In Unlimited weight action in Pop Warner, the Lake Shore Raiders defeated the Mandarin Tigers in a very close divisional contest. The game went back and forth all afternoon as both teams played hard in the rain. Lake Shore’s Quarterback #6 took a direct snap around the right end for a 70 yard long touchdown run in the game. There were several electrifying plays in the game including long punt return by Lake Shore to set up what would eventually be the deciding score.
Mandarin made it a very close game with plays of their own. Number four their tailback, ran extremely hard in the game. The play of the day might’ve been his 60 yard touchdown run to which he raced around the left sideline threw Raiders defenders, shedding a tackler with a spin move before continuing to coast in for the score. A fake punt in the game also put the crowd on the edges of their seat when Mandarin successfully converted a fourth and five deep in their own territory. It took guts to call that play, and showed the coaches really trust the players, many of whom came from the division champion Junior Midget team last year. The Unlimited Tigers start the year (1-1) with the loss.
The afternoon on the other hand belonged to the Red Raiders of Lake Shore. Their defense pressured Mandarin’s quarterback all game, and kept the passing attack at bay. Lake Shore’s defense is much improved from last year’s unit that went just 3-5. With the win, Lake Shore improved to 2-0 on the season and is already one game away from equaling last year’s win total. This team is making moves fast, let’s see if anyone in the division can catch them.
