Sports
Rally Falls Short as Lake Shore Loses Football Opener at Royal Oak
Travis Joseph rushes for 110 yards in Lake Shore's 21-20 loss to Royal Oak.
Senior running back Travis Joseph rushed for a team-high 110 yards on 26 carries, but lost its season-opening varsity football game at Royal Oak, 21-20.
Despite trailing for most of the game, a 1-yard touchdown run by Joseph brought the Shorians within one point, 21-20, with only 25 seconds left. However, Joseph was stopped in the backfield on the subsequent two-point attempt, and Royal Oak held on for the win.
Lake Shore coach Tom Iwanicki said injuries played a major role in his decision to go for two after the late score.
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“We got nicked up during the game, and we lost a couple of our long snappers, so we didn’t have much of a choice,” Iwanicki said. “We just had to give it a shot.”
The Shorians’ offense got off to a slow start, as the team trailed the Ravens 14-0 at halftime, but they rallied to tie the game in the second half.
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Joseph scored on a 2-yard run with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter to make the score 14-6. After a Royal Oak fumble on its ensuing possession, quarterback Jimmy White found Chris Bolus wide open in the end zone for a 10-yard score, and the ensuing two-point conversion tied the game.
However, Royal Oak scored to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter, and held on for the victory.
Iwanicki said he liked the way his team battled after being down, even though they fell short in the end.
“I’m proud of them; they stayed with it and we knew we were going to get a shot,” Iwanicki said. “We just didn’t finish the deal. (Royal Oak) executed at the end and they were able to hold on. They did a great job.”
He said he and his team will try to learn from their mistakes and put the loss behind them.
“We have to get ourselves ready to play our (Macomb Area Conference) Gold opener, and our home opener, against Fraser,” Iwanicki said. “It’s one game, and obviously it hurts to lose the opener, but we’ll try to rebound the best we can.”
The Shorians will look to even their record up when they host Fraser on Sept. 1. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
