Schalick turns away Cumberland, Colts coach Lake steps down

UPPER DEERFIELD – Wednesday’s annual Thanksgiving Eve matchup between the Schalick and Cumberland Regional high school football teams represented a changing of the guard on many levels.

For Schalick, it represented the move forward with a young roster called into action due to injury to veteran players.

For Cumberland, it represented an end of an era as Colts’ head coach Tom Lake announced he was stepping down after 10 seasons following the game.

Despite the valiant efforts of his team, Lake could not go out on a winning note as the visiting Cougars, behind two touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Kason Barrett, held off Cumberland for a 22-14 victory. The win was the fifth straight in the series for Schalick, giving the Cougars a 10-4 advantage in the series.

“It was time,” Lake, whose team finished the season winless in 10 games, said. “I told them (school administration) at the start of the season that I was going to do this, but I didn’t want anything earmarked on these kids and their performance. I knew going in we were going to be very young and inexperienced at a number positions and I didn’t want anyone to think how we did on the scoreboard played a role in the decision.”

As for the game itself, both teams were looking to salvage tough seasons.

Schalick entered the game with a two-game win streak after it dropped the first seven games of the season. The Cougars jumped on the board late in the first quarter as they capped a 75-yard drive when Austin Carney used the halfback option and connected with Ethan Collins on a 16-yard touchdown pass, taking advantage of a breakdown in the Colts’ defense.

“I was supposed to fake block,” Collins, who was named the Cougars’ Most Valuable Player for the game, said. “I then took off and he (the defender) just stood still. Ethan Long added the extra point to give Schalick a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.

The Cougars added another score early in the second quarter as Barrett, who started the season as a wide receiver, capitalized on a Cumberland turnover and ran the ball in 10 yards for the score. After three procedure penalties on the Colts, Carney ran in for the two-point conversion, giving Schalick a 15-0 lead.

Cumberland didn't fold as senior quarterback Josh Rivera, who was named the MVP of the game for Cumberland, carried the Colts to the end zone, capping an 85-yard drive with a 1-yard run. The two-point conversion failed and Schalick took a 15-6 lead into the half.

The Colts stayed close in the second half as the Colts scored on a 36-yard run by LaMark Jones, added the two-point conversion by Maquay Richmond, cutting the Schalick lead to 15-14.

Schalick put the game away early in the fourth quarter as Barrett scored his second touchdown of the game, this time finding the end zone from six yards out.

“We really wanted to win this game,” Barrett said. “We were focused on this and we fought hard on every play.

“Kason showed some great poise,” Schalick coach Seth Brown said. “There were a couple plays where he, as an inexperienced quarterback, made great decisions. That showed he is coming along in the role.”

Cumberland had one last chance to tie in the final two minutes, by Jael Hernandez intercepted Rivera -- the Colts’ fifth turnover of the game -- to ice it for Schalick.

With the season in the books for both teams, the future for both programs seems to be in flux as both work to build with young players. One program will be doing it with a new head coach.

“A lot of underclassmen got a lot of work this season,” Brown said.

“The youth that’s here is very talented,” Lake said. “We forced a lot of them into varsity roles, probably a year early. If these guys can maintain their poise and focus, they will be a very talented group over the next couple of years.”

Schalick                      (3-7)      7 8 0 6 – 22

Cumberland                          (0-10)    0 6 8 0 – 14

Scoring:

S: Collins 16 pass from Carney (Long kick)

S: Barrett 10 run (Carney run)

C: Rivera 1 run (run failed)

C: Jones 36 run (Richmond run)

S: Barrett 6 run (Long kick)

Team stats                             Schalick                       Cumberland

First downs                             14                                          12

Rushes-yards                          35-148                                 29-175

Passing yards                         59                                          49

Comp.-Att-Int.                        3-9-1                                      5-11-2

Fumbles-lost                          1-1                                        4-3

Sacks-yards lost                    1-5                                         1-8

Penalties-yards                    2-15                                        10-65

Individual statistics:

Rushing: Schalick – Carney 15-29, Garner 6-63, Barrett 8-11, Highley 6-35

; Cumberland – Jones 2-53, Richmond 4-20, Rivera 9-19, Nock 14-83 .

Passing:  Schalick – Carney 1-1-0, 16 yds, Barrett 2-8-1, 25 yds ; Cumberland –   Rivera 5-11-2, 49 yds

Receiving:  Schalick  – Collins 3-59; Cumberland – Robinson 1-20, Hatcher 1-7, Ambrose 1-9, Nock 2-12.