Disappointment came in threes.
Lakeland intercepted Quinn Niemann three times in the first quarter – two were pick-6s – and rode it to a 41-6 win over Lake Minneola in a Class 4S, Region 2 final on Friday at Bryant Stadium.
With the win, Lakeland advances to the FHSAA 4S state semifinals on Friday.
“Trust me, we were not expecting that,” Lake Minneola coach Walter Banks said. “Two pick-6s put us in a hole. It is hard to fight back with a great team like Lakeland after that. It knocked us completely off our game plan.”
The first came at 9:53 when Ka’Maurri McKinley darted 69 yards after making the interception to put Lakeland up 6-0. Just 51 seconds later, the Dreadnaughts scored again on a 49-yard interception return by R.J. Kelly to go up 13-0.
Lake Minneola answered with a 49-yard touchdown run by John Celestin with 4:19 left in the first quarter to narrow the lead to 13-6. But before the quarter ended, Lakeland junior running back Markel Johnson exploded on a 30-yard touchdown run.
“We had the ball three times down on the goal line and didn’t score. Once we didn’t get them in there, it blew us off schedule,” Banks said.
“We are fairly young, especially on the offensive line where we started four freshmen. It’s not an excuse but we need to learn how to win high-profile games like this.”
Niemann finished 14-of-29 passing for 108 yards with 4 interceptions and no touchdowns. Celestin gained 94 yards rushing on 22 carries.
The Dreadnaughts entered the half leading 27-6 after getting a 6-yard touchdown run from Don’Ares Johnson – the first of his 3 touchdown runs – with 4:05 left in the half.
Lakeland scored two more times in the second half, getting touchdowns by Johnson from 72 and 12 yards. He finished with 125 yards rushing on 10 carries.
This report was first published at Orlandosentinel.com.
