Prep football: Lakewood 36, Prairie 31

BATTLE GROUND — Prairie coach Terry Hyde was blunt when asked about the difference in Friday’s 36-31 loss to Lakewood of Arlington.

“Mistakes. Mental mistakes,” he said.

Hyde noted that Lakewood was an experienced team that had nine starters returning and contrasted that with his own young team, which has three sophomores on both lines. He hoped that Prairie’s skill-position players could make up the difference.

By skill-position players, he probably was including Ansel Cecil, who scored one touchdown on an interception return and two more on passes. But it was in a losing effort, as the Cougars outlasted Prairie on a perfect night for football at District Stadium in Battle Ground.

The best skill-position player on the field this night was Lakewood junior Justin Peterson, who threw three TD passes, ran for a 2-point conversion, and threw for another score in the season opener for both teams.

The warm, dry air and hardly any breeze seemed like a good recipe for moving the ball and scoring, and both teams obliged.

On its first drive, Prairie’s Jesse Zalk hauled in a 50-yard TD pass from Colin Seitz. Lakewood responded with Dustin Stanton’s 5-yard TD pass from Peterson, and the subsequent 2-point conversion gave the visitors an 8-6 lead.

But Cecil capped the scoring in the first quarter by not only scoring on a 24-yard interception return, but on the 2-point conversion as well.

In the second stanza, Lakewood struck first, with quarterback/wide receiver Justin Peterson hauling in a 29-yard TD pass from Kolby Schuller. Peterson struck again moments later on the 2-point conversion, throwing the coversion to Donovan Evans in the end zone.

Max Reimer kicked a 39-yard field goal for the Falcons to cap the halftime scoring, and at halftime Prairie led 17-16.

Prairie emerged focused and refreshed from the locker room in the second half and struck first, scoring on a 14-yard pass from Seitz to Cecil. But with 3:50 left in the third quarter, Lakewood scored on Donovan Evants 2-yard TD run and Peterson’s 2-point conversion, tying the score 24-24.

Lakewood pulled away in the fourth, with Peterson throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Austen Suddoth and a 19-yard score to Tyler Duitsman.

Prairie had one last chance to mount a scoring drive, starting at its own 15 with 3:56 to go. But the drive was hurt by a dropped pass that could have been a potential score.

Hyde mentioned not only the dropped pass but several missed blocking assignments in his postgame comments but said that he hoped that his team could “grow from every opportunity” they face during the rest of the season.

Next week: Prairie (0-1) at Hockinson.

LAKEWOOD 36, PRAIRIE 31

Lakewood 8 8 8 12–36

Prairie 14 3 14 0–31

First quarter

P — Jesse Zalk 50 from Colin Seitz (kick failed)

L — Dustin Stanton 5 from Justin Peterson (Andrew Bean from Peterson)

P — Ansel Cecil 24 interception return (Ansil Cecil 2pt. conversion from Peterson)

Second quarter

L — Peterson 29 yard TD pass from Kolby Schueller (Donovan Evans from Justin Peterson)

P — Max Reimer 39 yard field goal

Third quarter

P — Cecil 14 from Seitz (Max Reimer kick)

L — Donovan Evans 2 run (Peterson run)

P — Cecil 6 from Seitz (Reimer kick)

Fourth quarter

L — Autsen Suddoth 5 from Peterson (pass failed)

L — Tyler Duitsman 19 from Peterson (pass failed)

Individual leaders

Rushing — Lakewood — Justin Peterson 17-80; Prairie — Colton Prestwich 13-45.

Passing — Lakewood — Justin Peterson 18-25-175; Prairie — Colin Seitz 27-39-1-313.

Receiving — Lakewood — Brandon Stott 7-57; Prairie — Ansel Cecil 6-89, Jesse Zalk 6-65, Tyler Vea 5-51, Colton Prestwich 4-41.