South Lakes Scores 37 In Second Quarter, Cruises Past Yorktown 43-21

By MK McNicoll

South Lakes High unleashed a 37-point second quarter and rolled from there to a 43-21 victory Friday night at Yorktown in a season opener for both teams.

South Lakes has now beaten Yorktown three straight times since the tragic 7-6 loss in 2023 that ended the Seahawks’ unbeaten season.

South Lakes got a field goal in the first quarter but gave up a touchdown when a blocked punt set up the Patriots at the South Lakes three to fall behind 7-3 after one.

But South Lakes took the lead for good on an 8-yard run by James Smith that made it 10-7. The Seahawks then tacked on four touchdowns and a safety in the last 5:37 of the half to take a 40-7 halftime lead and put the game away for good.

Lucien Cheng set up the first of the four touchdowns with an interception that gave South Lakes the ball on the Yorktown seven. Smith scored three plays later on a 1-yard run to make it 17-7.

Six plays later, Gavin Satterfield recovered a Yorktown fumble at the Patriots’ 30. Christian Wyatt hit Joshua Dagbe down the sideline for a touchdown on the next play to make it 24-7 with 2:36 to go in the half.

On Yorktown’s next possession, Sebastian Valencia sacked Yorktown quarterback Jack McCorry on first down, then Cameron Soto intercepted a pass on the next play to set the Seahawks up again at the Yorktown 22. Smith ran in from there on the next play to make it 31-7 with 2:06 left in the half.

But the Seahawks were far from done. On the Patriots’ next possession, Valencia forced a punt with a 9-yard sack, then South Lakes got a safety on a bad snap on the ensuing punt to make it 33-7 with 1:40 to go.

But they still weren’t done. South Lakes received the kickoff and marched to the Patriots’ 24, where Wyatt hit Dagbe for another touchdown to make it 40-7 with nine seconds to go in the half.

“We didn’t really know what we had, but it was nice to see the kids respond in this way,” said South Lakes Coach Jason Hescock.

The Seahawks offense moved the ball efficiently throughout the game. Wyatt threw for two touchdowns and completed 14 of 22 passes for 128 yards and added 54 yards rushing on 11 carries. Smith added 86 yards to go with his three touchdowns. Senior all-district wide receiver Nick Picarelli had a 50-yard run, a kickoff return for a touchdown called back by a penalty and two punt returns of more than 20 yards.

“I’m wanting to get better at knowing the plays and working with these teammates,” said Smith after the game. “We can win with this team. It’s exciting.”

On defense, the Seahawks may have been even more impressive. The Patriots made only seven first downs, five in the second half and three on penalties. They rushed for just 90 yards, led by McCorry with 42, and they endured 10 tackles for losses. With two pickoffs, the Seahawk secondary is already two-thirds of the way toward matching their total interceptions of last year.

Valencia led the way along the defensive line with a number of tackles near or behind the line of scrimmage. “We got a lot of the tackles behind the line thanks to preparation for the coaches,” Valencia said. “We were ready for what they did and took advantage.”

Hescock was pleased with the effort. “It was a hard-fought game, but we got some offensive momentum and things clicked,” he said. “We need to keep those turnovers coming and keep moving the ball.”

South Lakes 43, Yorktown 21

South Lakes — 3 37 3 0 — 43
Yorktown — 7 0 0 14 — 21

Scoring

SL — James Marburg 26 FG
Y — Jack McCorry 3 run (Felix Gomez kick)
SL — James Smith 8 run (Marburg kick)
SL — Smith 1 run (Marburg kick)
SL — Joshua Dagbe 30 pass from Christian Wyatt (Marburg kick)
SL — Smith 22 run (Marburg kick)
SL — Safety, punter tackled in end zone
SL — Dagbe 24 pass from Wyatt (Marburg kick)
SL — Marburg 36 FG
Y — McCorry 43 run (Gomez kick)
Y — Alex Brendisi 6 pass from McCorry (Gomez kick)

Team Statistics

Rushing — South Lakes: Smith 15-86, Wyatt 11-54, Sean Ventura 6-59, Nick Picarelli 1-50, Gavin Satterfield 2-8, Team 1-minus 16. Yorktown: McCorry 15-42, Jamari Washington 8-4, Whitaker Cummings 5-18, Shane Wilson 4-14, Ethan Wassel 1-2, Team 1-minus 16.

Passing — South Lakes: Wyatt 22-14-0, 128 yards; Satterfield 3-0-0. Yorktown: McCorry 12-5-2, 90 yards, 1 TD.

Receiving — Yorktown: Boston Izzo 1-9, Wilson 2-25, Alex Randisi 2-50, TD. Jamari Washington 1-12.

South Lakes: Picarelli 5-48, Dagbe 7-75, 2 TDs, George Zarechnek 1-21, Smith 1-4.