Lakes end Jets season
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LAKE LINDEN -- Powers North Central's football season came to an end here Saturday afternoon in a 44-25 loss to the top-ranked Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes in an eight-player, Division 2 regional playoff opener.
LL-H, now 10-0, hosts Gaylord St. Mary Cathedral Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The fifth-ranked Jets, who finished 7-3, didn't go down easily.
Although they were trailing 38-25 late in the third quarter, the Jets made it interesting by driving deep into LL-H territory.
The Jets then reached the 13-yard line before turning the ball over downs.
"It felt like we were able to gain some momentum," Jets' coach Leo Gorzinski said. "Once we got settled down, we played toe-to-toe with them in the second half. It was a good season. The team grew exponentially as the season went on. I'm proud of the guys. It's hard to say good-bye to the seniors."
The Lakes all but sealed it with 4:01 left in the contest when junior quarterback Blake Lebo scored on an 18-yard run around left end.
"They're a tough football team," Lakes' coach Brett Gervais said. "We knew they were a team that doesn't give up. They moved people around. We had to deal with number 56 (junior Myles Nehring). He was a problem. With North Central's defensive line, I thought we did just enough to come out with a win. I'm happy that we're healthy."
The Lakes led 38-13 after Lebo tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to senior Josh Daavettila with 39.9 seconds remaining in the second stanza.
North Central responded by shaving its deficit to 38-19 on the last play of the first half on a nine-yard pass from senior Kaden Malone to junior Pryar LaBonte.
"You can't spot a good team 25 points," Gorzinski said. "Hats off to them. They've been a good team all year. We just couldn't get to their quarterback in the first half."
The Lakes marched 81 yards in eight plays for their first touchdown, a 20-yard run around right end by senior running back Brady Axford midway through the opening frame.
North Central answered on its next possession, covering 50 yards in seven plays.
Malone tossed a 10-yard TD pass to senior Riley Cretens, shaving North Central's deficit to 8-7 with 3:50 remaining in the first.
LL-H hiked its lead to 16-7 on a 54-yard run off right tackle by Axford and extended it to 24-7 on a 77-yard dash by Lebo with 65 seconds left in the opening frame.
The Jets responded on their next possession with Malone scoring on a 47-yard run on a counter right, trimming their deficit to 24-13 with 48.2 seconds remaining in the first.
LL-H answered just 50 seconds into the second stanza as Lebo tossed a 63-yard aerial through the middle to Daavettila for a 32-13 cushion.
The Jets collected 306 yards in total offense, including 186 through the air. Cretens grabbed 11 passes for 131. Malone rushed for 71 yards on 11 carries.
"We knew they were going to respond at some point," Gervais said. "It felt like we made some mistakes. Although, I'm real proud of the guys for playing through it. It wasn't anything we hadn't seen before."
The Lakes ran for 348 of their 439 yards. Brady Axford carried 22 times for 166. Lebo added 104 on just three carries. Daavettila caught three passes for 85 yards, all in the first half.