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Sports

Lancers Face Tough Task in Bellevue

After a thrilling overtime win against Camas in the quarterfinals, Lakes faces off against 3A juggernaut Bellevue in a state semifinal matchup.

In last week's quarterfinal matchup against Camas, Lakes combined a season's worth of drama into one game. A missed field goal near the end of regulation, a big penalty on fourth down in overtime and finally a make-or-break fourth-down gamble that sent the Lancers into the semifinal round of the 3A state football playoffs.

That kind of flair for the dramatic will be needed again Friday when the Lancers attempt to defeat juggernaut Bellevue and advance to the title game.

Keys to the game:

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Run defense

Bellevue enters the semifinal round having demolished conference foe Liberty in the quarterfinal round. Just three weeks after needing a late field goal to come back against Liberty, the Wolverines cruised to a 35-0 victory. That game featured a Bellevue strength that could end up being the difference against Lakes: run defense.

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Lakes features two ground threats in Levonte Littlejohn and Cedric Dozier. Dozier and Littlejohn combined for 426 rush yards against Camas and have gone for over 2700 yards combined on the season. The two have also combined for 31 rushing TDs in 2010. Putting up the kind of numbers that they have been able to produce all season may prove to be near impossible, however, against the Bellevue defensive front.

Bellevue gives up an average of 105 rush yards per game and has shown an ability to bottle up explosive runners like Liberty's Chandler Jenkins. Against the Patriots, Bellevue keyed on Jenkins, forcing Liberty to pass, which resulted in two interceptions. If Lakes is to have a chance against the Wolverines, establishing the run early will be key.

Starting strong

On offense, Bellevue features its usual array of playmakers, led by running back Latrelle Dukes and quarterback Kendrick Van Ackeren. The duo has combined for 14 rush TD's in 2010, while Ackeren has also thrown 10 touchdown passes. Running back John Nguyen has also rushed for 11 touchdowns.

Against Liberty, Bellevue was able to take an early dominating lead behind their grinding running attack, before running out the clock in the second half. Lakes has given up only 24 first quarter points all season, making the battle of the opening quarter an important one in terms of setting the tempo for the rest of the game.

Experience

The experience of playing in high-pressure games at the Tacoma Dome is not foreign to either squad, but how they have fared features an important disparity.

Both teams have been in this position in the past two seasons. Bellevue has won two straight 3A state championships, while Lakes has lost in the semifinal round in each of the past two seasons. In a close game, those experiences could come into play. Bellevue knows what it feels like to pull out tight games in the final rounds, while Lakes is familiar with coming up short.

The Lancers showed last week that they are capable of finishing on top in tight games. If Lakes wants to finally get over the semifinal hump, that kind of dramatic flair could be necessary.

Patch Pick: Bellevue 27, Lakes 21.

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