Saturday, Oct. 04, 2008

Mustangs' offense continues to struggle

Followers of Lakewood Ranch High's football team could point to several plays in Friday's 21-7 homecoming loss against Wauchula Hardee that sum up the Mustangs' 0-5 start.

But the bottom-line truth remains that if they can't find a way to score more than once a game, victories will remain tough to come by.

Despite making things interesting in the final six minutes, the frustrations continue to mount for the Mustangs, who have scored 24 points all season - no more than seven in a game.

"We have to figure out something," said Mustangs head coach Shawn Trent after his team's seventh consecutive loss dating to last season. "We knew we would have a little bit of a problem tonight because Hardee is quick on the defensive line, and that caused us problems all night.

"We're struggling on offense. We have to find something to do," Trent said.

From a pure passing standpoint, Lakewood Ranch quarterback Zack Self had his best game, completing eight of 18 passes for 138 yards. But he was sacked six times - twice apiece by Nolan Neuhauser and Tylar Alden - as the Class 3A Wildcats (3-2) effectively mixed in blitzes with their normal pass rush.

Self also overthrew wide-open tight end Brock McKenna on 4th-and-14 from the Hardee 27-yard line with less than 4 minutes remaining, missing a chance to cut the lead to 21-14.

Class 5A Lakewood Ranch's defense and special teams also suffered untimely breakdowns. With the Mustangs trailing 7-0 late in the third quarter, punter Tre Flagg had a punt blocked by Logan Thomas. Wildcats junior Antuan Jones scooped up the football on the run and dashed 14 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

Hardee forced a punt and began its next possession on the Mustangs' 41-yard line. On first down, Wildcats quarterback Ezayi Youyoute - who scored the only first-half touchdown on a 9-yard run - kept the football on the option and scampered for a touchdown.

"Against option football, everyone on defense has to carry out their assignment, and they had a breakdown," said Wildcats coach Tim Price. "I just think our kids played with so much heart. We might be a little undersized or outmanned, but we make up for it with a lot of heart and guts."

The Mustangs - who came up empty on their first drive of the second half after advancing to the Hardee 35 - finally got untracked in the fourth quarter. Self connected with Octavious Washington on a 39-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-5 with 5:40 remaining.

Lakewood Ranch threatened to score with time running out when Washington took a pass from Self and raced 40 yards to the Wildcats' 7. But after three incomplete passes, Self was picked off in the end zone by Devante Carter.

Marcus McNeal led the Mustangs' ground game with 74 yards on 14 carries. Lakewood Ranch travels to North Port on Friday for a Class 5A-District 11 game.