Lasco saves The Woodlands over Lufkin

Evidently Daniel Lasco is just fine.

According to the hconline.com, the Cal-bound back rushed 21 times for 155 yards and scored the game’s first and last touchdowns in The Woodlands (Texas)’ 49-33 win over Lufkin (Texas) at Woodforst Bank Stadium Friday night.

Lasco, who missed the last four games with an ankle injury, scored on a 5-yard run to start the onslaught and finished it off with a 39-yard scamper with 1:56 to play to seal the victory.

Lufkin (6-1) fought back from a 21-0 deficit behind a remarkable effort from Deauntre Smiley, who passed for 301 yards and rushed a whopping 34 times for 79 yards and three touchdowns.

That means Smiley was in on 65 plays as he completed 20 of 31 passes.

The Woodlands also received a nice effort from quarterback Joseph Schneider, who completed 9 of 16 passes for 171 yards and he rushed 11 times for 64 yards. He accounted for four touchdowns, three running.
 
The Woodlands, off last week, improved to 6-0.

Schneider scored on runs of 10, 5 and 13 yards and he completed an 18-yard scoring strike to Jackson LaPlant. Woodlands was also spurred by a 95-yard kickoff return for touchdown by Max Ward.

Lufkin scored 19 unanswered points to start the third guard, but Schneider answered with his 5-yard TD camper.

Central (Miami, Fla.) 25, Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) 22

This was as good as advertised as Devonta Freeman rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns and Charles Gaines made a game-saving deflection on the final play of the game, lifting Central (5-1) to the hard-earned win before about 15,000 fans at FIU Stadium.

Central came in ranked No. 2 in the Florida state Class 6A poll and Northwestern was No. 1.

Following a sluggish first three quarters in which Central led just 10-6, Northwestern’s Teddy Bridgewater came to life and finished 22 of 40 for 261 yards. He accounted for all of his team’s three touchdowns, including a pair of rushing scores.

According to Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald, the lead changed hands four times in the fourth quarter, starting with a Bridgewater 5-yard TD jaunt.

Central quarterback Rakeem Cato (16 of 28 for 173 yards) put his team back in front with a 20-yard TD pass to Gaines.

But Bridgewater answered on an 8-play, 80-yard drive capped by his own 12-yard TD run with 5:13 remaining, to go up, 22-17.

But Cato led an 11-play, 71-yard drive and after Freeman’s go-ahead touchdown, Cato run in a two-point conversion, making it 25-22.

Bridgewater drove the Bulls to the Central 38 and after a pass interference call, Northwestern had one last chance from the 23, but Gaines saved the day.

North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) 38, Norcross (Ga.) 0

North Gwinnett (6-0) gave up a scant 75 yards against previously undefeated Norcross (5-1) in a statement victory.

It was the second straight shutout for the Bulldogs, who are No. 2 in Georgia, according to the MaxPreps Freeman rankings. They were ranked in either of MaxPreps' Top-25 polls last week, but they made a good case for it this week.

According to the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, North scored on four of its first six possessions, starting with touchdown runs of 15 and 13 yards by Jahbril Jones and Ethan Kilgore. Jones then made it 21-0 with a double-reverse pass to CJ Uzomah for another score.

That was more than enough for North's vaunted defense.

DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 31, Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 28

Michael Branthover, considered one of the top kickers in the Washington Area in many years, according to the Washington Post, drilled a 33-yard field goal in the final two minutes giving DeMatha a 31-28 win over Good Counsel.

In front of more than 6,000 fans in Olney, DeMatha took an early 14-0 lead on second-quarter touchdown runs by Jacob Siwicki, then held on for the victory. Special teams helped Good Counsel get back into it as Kendall Fuller scored on a 95-yard kickoff return and Blake Countess set up another score with a 55-yard punt return.

Both teams are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in WCAC action.