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Lakeview Earns Emotional Victory Against Cambridge Springs

Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| October 7, 2023

Cambridge Springs: Lakeview tops Cambridge Springs 28-22 in a battle of undefeated Region 1 foes.

The entire Lakeview community came together on Friday night at Baird Field in Cambridge Springs, less than 24 hours since tragedy struck their community.

Late Thursday night, two current students, Harmony Leige and Aliya Harveya, along with 2023 graduate James Harrison, were tragically killed in an auto accident.

Head coach Bill Hickman and the Sailors football players felt like playing the game Friday night was the right decision for the kids and community during this difficult time.

“This win meant the world tonight,” Hickman said. “We came here for Aliya, Harmony, and James. That’s why we decided to play here tonight – for them. This is for the kids and their therapy. They could have sat at home and grieved, but we felt like they would have wanted us to play tonight. We did that, and I needed their approval, our athletic director and our administration. If I felt like these kids were not ready to play mentally. I wouldn’t have come. I would have forfeited or whatever it took because it’s not worth them getting hurt. You could see that they were ready to play and that we made the right decision. All 43 players on our roster were committed to coming here and getting this win for them. It’s one town, one community, and one team. Our band, cheerleaders, players, and fans are all a unit. We’re sailor nation.

Lakeview wasted little time getting the packed crowd into the game as Leyton Zacherl threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Danick Hinkson on the game’s opening play.

“We wanted to sting them early,” said Hickman. “We did that, not just on offense but on defense too. We knew they would not fold, and they certainly didn’t. But we did want to hit them early. Our quarterback, Leyton, has excellent arm strength, and our receivers are lights out.”

Less than four minutes later, the Sailors struck again when Mitchell Tingley ripped off a 36-yard scoring run following a 59-yard drive – the Sailors led 14-0, 3:59 into the contest.

 

Cambridge Springs found their footing late in the first quarter, driving 54 yards in 12 plays as Preston Gorton scored on a 13-yard run.

The Sailors continued to ground and pound as Tingley scored his second touchdown of the night from 14 yards out following an 11-play 58-yard drive.

The Blue Devils got within a touchdown by halftime. Preston Gorton scored on a 1-yard run with 1:54 to play in the first half following a time-consuming 14-play, 80-yard drive.

On their next possession, Lakeview reached the Cambridge Sprinsg 20-yard line with under a minute to play in the first half – but Tingley’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete.

Lakeview led 21-14 at intermission.

On the initial drive of the third quarter, Blue Devils quarterback Morgan Applebee completed a 21-yard pass to Brandon Hoover, who had the ball stripped, resulting in the game’s first turnover at the Sailors’ 26-yard line.

Lakeview then drove the football 74 yards in nine plays, with Tingley scoring his third touchdown on an 11-yard run with 4:53 to play in the third stanza.

Mitchell Tingley rushed for a game-high 208 yards on 28 carries after being held out of last week’s Cochranton game.

“Since he didn’t get to play last week, I could sense that he had an extra gear tonight,” said Hickman. “I could see it in practice all week. He was eager to get out here and lead the football team. His teammates rallied, and he is a leader on both sides of the football. He plays hard and lets his play do the talking. I didn’t want to risk his or any other player’s health last week.”

On their succeeding drive, Cambridge Springs pulled to within six points when Tristen Mazzadra scored on a 1-yard run 2:14 following Tingley’s touchdown.

 

The drive’s big play came on Brandon Hoover’s reverse pass to Preston Gorton, then gained 48 yards to the 1-yard line.

Brett Kania rushed in the two-point conversion and led the Blue Devils in rushing with 69 yards on 15 carries.

Cambridge Springs’ best chance to tie or take the lead came when they held on downs at their 41-yard line with 5:25 remaining.

Faced with a 4th-and-1 from midfield, Kaine was stopped just inches short of a first down, with Lakeview taking over on downs with 3:45 to play.

The Blue Devils never touched the football again, as the Sailors gained the necessary two first downs to seal the win.

“Our defense bent a little tonight, but they didn’t break and stood tall,” said Hickman. “That 4th-and-1 stop was enormous. There are still some things that we need to clean up, and I think we will.”

Lakeview will now look forward to their rivalry game against Mercer next Friday night.

“I have to give a huge shoutout to Cambridge Springs because they’re a well-coached football team, and Nate Liberty is a class act,” concluded Hickman. “All of his coaches and players showed us nothing but love since we got here tonight. It was almost hard to get up for the game because of how much love we got. Next week, we’re focused on 1-0 again.”

Cambridge Springs will look to bounce back when they travel to Cochranton next Friday night.

“This was the first game we got to play in the fourth quarter – which was something I knew going in was going to happen,” said Blue Devils head coach Nate Liberty. “We must continue to get better because we know they will. We hope we get a chance to see them again in the playoffs. At the end of the game, I told the team that our goal of District 10 remains in place.”

Game Highlights:

Lakeview 28 Cambridge Springs 22

Score by Quarters

Lakeview – 14 7 7 0 – 28
Cambridge Springs – 6 8 8 0 – 22

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

L – Danick Hinkson 65 yd pass from Leyton Zacherl, (Mitchell Tingley pat), 11:51, 1-65

L – Tingley 36 yd run, (Tingley pat), 8:01 – 3-59

CS – Preston Gorton 13 yd run, (kick blocked), 1:35 – 12-54

Second Quarter

L – Tingley 14 yd run, (Tingley pat), 7:51 – 11-58

CS – Preston Gorton 1 yd run, (Tristen Mazzadra rush), 1:54 – 14-80

Third Quarter

L – Tingley 11 yd run, (Tingley pat), 4:53 – 9-74

CS – Mazzadra 1 yd run, (Brett Kania rush), 2:39 – 5-65

Individual Stats

Rushing: L  – Tingley 28-208, Hinkson 4-25, Aiden Osborne 5-26, Zacherl 2-5, Team 1-0. Totals: 40-264. CS – Brett Kania 15-69, Josh Gorton 5-8, Preston Gorton 9-13, Jordan Washington 5-26, Morgan Applebee 5-16, Mazzadra 1-1 Totals: 50-133.

Receiving: L -Hinkson 3-102, Blake Skiles 1-19. CS – Preston Gorton 2-53, Mazzadra 1-34, Brandon Hoover 1-21.

Passing: L – Zacherl 1-for-4, 65 yards, 1 TD, Tingley 3-for-4, 55 yards. CS – Applebee 3-for-6, 55 yards, Hoover 1-for-1, 48 yards.

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