It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Lutheran Lions had no problem doing just that on Friday. They breezed by Frederick at home to the tune of 66-37. Considering Lutheran has won seven contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Ryken Daugaard continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries, while also throwing for 182 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 passes. Daugaard was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 57 yards. Another player making a difference was Cole Johnson, who rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Lutheran's defensive line and their seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Landen Mroczek and Peyton Garrett who racked up six sacks between them.
When it comes to explaining why Frederick lost, one person who can't be blamed is Gavin Ishmael. Despite the final result, he threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeezrel Palma, who picked up 168 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Lutheran's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 32.2 points. As for Frederick, their loss dropped their record down to 6-5.
Lutheran will head out on the road to face off against Durango at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Durango is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games. Frederick does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
