The Pacers start fast in their 2022 season opener, prep for Jesuit in Week Two.
It was just one game.
And it was just a non-league game against an unfamiliar opponent.
That said, the Lakeridge football team made the most of its 2022 season opener, wiping out the Celtics 47-0 at Lakeridge High School on Friday, Sept. 2.
“We just knew we had to come out and get a fast start,” said Lakeridge senior quarterback Ryan Oliver, who went 20 for 23 passing for 360 yards and five touchdowns. “And as soon as we got that start, we just had to keep rolling and keep our foot on the gas. That’s what we talked about all week.”
“It was a lot of fun,” said Pacer senior wide receiver Baylor Corbin, who made 13 catches for 243 yards and three TDs. “This summer, we put in a lot of hard work and it’s all paying off right now.”
“We prepared hard this week,” added junior linebacker Ethan Biondine, who helped the Pacers limit McNary to 67 yards in total offense. “(Our coaches) had a good scheme and we just executed.”
With the win, Lakeridge improved to 1-0 overall, while McNary fell to 0-1 for 2022. Next up, the Pacers will host Jesuit — a 24-21 winner over Skyview, Washington, in its Friday opener — at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9.
“We don’t take any games lightly,” said junior wide receiver Joey Olsen, who made three catches for 72 yards and two TDs against McNary. “We take all games with the same seriousness. We work just as hard preparing for every team, whether it’s in practice or the weight room or whatever. We don’t take anyone lightly.”
“Jesuit will be a really good game,” Corbin added. “We just have to keep getting better and building our brotherhood.”
The Pacers hit the ground running on Friday, forcing a quick McNary three-and-out and then scoring three minutes later when freshman running back Ansu Sanoe went over left tackle to score from one yard out.
Prior to that, Oliver hit on 4 of 7 passes for 40 yards, including a 27-yard strike to Corbin down the right seam.
And the hits just kept on coming from there, with the Pacers scoring on each of their five first-half possessions while simultaneously holding McNary scoreless on all six of its offensive series in the first two quarters.
Lakeridge highlights in the remainder of the first half included: Oliver hit four straight passes for 49 yards on the next series, including a 15-yard TD pass to a leaping Olsen at the right flag; Oliver hit Corbin for a 78-yard score over the middle on the second play of the next series; Sanoe broke off a 48-yard run to set up Oliver’s two-yard TD pass to Corbin; senior running back Chili Stephens went for 20 yards on the Pacers’ next series before Oliver connected with Olsen for a 31-yard TD pass that boosted their team’s lead to 33-0 at the half.
McNary went three-and-out on each of its first three possessions, but put together its best offensive series at the start of the second quarter. Starting from their own 24-yard line, the Celtics drove 36 yards to the Lakeridge 40, with senior quarterback Jackson Alt completing 5 of 8 throws for 23 yards — highlighted by a tipped pass caught by junior Jake Allen for nine yards — before the series stalled out near midfield.
While the second half went by quickly due to the running clock, the Pacers still had a few more arrows in their quiver, with Oliver hitting Corbin for a 43-yard score on the first series of the second half and Stephens capping his team’s final drive with a three-yard TD run with 7:35 left on the clock.
As it turns out, the Pacers scored on every possession of the game except their final series when they took possession with less than a minute to play.
“We got the jitters out for sure, but we’re just taking it one week at a time,” Oliver said. “We’ll give it 100% each week. We gave 100% this week, then we’ll go back to the chalkboard and on Monday, we’ll go just as hard to prepare for the next game.”
“We’ve just got to take it one step at a time,” Biondine added. “We can’t focus too far in the future. We’ve got to focus on what’s going on right now. Jesuit is what’s up next.”
For the game, Sanoe carried six times for 68 yards and one TD, while Stephens picked up 62 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. Lakeridge freshman Marcus Post added three catches for 20 yards.
For McNary, junior Jesse Dyer led the Celtics with 14 yards on three carries, Alt completed 9 of 20 passes for 53 yards and senior Jabol Balos caught two balls for 19 yards.
See the complete slideshow from this game here.
See all the photos from this game here.
See the photo of the day here.
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