Football Recap: Make It Three in a Row for Lakewood

Lakewood extended their winning streak to three on Thursday, bumping them up to 4-2. They enjoyed a cozy 35-20 win over the West Columbus Vikings. For the Leopards, this counts as revenge for the 42-0 victory the Vikings walked away with the last time they faced one another back in November of 2023.

Calvin Lacewell Jr

Rushing Touchdowns

08/29/25 @ Lejeune	3
09/25/25 @ West Columbus	2
09/12/25 @ Fairmont	2
09/19/25 vs North Duplin	1

Calvin Lacewell Jr was his usual excellent self, rushing for 67 yards and two scores. He has become a key player for Lakewood: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise.

Another reason for the win was Lakewood's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. West Columbus' QB won't forget Jayce Smoot anytime soon given he sacked him three times. Dashaun Carr was another major factor on D, making nine total tackles and snagged an interception.

As for West Columbus, they are on a six-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-5. They gained 224 more yards on the day, but it was Lakewood that made the best use of them.

When it comes to explaining why West Columbus lost, don't look at DJ Graham. Despite the final result, he rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown, and also threw for 300 yards and one TD. A healthy portion of that aerial production (136 yards to be exact) went to Demond Williams, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Lakewood will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Union at 7:00 p.m. on the 10th. As for West Columbus, they will square off against East Columbus at 7:00 p.m. on the 3rd.