Deanes, Banbury lead Seton LaSalle to rout of Deer Lakes
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Friday, October 6, 2017 | 10:45 PM
The “Train” made a stop at Lancers Stadium when Deer Lakes hosted No. 2 Class 3A Seton LaSalle. He didn't disappoint as senior running back Lionel Deanes rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Rebels to 45-7 Allegheny Conference victory.
The Rebels (6-0, 5-0) jumped to a 21-7 halftime lead over the Lancers (0-6, 0-5). Deanes carried the ball 13 times for 74 yards and a 2-yard touchdown in the first half.
Deer Lakes coach Steve Sciullo knew it was a tall task to stop Deanes.
“That kid is good,” Sciullo said. He's a good ballplayer, probably the best player in the league. I thought we did a good job corralling him early.”
Deanes kicked things up a notch in the second half as he rushed 99 yards and scored on a 1-yard run that made the score 31-7.
“Our passing game was there early, and we just have to learn to take advantage of the situations early on,” Seton LaSalle coach Rob Carter said. “We are going to be in dog fights if we don't start pushing the ball down in the first and second quarter.”
Hidden behind Deanes' big night was the play of senior quarterback Matt Banbury. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, a 35-yard pass to junior Jamar Shegog on their first possession to give the Rebels a 7-0 lead.
Banbury also rushed for 107 yards and three touchdowns. He scored on runs of 12, 7 and 3 yards.
Shegog caught four passes for 115 yards and one touchdown.
The Deer Lakes offense came out firing on its first possession. Junior quarterback Ethan Bender threw completions of 5, 6 and 10 yards, and senior running back Josh Solomon capped the drive with a 34-yard touchdown run to tie the score 7-7.
Special teams was a problem for the Lancers. They surrendered two blocked punts that Seton LaSalle turned into 10 points on their ensuing offensive drives.
“It's just individual effort,” Sciullo said. “Number 46 wanted to block those punts, and we didn't want to block him. That's what a lot of this stuff comes down to: will over skill. That 46 has a lot of will, and he's a good ball player. And it shows with the way he works and the effort he gives.”
Solomon led Deer Lakes with 53 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown.
D.J. Vasil is a freelance writer.
Tags: Deer Lakes
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