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VIDEO: Lakes Stuns 4A No. 2 Bellarmine In Instant High School Football Classic

The Lancers rebounded with a gutsy win at Memorial Field, led by transfer quarterback Rhys Gervais and a defense that stopped the Lions when it counted. It's a win that could mold the rest of the season.

Once the game's final pass floated over the receiver's outstretched arms Friday, Lakes' Darnell Roebuck stretched his arms apart and roared to the sky.

He might not have known it, but the lineman's scream of joy echoed beyond Memorial Field, the supposedly untouchable home turf of Bellarmine.

Roebuck's yell might have traveled across the entire state, along with the collective voices of all Lancer fans.

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Their message? Watch out.

Coming off a Week One overtime loss, the Lancers rebounded in stunning fashion with a 42-38 victory on the road against the state's No. 2-ranked 4A team.

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This game should be ranked as instant high school football classic. The two South Sound football heavyweights traded blows, with each countering the other almost immediately.

Lancer fans who traveled north saw four ties. The Lancers scored on the last play of the first half with Sammie Long's 13-yard touchdown catch. They were down a point at halftime.

The Lancers (1-1) trailed 38-35 with five minutes left in the game. But it was Lakes' underclassmen-laden squad that was celebrating in the end, as its defense did enough on the last play of the game to secure the victory.

This was a win that could shape the rest of the season.

"We're so young this year that we're just trying to tell our kids just to keep battling," Lakes Coach Dave Miller said after the victory. "To be able to come in here with a win, I think it's going to build our confidence. We're getting a lot of on-the-job training with a lot sophomores and freshman and juniors."

"I think we're just going to keep getting better," he added.

Save for a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions - including an ill-advised throw off his back foot with less than seven minutes remaining - Lakes quarterback Rhys Gervais played an efficient game. Instead of attempting long passes downfield, the Puyallup transer worked the sidelines and relied on his feet when plays broke down. Running back Dominic Milton punched in a trio of 1-yard touchdowns.

Lakes showed the good and bads sides of its special teams, scoring on a 100-yard kickoff return from Caleb Lyons midway through the first quarter. It also gave up big returns that included a fourth-quarter touchdown that was called back because of a holding penalty.

After Gervais led the team to its own 1-yard line late in the game, Bellarmine (1-1) seemingly let Milton walk into the end zone to take the lead with 1:15 left. It was a gutsy call that turned out to be costly.

The Lions worked the ball to its 10-yard line with 3 seconds left, but Sefo Liafau's throw floated past his receiver's arms in the back of the end zone, igniting a Lancer celebration as Bellarmine fans watched stunned.


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