By DAN HOEHNE
daniel.hoehne@newssun.com
The late-season surge by the Lake Placid offense continued Friday as they closed out the season at Lemon Bay.
Their defense, however, had trouble keeping up with the Manta Rays in the 55-35 loss on the coast.
For a moment early on, however, it was the Dragon defense that got them on the board.
Lemon Bay was driving behind quarterback Lucas Sparks and had it deep in Lake Placid territory.
Sparks was then running the ball and was near the Dragon four, when Jerry Fields stripped it away from him and was off to the races.
The sophomore defensive back didn't stop until crossing the end line 96 yards away to give Lake Placid an early 7-0 lead.
But the Class 7A Rays weren't about to let their undefeated home record come to an end on this night, and Sparks was going to make up for his mistake.
On the next drive, Sparks took a keeper 45 yards for the tying score, and after Lemon Bay recovered the ensuing onside kick, he went left on a 25-yard touchdown run to put his squad on top.
Soon after, Sparks connected with Nicholas Mostyn on a 30-yard score, the Manta Rays' third in just over four minutes.
Late in the first half, Sparks would carry it in again, from 15 yards out, but from there it would be a shoot out with the Dragons more than matching the Rays scoring output.
Robert Walton would connect with his favorite target Ricky Miller on a 39-yard touchdown to make it a 28-14 game at the half.
Lemon Bay went up with two touchdowns in the third, to Lake Placid's one, and added to it with a 50-yard Sparks run early in the fourth to make it 48-21.
With 8:42 left, Alan Borovsky punched in one more Manta's score on a one-yard plunge, but Marquavein Copeland added a 15-yard touchdown run.
After recovering the ensuing onside kick, the Dragons drove again and Copeland found a gap and raced 22 yards for another score.
But it wasn't going to be enough in the end.
Plenty of positives could be seen, however, as Walton continued the progress seen throughout his junior season, topping 200 yards passing on the night and bringing his season total to 819 yards with 12 touchdowns, while Miller had six receptions for 138 yards.
And while Miller, and his 631 yards on the season and nine touchdowns, will be lost to graduation, along with eight other Dragon players, Lake Placid will return much of this years' squad, which saw the offense grow by leaps and bounds.
Sunday, November 11, 2012 - www.newssun.com/SUN-11-11-12-LPFootball