COMPLETE STORY: Lennard Gets Historic Victory Over LP

RUSKIN - The Lennard football team didn't have high expectations heading into this season.
A first-year program at a second-year school, the Longhorns simply hoped to compete in their University of Texas-inspired uniforms this season, let alone pick up a victory or two.

But all that changed over the first seven weeks of the season, when coach Jim Wilt's club not only competed, but repeatedly fell just shy of that elusive first victory.
"We've been playing some good football against some good teams," Wilt said after the Longhorns celebrated the team's first-ever victory, a 28-0 blanking of Lake Placid. "When you're in those games and still lose, guys begin to wonder."

Junior quarterback Andrew Burdick threw two touchdown strikes to junior split end Blake Kennedy and freshman running back Tevin Abbney added two more scores as the Longhorns (1-7) chanted, "We got a W!" for the first time ever in a Class 2A-District 5 victory over Lake Placid.

"This is good - it gets the monkey off our back before next year," said Kennedy, who had seven catches for 119 yards.
The Green Dragons (2-5), who've now lost four straight, had trouble working their offense all game, despite opening up with a 30-yard run from scrimmage on the game's first play. That play would end up accounting for more than half of Lake Placid's total offense, which limped to just 65 yards on the night.

LP junior Chevontry Wilson 10 carries for 67 yards to lead the Dragons, while senior quarterback Conlin Veley completed 2 of 4 passes for 15 yards, but saw limited action in the second half due to a sore throwing shoulder.

"(Lennard has) played hard each week," said LP coach Tim Grant. "They were ahead in both games I saw, and that's something we talked about at halftime. It looked like they were waiting for us to beat them for a while there, but it just didn't happen."

The Longhorns opened scoring with 4:17 left in the first on a 12-yard pass from Burdick to Kennedy to the left side that started with a broken tackle and ended with a dive into the end zone. Lennard scored twice more before half, first on a 5-yard touchdown run to the left by Abbney with 10:43 to play and again on a 5-yard Burdick throw to the corner that found Kennedy.

"They were killing us in the flats," Grant said. "Once we went to a cover-2 and started getting after the quarterback, we were able to shut them down.
"If we'd got off the bus playing that way, we'd be right in the hunt."

Indeed, the Dragon defense was more effective in the second half, forcing the Longhorns into two punts, an interception and a turnover on downs on their first four possessions. LP junior safety Zach Campbell finished with two interceptions to lead the Dragon defenders.

Lennard found the end zone once more with 3:59 remaining in the fourth, this time on a 25-yard run by Abbney. The Dragon offense, meanwhile, continued to struggle: With Veley sidelined, LP had five fumbled snaps in the third quarter alone, losing one but stalling the Dragon attack to a crawl.
"We have to get our quarterback healthy," Grant said. "We ding each other up at practice all week, but that's something you have to do, otherwise you're in trouble once you get out here."

The Dragons (2-5) host league-leading Bishop Verot next Friday in their final home game of the season. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

Lake Placid High School Football Photo Gallery