The Lakewood Leopards JV football team picked up their third consecutive win, ending their season strong with a 55-30 rout over the Union Spartans Thursday night on the road.

“They just came out strong and had an answer for everything we did,” said Union head coach Josh Rackley. “They scored first and we answered and actually took an 8-6 lead, but after that, it was all Lakewood.”

The Leopards took a comfortable 26-15 lead into the half and never allowed Union back in the game, something that has been familiar to the Spartans throughout the season.

In the end, the Leopards would dominate on offense with a jaw-dropping 337 yards rushing; 232 of those rushing yards came from Roman Leach, who also scored three touchdowns.

Quarterback Mickey Spell was also impressive, going 6 of 6 with 147 yards.

“We had an offensive explosion tonight,” said Lakewood head coach Sylvester Pittman. “I am very proud of the guys Overall, I am very pleased. The kids worked hard all week and it paid off.”

“We have a lot of guys playing both offense and defense, as well as special teams,” Rackley admits. “We also have a lot of young guys, we have a tendency to come out strong, but by the third quarter, we are fatigued. That is what happened tonight.”

Despite the loss, Rackley said he was proud of his team’s finish. “I am proud of the guys,” he said. “They were down, they kept their composure and never gave in. They played with a lot of heart.”

Rackley said that Traquan Peterson and Jawwan Newkirk delivered all season long. “Traquan and Jawwan were really leaders for us this year,” he said. “I can tell you not only are we going to have a solid team next year with the guys that played tonight, but the varsity is going to have a good team as well with the quality of guys moving up next season. I am just really proud of all of them.”

Union finishes the season at 2-8 overall. Lakewood ties for third with Midway, finishing 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the conference.

“It was a great season,” added Pittman. “I am proud of the kids. They worked hard all year and you can’t ask for more than that. We are looking for bigger and better things next year.”

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or email to sisports@heartlandpublications.com.