GRANTS PASS, OR – The 7th-ranked Lakeview High School (LHS) Football team grinded out a 14-10 victory on the road at #6 North Valley on Friday night. Sticking to the ground game, the Honkers powered past the Knights, earning their best start since 2010.
In a pivotal Special District 4 (SD4) clash, Lakeview took another massive step forward in their first season under Jeff Graham.
Deemed the “Mid-Major-Media Game of the Week,” both sides knew that Friday’s matchup would come down to the wire.
In the first quarter, both squads flexed their defensive muscle, keeping each other off the scoreboard.
However, it wasn’t long until the Honkers broke through in quarter number two.
Adrian Stubbs took the off-tackle run to the right side and powered it in from 11 yards out to get Lakeview on the board first.
North Valley would respond with a 46-yard Field Goal (FG) off the boot of Carson Smith, but it would be the Honkers who went into the locker room up 7-3 at the break.
Coming out of the half, the Knights used a third-quarter touchdown run from Bryson Teal to claim their first lead of the evening.
Smith added the point after touchdown (PAT), putting North Valley up 10-7. The host’s lead would remain intact until Benny Alves found the endzone in the final quarter.
After struggling through the air, going 5-for-20, Alves put it on the ground and crossed the goalline for an 11-yard rushing touchdown.
It was a score evident of the offensive game plan that Graham and company put forth, as Lakeview ran the ball 28 times for 157 yards.
Looking to drive down and steal the win, the hosts got the ball back.
North Valley drove down to the Lakeview 30-yard line before a wild sequence of plays took place.
On 4th down, the Knights ran a sweep to the right, picking up a first down. However, the play was called back for holding.
On the ensuing 4th down play, the Knights went to the air, connecting on a deep pass for a touchdown. However, the play would be called back once again for holding.
On 4th and very, very long, Lakeview got to the Knights QB, sacking him to all but seal the victory.
The Honkers would drive to the North Valley four-yard line before they knelt the ball and killed the clock.
Alves ended the game as Lakeview’s leading rusher, carrying the ball 13 times for 71 yards.
Brandon Markus and Stubbs assumed the remainder of the carries, with Markus carrying the rock 11 times for 55 yards and Stubbs four times for 31 yards.
The five completions on the night from Alves were distributed to Denver Johnson (two catches for 18 yards), Zach Dooley (2 catches for 11 yards), and Zaryk Winters (one catch for 59 yards).
On the defensive end, Stubbs continued to fly around the football, as he’s done all season. The LHS senior led the team with nine tackles, two of which were for a loss and a sack. Following the victory, the Honkers rose to #2 in the OSAA Rankings.
Here is the state’s top-10 teams, halfway through the regular season:
1. Kennedy (5-0)
2. Lakeview (5-0)
3. Cascade Christian (5-0)
4. Vale (5-0)
5. Dayton (5-0)
6. North Valley (3-2)
7. Banks (5-0)
8. Sisters (4-1)
9. Warrenton (3-2)
10. Scio (5-0)
The 2nd-ranked Honkers will return to action on Oct. 7 when they travel to the coast to face #16 Coquille (3-2).
Last season, Lakeview won an instant classic over the Red Devils, with a walk-off score to win 33-28.
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