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This wasn't the way the dream was supposed to end. Lakeland wanted to walk off the field at Giants Stadium victorious, having vanquished mighty Wayne Hills High School. Instead, the Lancers slowly trudged to the locker room after becoming the Patriots' 52nd consecutive victim, falling 35-6 in the North Jersey Section 1, Group III final.
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The Lancers knew in order to finish the football season with a perfect record, they needed to play something close to a perfect game. Unfortunately on this cold December afternoon, Lakeland came up short of perfection. The Lancers had a number of key penalties and dropped passes that helped derail two promising first-half drives. Quarterback Dan Deighan also threw three interceptions, although two of those came in the fourth quarter with the game effectively out of reach.
Lakeland needed to be perfect because Wayne Hills played its typical, disciplined game, with the exception of a few unneeded penalties. The Patriots never turned the football over and converted touchdowns every time they got into scoring range. The Wayne Hills offense moved effectively, especially running the ball behind its massive offensive line. Even more impressive was the way the Patriots' defense executed its game plan to control the lightning-quick Deighan. The Lakeland senior made countless huge plays with his legs throughout the season, but Wayne Hills prevented him from ever breaking a single long run.
To his credit, Deighan took what the defense gave him, connecting on several long passes. John Allard was impressive at wide receiver for Lakeland, and he caught a Deighan aerial early in the third quarter and took it in for a 42-yard touchdown to cut the Wayne Hills lead to 14-6. The excitement would be short-lived.
This year's Wayne Hills team lacked the big-name players that many of its predecessors had. But one Patriot stepped forward in the second half of this sectional final: running back Ronnie Driesse. On the drive after Allard's touchdown, Driesse made several key runs and capped the march by scoring fro the 3-yard line.
After Lakeland's next possession bogged down at midfield, Wayne Hills again rode with Driesse. Working behind the powerful line, Driesse broke several large gains and effectively put the game away with a 10-yard scoring run to make it 28-6. He then added an exclamation point on defense, making his second interception of the game and running the football back 53 yards for the final touchdown of the contest.
Lakeland's players and coaches paid tribute to Wayne Hills after the game. "They were the better team," said Deighan. Still, the Lancers lamented the missed opportunities that could have altered the game.
"Maybe instead of being down 14-0 at the half, the score could have been reversed," said coach Tom McCormack. But he said Wayne Hills deserved much of the credit for forcing Lakeland's mistakes.
Lakeland achieved much this high school football season, winning a league title, earning its first-ever win over Delbarton, and advancing to this sectional final. This loss will sting, but at least the Lancers know they've got company... 51 other teams that couldn't stop the juggernaut that is Wayne Hills. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now
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