De La Salle's game-winning drive began near midfield with 5:51 remaining and trailing 6-3. Three runs by
Duece Jones-Drew set up a huge gain as quarterback
Brayden Knight hit tight end
Landon Cook on
a pass that covered more than 20 yards and took the Spartans to the
seven-yard line. Jones-Drew found the end zone on the next play.
That helped the Spartans notch their first win over a Florida program after three previous meetings. De La Salle lost to Lakeland in 2009 and also fell to
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) in 2011 and 2019.
Duece Jones-Drew finds paydirt Friday night to help lift De La Salle to a 10-6 win over Lakeland. The junior running back is the son of Spartan legend Maurice Jones-Drew, who ran for over 8,000 yards in his nine-year NFL career. (PHOTO: Ernie Abrea)
Friday's showdown began as a defensive stalemate. De La Salle finally broke the scoreless tie with 21 seconds remaining in the first half on a 29-yard field goal by
Justin Uribarri. That was the culmination of a marathon drive by the Spartans that spanned most of the second quarter and helped limit Lakeland to just two first downs in the first 24 minutes of play.
Midway through the third quarter, an interception by
Trisshon Wright put De La Salle in position to extend its lead. But disaster struck for the Spartans as they botched a pitch, leaving the ball on the carpet for
Ziggy Riley to scoop up and sprint 72 yards for a touchdown. After a missed extra point, the Dreadnaughts led 6-3 with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter.
De La Salle (1-0) takes the field next week against
Junipero Serra (San Mateo) on Saturday. Lakeland (1-1) returns home to host
Lake Mary on Friday.
The MaxPreps Game of the Week heads back to Southern California next week for a showdown between perennial powers
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) and
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.).
De La Salle wide receiver Turner Madge braces for impact during the first half of Friday's MaxPreps Game of the Week. (PHOTO: Ernie Abrea)
Bubba Vargas carried the Stars and Stripes proudly onto the field at De La Salle prior to Friday night's matchup with Lakeland. (PHOTO: Ernie Abrea)
