For Lake football team, it’s about finishing the game

Last year, Lake finished 2-7 but led eventual Northern Buckeye Conference champion Otsego at halftime and lost to runner-up Elmwood by just a field goal, 31-28.
In their loss to Eastwood, the Flyers were within striking distance until the game got out of hand in the second half.
“We’ve played upwards of three quarters and we have to play four,” fourth-year coach Josh Andrews said. “We have to come out and we have to stay on top. We’re that three, four, five yard team and we have to stand tough and stay behind the chains. Tough, physical football is what we try to teach.”
Plus, the Flyers had one other game they felt was winnable but was not played. Andrews (11-18) wants his team to learn from the heartache and put those tough losses behind him.
“The 2021 season was a tough season. We were unable to play week 10 due to our opponent, Fostoria, having COVID in their program,” Andrews said.
“We competed each week, but inconsistencies kept us from being able to come out with a win. We played a very rigorous schedule with six of our seven losses to teams that made deep runs in the playoffs.
“Credit our kids for continuing to buy into a philosophy that never quits and competes with pride, no matter the score or team record.”
If you look at Lake’s roster size, it matches perennial league powerhouse Eastwood’s in numbers this year, so you know something is going right within the program.
“We’re very blessed. Our roster size is at about 70 right now and for a Division V football team that is definitely nice,” Andrews said. “Every year, we talk about if you are a junior stepping into that senior role, stepping up and we’ve had guys definitely compete for those spots.”
Andrews says having several players returning at offensive skilled positions and a strong offensive line will help bolster his team, but the Flyers are still trying to fill spots left open due to graduation.
To be successful, Andrews says his team must become “consistent,” “cannot get behind on the chains,” must “execute,” and have the ability for a balanced pass and rushing attack.
Returning quarterback Joe Clay played a half season behind center, completing 44-of-82 passes (53.7%) for 651 yards and six touchdowns, but he also ran 542 yards on 127 carries (4.3 per carry) and six TDs. Clay has been working on his game, and he has added strength, too.
“I open up the weight room at 6:30 and he was in there every day at 6:30 in the morning just getting better. He’s put the work in for sure,” Andrews said.
“He definitely puts in a lot of time in the offseason. He is about 180, 185 pounds right now and has put a tremendous amount of time into the weight room, and into the secondary things and the pre-snap reads. He’s starting to see a full picture because he’s only started four varsity football games because we only played nine last year.
“Again, he’s really starting to fill the shoes as a leader and not just worry about himself as a quarterback, but now seeing the full picture of what the offensive line does and commanding the offense. He’s done a real nice job with that.”
Clay has had a good teacher, too.
“Trenton Besgrove is our quarterbacks coach. We have quite a few new coaches since coach (Mark) Emans has retired and some of the other coaches have moved closer to home and things like that so we’ve had quite the turnover,” Andrews said.
“But, Trenton Besgrove went to Lake and then finished his high school career down the road at Cardinal Stritch, so when I had first got here I coached Trenton. I was on the staff, he wasn’t in my position group, so he has come back and he’s done a real nice job. He’s a younger guy who definitely relates to Joe and you’ve got five quarterbacks that he is working with. They work well together, so that’s definitely a positive for Joe.”
There is more going at Lake — the program is building a reputation for developing NCAA Division I linemen.
Connor Moore, a 6-5, 260-pound senior, was a standout offensive right tackle for the University of Cincinnati squad that reached the D-I national semifinals. This year, former Lake lineman Connor Moore begins his NCAA D-I career at Montana State. Andrews said Moore was taking it all in by driving to Montana, making it a road trip along the way. He is not the only standout player the Flyers lost to graduation, either.
“Connor Moore is out at Montana State, and he texts me quite a lot, and he’s really enjoying himself. Richie Hayward with 48 catches in nine games did some nice things and I think the cool part about those kids is they still want to stay onto Huddle and they want to watch what we’re doing. That really is that program building and when they leave, they really don’t leave, they are still a part of things, so that is definitely nice to see.”

Comets, Wildcats optimistic
To prepare for the NBC, Genoa has a brutal non-conference schedule that features Archbold, Oak Harbor, and Huron.
“I know Archbold was very solid last year. They have a very good tailback, they’re well-coached and just a solid program. We can’t take them lightly, we’re expecting them to come out tough,” said first-year coach Bill Fisher.
“I know Oak Harbor was fairly young, they should be returning some players that got experience, and it’s a big rivalry game for the Celestial Ball — that always adds an element of excitement and energy. Huron is a very solid program, they’re fully capable of beating anyone on any given night. Their quarterback was good, he’s coming back, and I think they beat us, 14-9 last year.”
Woodmore coach and alumnus Curtis Schlea is feeling good about where the Wildcats will be in their final year in the Northern Buckeye Conference.
Not that he expects them to win a championship or anything like that, but don’t take the ‘Cats for granted this year. It is their final year in the NBC, moving to the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division next year, so they have incentive to make something happen.
“I think we have a little bit more incentive to try and do something. One word we are kind of hesitant to use around the school is ‘redemption,’” Schlea said. “This being our last year in the league, we’re not trying to get some redemption on schools, but from the players’ standpoint they are not looking ahead to next year by any means.
“We expect to compete and gain respect from all the teams in the NBC this year. Last season was a huge disappointment for us and this year we look to earn respect from our league foes in our last season. The NBC is a very competitive league, with mostly Division V schools and two Division IV schools. Elmwood and Eastwood are expected to be at the top of the league.”
See The Press football previews by Sports Editor J. Patrick Eaken and contributing writer Yaneek Smith inserted with this week’s edition.