 2-0.

“That’s why they call it a backyard rivalry. When you play a Lakeview team, you’d better be ready to play. Their kids play hard.”

Lakeview scores first

The Bulldogs certainly played hard on the first possession of the second half. Lakeview drove 76 yards on 18 plays for the first score of the game, a 2-yard run by Vinnie Elias with 3:49 remaining in the third quarter. Lakeview picked up six first downs on the drive, converting three third-down situations and one fourth down.

Elias, 10-for-31 rushing in the game, and Ben Moody (21-for-70) took care of the ground attack on the long drive, while quarterback Justin Clark completed all three of his pass attempts for 24 yards. At one point, Clark was eight-of-11 passing in the game, though he finished eight-of-16 with three interceptions.

“We didn’t make any adjustments at halftime, we just said let’s play football,” said Lakeview coach Tom Pavlansky. “The kids wanted this one, with the backyard rivalry and all.”

Angle was impressed by the drive.

“I haven’t seen a good eight-minute drive like that in a long time,” he said. “They did a great job mixing it up and that’s a compliment to their team and to coach Pavlansky. They stuck to the basics and chiseled away on us.

“But our kids came back and that’s a big thing. To put that behind you and go out and block a punt and get back in the game shows character.”

Blocked punt ignites Tigers

After the drive, Howland was forced to punt, then the Tiger defense forced a punt by Lakeview. The kick was blocked by Mike Theodore and Howland took over at the Lakeview 2.

Quarterback Matt Preston faked a handoff and went around left end to pull the Tigers within 7-6 with 11:00 remaining in the game. However, Lakeview returned the favor, blocking Howland’s extra point attempt.

Lakeview seemed to regain the momentum, driving nine plays on its next possession before punting from near midfield. A sack by Michael Graham forced another Howland punt and Lakeview took over on its 24 with 4:14 remaining. But on third down, Howland’s Tyler Scott picked off a pass by Clark and set up the Tigers at the Lakeview 21 with 2:42 left to play.

Howland overcame a holding penalty, and two 10-yard runs by Nathan Cope put the Tigers at the Lakeview 10. From there, fullback Soloman Jackson carried twice, including the 4-yard scoring run with 40 seconds left in the game. His two-point conversion run made it 14-7.

Big interception

The Tigers’ Adam Rubesich then sealed the contest, picking off a pass tipped by teammate Eric Jones and returning it 27 yards for the final touchdown with 16 seconds left to play.

Both defenses were outstanding as there were a total of eight punts in the game and four drives stopped on downs. Aside from Lakeview’s long scoring drive, neither team penetrated the opponent’s 25-yard line on possessions which started outside that spot.

After pulling out a 37-33 victory last week over Painesville Harvey, Lakeview experienced the other end of the spectrum on Thursday.

“We will bounce back. Our kids care about the game, they won’t stop playing,” Pavlansky said. “Congratulations to Howland, they made the plays when they needed to make plays.”