Full throttle
Unbeaten Lions make statement; thrash Purple
The Lincoln High
School football team improved to
3-0 in Division II with a convincing, 43-18 trouncing
of Classical.
LINCOLN – The 2019 Lincoln High football team is sure making it look very easy.
Another dominating performance on both sides of the ball was delivered on Friday night as Lincoln coasted to a 43-18 victory over Division II-B Classical in a game that was decided long before the halftime whistle sounded at Ferguson Field.
Head coach Sean Cavanaugh enjoyed the luxury of emptying his bench after the Lincoln starters helped build a commanding 43-0 after two quarters. The Lions couldn’t be stopped on their way to racking up a two-quarter total of 440 yards of total offense. The defense was also potent with five sacks and three takeaways in the first half.
The Lions are now 3-0 in league play, 3-1 overall. Once again, Cavanaugh could only smile as many players contributed to the cause.
Senior quarterback Randall Hien rushed for 60 yards and two scores while passing for 36 yards and a touchdown that featured some nifty moves from junior wide receiver Octavio Brito. Junior Tyler Dusty needed just five carries to rack up 166 yards and two touchdowns while classmate John Jaramillo noted his second three-interception game of the season.
“We talk about earning the right to win during the week. Practices are harder than the games,” said Cavanaugh. “When they get to the game, they just let it all out.”
Added Hien, “The biggest thing we talk about is that we don’t want to be one-sided. We want to say, ‘Everyone helped make that play.’ When we execute, we’re hard to stop.”
The Purple (1-2, D-II B) found that out the hard way as the Lions failed to score only once in seven offensive series during the first half. There were plenty of explosive plays with Dusty leading the charge; he had three rushes of 40-plus yards. It was his 62-yard scamper that helped set up the game’s first touchdown, a six-yard rushing score by senior Andrew King at 8:22 of the first quarter.
A second Lincoln touchdown courtesy of Dusty upped Lincoln’s lead to 15-0 before Hien got into the scoring act with a 53-scoring scamper that gave the home team a commanding 22-0 lead after one quarter.
“Coming from behind isn’t easy, but the offense knows the defense has our back,” said Hien about the confidence that comes with starting out strong and forcing the opposition to dig its way out of a deep hole.
After posting back-to-back shutouts, the LHS defense picked right up where it left off. On the second play of the second quarter, junior Dylan d
Balon sacked Classical quarterback Jalen Dennis with Balon’s classmate, t
Lyric Logan, scooping up the fumble. Later in the same quarter, Lo
fgan added a sack that came on third down and proved to cost the Purple 13 yards after the visitors advanced the ball to the LHS 17-yard line.
The final score for Lincoln came after Jaramillo’s second interception. Junior Kyle Wilson shook free for a 73-yard run that helped to set up a seven-yard scoring run that was registered by Hien.
Classical finally started to figure things out, albeit against the Lincoln backups that saw plenty of action after halftime. The only snaps that Hien took in the second half came when it was time for the Lions to line up in victory formation.
“They’re really trusting each other, which is allowing for success to happen,” said Cavanaugh. “If you ask the kids, they’ll say that everything is related to everyone else doing their job.”
It didn’t take long for the Lions to turn the page following their third lopsided victory in as many weeks.
“This game is over. We’re now looking forward to Johnston,” said Hien, referencing the team the Lions will face on the road next Saturday afternoon (2 o’clock kickoff). Classical 0 – 0 – 6 – 12 --- 18 Lincoln 22 – 21 – 0 – 0 --- 43
L – Andrew King 6-yard run (Erick Solorzano kick)
L – Tyler Dusty 40-yard run (Randall Hien run)
L – Hien 53-yard run (Solorzano kick)
L – Dusty 56-yard run (Solorzano kick)
L – Octavio Britto 31-yard pass from Hien kick)
L – Hien 7-yard run (Solorzano kick)
C – Marquis Buchanan 22-yard pass from Jalen Dennis (run failed)
C – Buchanan 23-yard pass from Dennis (kick failed) C– Shalom Kpadeh 82-yard pass from Dennis (run failed)
(Solorzano
Photo by Ernest A. Brown