Lakeshore’s offense came out firing under the lights at Al Stockman Stadium, opening with a 60-yard touchdown run from quarterback Kaden Griffiths to take an early lead over Portage Northern. The Lancers’ momentum was short-lived, however, as the Huskies responded with three straight touchdowns to seize control before halftime. Despite flashes of big-play potential, penalties and turnovers plagued Lakeshore’s first-half drives, keeping them from maintaining rhythm or field position.
Griffiths continued to shine in the second half, accounting for all three of Lakeshore’s touchdowns and finishing with an impressive 255 yards rushing on 19 carries. His second-quarter scoring runs of 28 and 21 yards briefly pulled the Lancers within striking distance, but Northern’s special teams answered immediately with an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that swung the game back in the visitors’ favor. The Huskies’ ground game proved relentless, piling up 354 rushing yards and wearing down the Lakeshore defense.
Defensively, Lakeshore was led by Wyatt Florian with 11 tackles, while Konrad Fletty, Eli Wheaton, and Alec DenDooven each recorded eight stops. The Lancers forced one fumble early in the third quarter, setting up a quick touchdown, but they couldn’t slow Northern’s deep stable of rushers led by Keniel Ortiz and Aireus Jackson. Despite competing hard through all four quarters, the defensive unit was on the field for more than 22 minutes and ultimately couldn’t contain Northern’s big-play runs.
With the 46-21 loss, Lakeshore finishes the regular season 3-6 and will not qualify for the postseason.
