Lake Weir grinds out tough win over Bell High

If you like old-school, smash-mouth football, Friday night’s game between Lake Weir and Bell High was the game to watch. The contest featured a pair of teams who like to run the ball and then run the ball some more.

Lake Weir utilized the powerful running of seniors Alcarlos Richard and Jackson Quick and a swarming defense that forced four turnovers to earn a hard-fought and physical 11-0 win over Bell. The win improved Lake Weir to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference

“It was a team effort,” said Hurricanes coach Jason Roberts. “No matter how much adversity we face, the boys continue to fight, stick together, and they found a way to win. The defense played aggressive and forced several turnovers. We are big in the backfield and Alcarlos is a hoss and we will keep running at you.”

Bell, which dropped to 1-2, 1-1, moved the ball into Lake Weir territory on its first two possessions of the game, but the Hurricanes defense rose up to stop the Bulldogs scoring threat.

After a short punt, Lake Weir took possession of the ball and marched down the field on the strength of solid running by Richard and Quick. Richard showed his power and tackle-breaking ability on an impressive 36-yard scoring scamper. A two-point run was good to give the Hurricanes an 8-0 lead with 42.4 seconds left in the first quarter.

Bell went nowhere on its next possession and was forced to punt.

Lake Weir marched down the field as Richard, who finished with 109 rushing yards on 15 carries, followed excellent blocking to pick up several first downs. The drive stalled after reaching the Bell 35-yard line after the Hurricanes were flagged for holding and a pass interference penalty.

Bell moved the ball past midfield as sophomore running back Landin Williams, who rushed for 52 yards on 14 carries, had success running between the tackles. The drive stalled and Lake Weir took an 8-0 lead into the half.

Lake Weir fumbled the second-half kickoff, but Bell fumbled the ball on its first play from scrimmage to end the threat. The Hurricanes kept the ball for over six minutes as Quick, who gained 56 yards on 14 carries, powered his way to a first-and-goal at the Bulldog four-yard line. The Bell defense stiffened and kept Lake Weir out of the end zone on four consecutive running plays.

Bell tried to pass the ball several times during the game with no success at all.

Lake Weir sophomore linebacker Kevin Lucas recovered a Bulldog fumble midway through the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes capitalized and gave themselves some breathing room as senior kicker Jeancarlos Mejia booted a 30-yard field goal to give Lake Weir an 11-0 lead with 1:59 remaining to play.

Any potential late-game drama ended quickly as Bell fumbled the ball on its first play from scrimmage and the Hurricanes recovered the ball.

Lake Weir ran out the clock to seal the victory over the Bulldogs.

“This is a good district win for us,” coach Roberts said. “Our heads weren’t exactly where they needed to be coming into this week, but we kept fighting and came out on top.”

Lake Weir is back on the gridiron Friday night when the Hurricanes host Trenton.