When they talked after Friday's 27-23 victory over Bartlett, Lake Park's players and coaches used words like "defining" and "statement."

This was a regular season finale in which host Bartlett had so much momentum through the first half that a Lancers recovery seemed improbable. And then the Hawks (3-6, 1-5 Upstate Eight) controlled much of the third quarter and built a 23-7 lead. But somehow, the Lancers (7-2, 6-1) crafted a victory.

"I love this team," Lake Park back Jake McNamara said. "We've got a lot of heart."

Lake Park showed its ability to get big plays at every moment when they it really needed them.

First there was a 91-yard kickoff return by Artie Monaco. Then there was a key interception by Alex Fischer that set the Lancers with first and goal from the Bartlett 7-yard line. From there, Lake Park needed 3 plays to score - plays which ran its second half total to 5 plays run from scrimmage through 9 minutes of play.

Then after getting the ball with 3:43 and organizing its best drive of the game, the Lancers called the winning play. With most expecting Monaco to get the ball on 2nd-and-4 from the Bartlett 26, Lake Park ran a draw play to Jake McNamara. And with a hole the size of a school bus to move through. McNamara raced to the end zone. The Lancers held out the remaining 75 seconds - the only moments in the game they led.   http://football.dailyherald.com/story/?id=331470