Late defensive stand lifts Deer Lakes past Freeport, gives coach win on birthday

By: Jerin Steele
Friday, September 13, 2024 | 10:24 PM

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Deer Lakes football coach Tim Burk got his birthday wish.

But before Lancers could blow out the candles on a victory, one more play needed to be made.

With Freeport driving down the field in the final two minutes for a potential tying score, the Deer Lakes defensive line stuffed Sean Selinger on a fourth-and-1 play to secure a 28-21 win in the Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference opener Friday night at Lancer Stadium.

The Yellowjackets had the ball at the Deer Lakes 31 when Selinger tried to reach to get the first down, but he fell a half-yard short.

The win secured Deer Lakes’ second 4-0 start in school history, and it’s only the second time the Lancers have beaten the Yellowjackets (2-2, 0-1) in consecutive years.

The last time was in 1993 and ’94.

“It’s great,” Burk said. “I think the program is trending upward, and we have to learn how to play in close games. That’s what we did tonight. We finished off a game against a really quality football team. The student section was amazing here tonight, and I hope some of them saw that and want to be a part of this next year. That’s what we’re trying to do is develop a culture and build a program that people want to be a part of, and I think we’re doing that.”

Before the final stop, Zier Williams scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a 5-yard run with just over four minutes remaining.

“‘Z’ is our guy, and he’s our guy for a reason,” Burk said. “When they tied it, we just told them that we need to do what we do and rely on the guy we rely on, and that’s ‘Z’. He never gets (yards) in big bunches, but he wears on you and that run into the end zone was unbelievable.”

Deer Lakes jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, but Freeport scored the next 21, including two second-half touchdowns to tie the score.

Junior quarterback Drew Ross connected with Madden Wisniewski on a 13-yard touchdown in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-14, and midway through the fourth, Amos Glenn muscled his way in from 1 yard to tie the score.

“They were as tough as nails,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said about his players. “It just started kicking in. We’ve been waiting for four weeks to start hitting like we normally do, and they exceeded that tonight. I’m proud of them. Nobody gave us a chance, but at the end we were there.”

The Lancers set the tone with a 60-yard drive that lasted nearly half of the first quarter.

It ended when Jake Fleischer found a wide-open Zach Grant for a 4-yard touchdown.

Following a three-and-out by Freeport on its first possession, Grant returned a punt 25 yards to the Yellowjackets’ 30.

Two plays later, Fleischer successfully executed a read-option, keeping the ball and running around the left side for a 24-yard score, giving Deer Lakes a 14-0 lead at the end of the first.

Freeport punted again on its next possession, and Fleischer went to work again.

He threw a high-arching ball that hit Grant in stride as he crossed into the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown.

By halftime, Fleischer had eclipsed 100 yards passing and Grant had more than 60 yards receiving.

Fleischer finished with 172 yards passing, and Grant ended up with seven catches and 94 yards.

Grant also had an important interception in the second half.

“Zach Grant really came out of his shell last year,” Burk said. “We knew that he was a player. He never quits. He made plays when we needed him to, and that’s what the best players do.”

Freeport went to a faster-paced offense in the second quarter and got into a rhythm.

Ross went 4-for-4 on a drive that spanned 80 yards and connected with Owen Neistein for a 14-yard touchdown.

Ross finished with 148 yards passing.

Despite dropping two in a row, Freeport has a 45-8 edge in the all-time series.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Deer Lakes, Freeport