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Dan Deighan had the football exactly where he wanted it: in his own hands, with a little room to operate. And for once on this misty, sloppy night, Deighan's feet didn't slip out from under him. With one tremendous effort, the Lakeland quarterback set his team up for another unlikely win.
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Deighan's 35-yard run in the fourth quarter led to a one-yard touchdown plunge by running back Jake McDonald for the only score of this first-round state playoff game. The third-seeded Lancers held off sixth-seed Ramapo High School, 7-0, to advance to the semifinals in North Jersey Section 1, Group III.
Until the fourth quarter, Ramapo appeared to be the more dangerous team. The Green Raiders moved the ball inside the Lakeland 10 twice in the first half but turned it over both times, once on a fumble, the other on a McDonald interception. Ramapo also missed on a 40-yard field goal attempt.
Lakeland could get little going offensively no matter what they tried. The Lancers moved Deighan from quarterback to running back in the second quarter, putting Tyler Engels behind center. The stratagem worked briefly, but Ramapo adjusted and Deighan couldn't make any hard cuts on the treacherous turf.
The third quarter was more of the same, with the Lakeland defense coming up with big plays anytime Ramapo seemed on its way to a score. Finally in the fourth, the Lancers moved Deighan back to quarterback and the offense came alive. Lakeland moved down to the Ramapo 20 only to lose the ball on a fumble.
Once again the defense had the answer. John Allard made a key pass break-up and McDonald sacked Raiders quarterback Andrew Weiss to force a punt. On the first play after the punt, Deighan made his huge run inside the 5-yard line to set up the go-ahead score.
Still Ramapo wasn't done. The Green Raiders moved into Lakeland territory and tried a long pass to tie the game. But Allard made a great leaping interception to kill the drive. Lakeland was forced to punt the football back with just seconds remaining, but Ramapo's last-gasp pass was broken up by Deighan to end the game.
Coach Tom McCormack had a hard time explaining how his team won this contest. "We didn't beat Ramapo," he said. "We just didn't lose again." He credited his squad's attitude in the face of the poor sports field conditions and several key injuries.
Lakeland, now 10-0, will host Sparta High School in the next round. The 7th-seed Spartans were upset winners over Wayne Valley in their first-round contest. -- Emir Liguori for Jersey Sports Now
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