By BRANDON JUDEH

sports@vindy.com

CORTLAND

Coming into Week 3 of the high school football season, the Howland Tigers had more questions than answers.

The biggest question mark was: Would stars De’Veon Smith and Brendan Cope be ready to go after getting injured in last week’s loss to Warren Harding?

Smith gave it a go and Cope did not and the Tigers were able to overcome the injury bug in a thrilling 22-18 victory over Lakeview on Friday night.

“It felt really good to get back out on the field and contribute to my team and help them get the victory,” Smith said.

Smith did just that, by scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:11 left when he rumbled in from the 2-yard line.

One play earlier, the University of Michigan recruit made a spectacular 47-yard run to set up the winning score.

“I owe it to my offensive line and all of my teammates,” Smith said. “My shoulder is still a little sore, but my teammates and I just kept pushing through.”

Lakeview (1-2) still had a shot with less than a minute remaining, thanks to a 49-yard pass from Erich Schmitt to Elijah Henderson.

But Schmitt’s pass on fourth-and-goal fell incomplete and Howland (2-1) escaped.

Early on the Bulldogs contained Smith, as they held him to 19 first quarter yards, but as the game progressed, so did Smith. He finished with 183 yards on 26 carries.

“Our offensive coordinator did a great job of play calling, he made the call for Smith on that big run and he made a lot of other great calls,” Howland coach Dick Angle said. “We’re still not doing things easy, but good programs win after tough losses. Lakeview is a great team, coach Tom Pavlansky does a great job with his team.”

With the Tigers facing a 12-3 deficit with less than one minute remaining in the first half, quarterback Eric Lockney, who had only thrown three passes prior to this point, came up big.

After finding Chris Maze twice for gains of 16 and 10 yards, Lockney hit Trey Bryarly in the back corner of the end zone to cut the deficit to two, 12-10.

Howland’s defense forced a three-and-out earlier in the fourth quarter, and three minutes later Ralph Robinson punched it in from the 1 to give the Tigers their first lead.

A Jake Pishotti field goal put the Bulldogs back on top with 2:25 to play, but Smith made sure the lead didn’t last.

“Our kids were physically and mentally tough out there today,” Pavlansky said. “We are proud of them, unfortunately the clock ran out for us.”

Schmitt was 9 of 20 for 170 yards and also ran for 82 yards. Henderson led all players with 114 receiving yards.