The "Wall's" Peninsula Playoff Game of the Week - Poquoson Pounds Lakeland 28-0; Moves to 3A East Final Against Phoebus

POQUOSON – Poquoson earned a date to the 3A East championship, gaining 283 rushing yards to ground Lakeland 28-0.

Cole Jackson led Poquoson’s running attack with 86 yards and a touchdown, while Dylan Freeman added 82. Trey Hicks completed six of 11 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.

With the win, Poquoson (10-2) will face top-seeded Phoebus (11-1) at Darling Stadium next weekend.

The Islanders did not get off to an auspicious start. On the game’s first play, Kyle Poultney had the ball knocked loose, and it was picked up by Lakeland at the Poquoson 34. However, the Cavaliers could only gain 2 yards, and the ensuing 12-yard punt gave the ball back to Poquoson on the 25.

Poquoson recovered from their previous error quickly, constructing a 14-play, 75 yard drive on their second possession, capped by Trey Hicks’ eight-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Freeman. Hicks completed all four passes on the drive for 45 yards, while Robert Henesey’s 18-yard run was crucial, as it put the ball over midfield and kept the drive alive on second-and-10.

The Islanders next drive was fluid for ten plays, but stalled when they could not convert from first-and-goal from the Lakeland 7. Their four runs could only move the ball four yards, and Lakeland took over on downs.

But two plays later, the tide turned as a Lakeland fumble rolled back into the end zone. Amid a pile of bodies and penalty flags, which emerged from the pushing and shoving, Poultney fell on the loose ball for Poquoson’s second touchdown. Henesey converted the two-point run and the Islanders carried a 14-0 edge into halftime.

After the intermission, Poquoson quickly put the game away, scoring on its first two possessions of the second half. Cole Jackson burst through a seam in the middle and outran the Lakeland defense, which tripped him, but not before he had covered 37 yards and fallen into the end zone.

A 40-yard reception by Matt Blaser set up the Islanders’ last score, a two-yard burst by Henesey.

The Islanders controlled the ball for most of the final quarter, and ate nine minutes off the clock with a 16-play, 70-yard running play drive that did not result in a score, but gave the ball back to Lakeland with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

The Poquoson defense was equally effective, holding Lakeland (3-9) to only three first downs and 110 yards of total offense.

LAKELAND –    0, 0, 0, 0 -- 0

POQUOSON  -   6, 8, 14, 0 - 28                 

First quarter

P – Freeman 8 pass from Hicks (kick blocked)

Second quarter

P – Poultney fumble rec. in end zone (Henesey run)

Third quarter

P – C. Jackson 37 run (Coccimiglio kick)

P – Henesey 2 run (Coccimiglio kick)

         LAKE   POQ

First downs;    3, 19

Rushes-yards;  25-84, 57-283

Passing yards;   26, 89

Comp-att-int;   4-14-1, 6-11-0

Penalties-yards; 5-30, 5-47

Punts-avg;      6-29, 4-27

Fumbles-lost;   3-3, 2-1