LAGO VISTA—The pass-happy offense dressed in blue and gold on Friday night at Sisemore Field might have seemed like another team in a Halloween disguise. It was, however, the Lago Vista Vikings (6-2 overall, 4-1 in district play) who threw for a season-high 161 yards and three touchdowns in route to a 47-14 win over the Florence Buffaloes (2-7, 1-4).
Yards were tough to come by in the early going as Florence packed defenders close to the line of scrimmage to stifle the Vikings’ signature rushing attack. Jason Cormier finally broke free in the second quarter for a 64-yard run that set up his own touchdown dive from a yard out.
Cormier’s run notwithstanding, the Viking offense struggled to move the ball consistently until it turned to the arms of quarterbacks Jonathan Powell and Garrett Swann. Swann first found senior tight end Shane Young for a 57-yard strike that expanded Lago Vista’s lead to 12-0.
After a pair of rushing scores from Ryan Bingham and Cormier, it was Powell’s turn. The senior connected with tight end Sam Rebbulke from 37 yards out for a touchdown and a 33-0 lead. Swann followed with a perfectly placed 24-yard pass to JeMarcus Johnson.
“We just decided to take what the defense was giving us,” head coach Alan Haire said. “We can definitely throw the ball, and it worked out to where we were able to execute tonight.”
Cormier capped another remarkable night with a fourth-quarter touchdown. The senior finished with 146 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries.
Defensively, the Vikings continued to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. The unit forced eight Florence turnovers on the night. The team has now forced a total of 18 turnovers in their past three games, giving the team a plus-14 turnover ratio in that span.
“Our coaching staff continues to come up with great defensive game plans week after week, and the kids are going out there and executing,” Haire said.
Dakota Haines turned in a particularly outstanding effort. Two weeks after his three-interception game against Salado, the junior defensive back added two more picks and a fumble recovery against the Buffaloes.
“He’s an assignment player, meaning that coaches just have to tell him where to be and he’ll be there,” Haire said, “and he also has the ability to find the ball and make a play, which is something you just can’t coach.”
The victory, coupled with Academy’s loss to Rogers, guaranteed the Vikings a playoff spot, but Haire’s sights and the team’s efforts are focused on a more immediate goal: a district championship. A win over the Jarrell Cougars would provide just that.
“We’re not talking about anything but next week,” Haire said. “This has been a long time coming and we’ve paid a lot of dues being the doormat of the district, so we want to focus on Jarrell and win that district championship.”
It’s difficult to imagine how the match-up against Jarrell (0-8, 0-5) could be more favorable for Lago Vista. In addition to being winless on the season, the Cougars have never beaten Lago Vista.
The game will kick off 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cougar Field in Jarrell.