Package: Varsity Football vs. Gardner-Edgerton

Recap by Julia Poe:

The ball spiraled through the air, straight towards senior Alec Dean’s gloves. He stretched out one hand for it, and watched as two Gardner Edgerton players batted it down.

Dean shook his head at the sidelines and looked back at the sidelines. It was the first major pass attempt of the game, and the coaches weren’t worried that it wasn’t completed.

They just tried again.

This time, the pass was a little bit higher. It hit Dean in his stride, and he pulled it down to his chest and trotted into the end zone.

The Lancer student section exploded as East pulled ahead 13-0 over Gardner. Dean finished the game with three touchdown catches, as the Lancers set the tone for their 2014 season with a dominating 40-0 season-opener victory over Gardner Edgerton.

Although the game was predicted to be some of East’s toughest competition for the season, the aggressive and experienced Lancers overwhelmed Gardner Edgerton early in the game.

Unable to connect many passes, Gardner-Edgerton relied on senior running back Jadon Pearson-Bruce, who sliced through the East defense in the first half. The Lancer defense adjusted and cemented their victory by smothering the Blazers’ running game at the line of scrimmage. Leading the defensive charge was senior defensive end Kyle Ball, who sacked the Chargers quarterback four times and roped down players in the back field.

The Lancers pushed the pace offensively all game, recovering two onside kicks and capitalizing on their superior passing game. Senior quarterback Gunnar Englund found a rhythm early in the first quarter passing to Dean, but he also used pitches and hand offs to continue the reputation of strong Lancer rushes. Despite giving up two fumbles, Englund’s experience showed as he led his team in their flexbone offense to six scoring drives.

“It was just an all around fun game,” Englund said. “Our line blocked well, opening holes for the running back, which opened up the pass games and the big plays. We played well, but we made some mistakes and can play better.”

Next week, the Lancers will play their first home game against district rivals SM South. Can’t make it to the game? Watch the broadcast here.

Gallery by Kylie Rellihan: