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Highlanders Overcome Fumbles, Down Devils
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Courtesy: TheLedger.com By BRANDT MERRITT | The Ledger LAKELAND | The Lake Wales Highlanders overcame four lost fumbles and a sloppy first half to come back and defeat the Kathleen Red Devils, 24-15, in front of 500 fans at Johnny Johnson Stadium on Friday. Quarterback Justin Shafer finished 9-of-18 for 170 yards and two touchdowns and also added a rushing touchdown for the Highlanders. All four of Lake Wales' fumbles came in the first half. Coach Rod Shafer attributed most of the problems to bad snaps from the center to Justin Shafer. Two of those fumbles came with the Highlanders driving in Kathleen territory. Another fumble came on a handoff from Justin Shafer to Kevin Prioleau at the Red Devils' 21-yard line, ending another scoring chance. "If we don't screw up, we could have scored a ton," Rod Shafer said. Fumbles weren't a problem for Kathleen, but penalties were. The Red Devils had 11 penalties for 67 yards in the first half and finished the game with 16 for 102. "We talked about mistakes and knew we would have them, and that's what this game was for," Kathleen coach Irving Strickland said. Quarterback Isaac O'Neal had his first pass intercepted by Azavian Adams and returned 28 yards to the Red Devils' 6-yard line. That led to a field goal for Lake Wales, but O'Neal settled in and led his team to two scores, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jacques Mackeroy. O'Neal finished 6-of-14 for 84 yards and also ran for 29 yards. Rashad Loydd led the Highlanders with 44 yards rushing, and Javess Blue had three catches for 86 yards and a score. The teams used the fourth quarter as a scrimmage for its reserves. Lake Wales hosts Haines City next week, while Kathleen hosts Tampa Jesuit.
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