Off-season work needed to turn tide
Medical Lake's James Pivonka (82) and Michael Veltri (22) put pressure on the Lakeside punter Isaiah Koolstra (7) while the Eagles' Wyatt Johnson (26) defends.
The Medical Lake football program and its second-year head coach Mo Owen remain in search of their first victory in two seasons following the Cardinals 42-8 loss to Lakeside last Friday.
Fast-starting Lakeside (4-3 Northeast A, 5-3 overall) got four touchdown passes from quarterback Kasen Hunsacker, three of those in the first half, as the Eagles built a 28-0 halftime lead. The Eagles' Keaton Nowak scored three times, twice on runs and one on a TD pass from Hunsacker.
The visitors had a shutout until the game's final 5 seconds, broken when JJ Johnson scored on a 3-yard run. Johnson, one of many Cardinals who go both ways, also nabbed an interception. It set up one of the longest possessions of the night for his team, but it too was ended by a Lakeside interception.
From a team standpoint, the Cardinals racked up 191 total yards, 109 through the air. The majority of play was on the ground where 34 plays netted 82 yards, but few sustained drives.
"That is going to have to be addressed in the summer," Owen said.
The game had dual celebrations, one being Senior Night and the other, Homecoming. Owen singled out a pair of seniors who had invested a great deal in the program.
"There are a couple seniors that have helped this program out," Owen said, referencing Johnson and Phoenix Hanks Jr. have been in the program for four years.
How will Medical Lake try to notch their first win since the end of the 2015 season? "Our effort has to be in the weight room if we want to compete," Owen said.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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