Lakeland football edges Armwood in weather shortened preseason game
By Andy Villamarzo,
2022-08-20
LAKELAND, FLORIDA – There was a moment in the first quarter of Friday evening's preseason football tussle between Lakeland and Armwood when Lakewood head coach Bill Castle took a spill on the sideline when Hawks' running back Gerard Pringle ran into the legendary Dreadnaughts leader.
It was an ominous sign of things to come later in the night, as the game, along with a host of others throughout central Florida, ended up being called due to inclement weather. Nonetheless, Armwood and Lakeland got in some valuable work, playing until the 5:07 mark of the second quarter before Mother Nature decided to win the night. The Dreadnaughts edged the Hawks 13-6 at Bill Castle Field.
Lakeland running back Markel Johnson rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown Friday night.
Photo by Alex Walworth
“I felt like I did good, but I could’ve done way better,” Lakeland running back Markel Johnson said after the shortened contest. “We’ve got a big game next week, so I’ve got to make up for it. Coach Castle told us what we need to work on and stuff, so we just have to get back to practice and work.”
Johnson was able to show his stuff in just minimal time out on the field, as the 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior tailback rushed for a game-high 52 yards on just three carries. The junior broke off the game’s first score when he went off right tackle and scampered 43 yards to paydirt to put the Dreadnaughts up 6-0 early in the opening quarter after an initial three and out series.
Armwood’s defense came flying around and forced Lakeland quarterback Zachary Pleuss into some tough situations, as the senior finished 2-of-6 for 75 yards, a touchdown and an interception. It was a mixed bag for Pleuss, who tossed a 64-yard touchdown to wide receiver Tyler Williams (1 catch, 64 yards) in the second period. Armed with a 13-0 lead, it seemed like Lakeland started to find its swagger on offense.
Lakewood quarterback Zachary Pleuss finished 2-of-6, 75 yards, touchdown and an interception.
Photo by Alex Walworth
“I would say we definitely have a lot of stuff we need to work on,” Pleuss said. “We have another big game next week. We understand we’ve got a lot of play-makers on offense, so we have to get our play-makers in space. We’ve got to get the ball out quick. We just have to clean up the little things and get the ball in space.”
The Hawks looked to inch themselves closer when Murdolph Jones (4-of-6, 44 yards) scored on a 3-yard keeper in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 13-6. That’s when the inclement weather started to roll in and cut the highly anticipated game short. Pringle ended the game as the Hawks leading rusher with 26 yards on nine attempts.
Both teams have tough tests when it comes to Week 1 games, as Lakeland will get on the road and travel into Pinellas County to play Clearwater. The Tornadoes lost, 30-6, to Hillsborough on Friday. Armwood will be traveling into a totally different state altogether, as the Hawks will hit the road up to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to face Hillcrest (AL).
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