With less than four minutes remaining in the first half, Glen Lake football (1-1) led 14-0 over Frankfort (1-1) Friday during an important early-season Northern Michigan Legacy Conference game.
By the end of the half, Glen Lake was up 35-0, scoring 21 points after recovering multiple turnovers and connecting on big plays to put the game away early and win against the rival Panthers 42-6.
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"Once we started clicking, you guys really saw, we were sticking to the game plan, and the one thing I told them from last week is the intensity we came out with, bring it again ...
It's going to be a tough conference, so we need every win. They came out here and answered the question," Glen Lake coach Jesse Smith said.
Glen Lake senior running back Sam Dykstra scored his second rushing touchdown to take a 14-0 Laker lead with 3:49 remaining in the first half. Then Laker junior quarterback Parker Robinson loosened up his arm and found Kingston Palmer for a 20-yard pass TD, followed by a Panther turnover, and another Robinson 44-yard bomb to find the speedy Liam Palmer alone behind the defense (29-0). Another Panther turnover led to Fletcher Middleton throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to cap off the incredible first half.
Frankfort would find the endzone late in the third quarter, which was quickly answered by a 63-yard streaking touchdown from Caden Sheehan to finish the game 42-6.
The big boys in the trenches paved the way for Glen Lake's lethal rushing attack Friday.
"We just did our job, we blocked, and our running backs did, and the QB, they all did the rest," Glen Lake offensive lineman Hunter Bright said and David Kish added. "Last week we didn't do our jobs, and that resulted in a big loss. This week, we came back, bounced back, played hard, did our jobs, and the score reflected it. It felt great."
Robinson finished with 104 passing yards while Middleton had 29. Dykstra led rushing with 89 yards, while Sheehan and Middleton had 76 and 61 rushing yards.
Glen Lake junior Dominic Stein led defensively with two forced fumbles and 7 total tackles. Middleton had 6.5, and Sheehan had five. Palmer had 3.5 tackles; Max Galla and K Palmer each had two tackles.
The Lakers avenge an opening season loss to Traverse City St. Francis and Frankfort take its first loss of the season after defeating Benzie last week.
Glen Lake travels around the peninsula north to Harbor Springs for another pivotal matchup Friday at 7 p.m., while the Panthers host Johannesburg-Lewiston.
"The preparation we did this week is what we want to take with us forward. The film study, sticking to the game plan.
Before the Lakers and Panthers squared off Friday, the Glen Lake and Frankfort cross country teams came together to run the game ball from Frankfort to Glen Lake for a total of 35.77 miles. The teams averaged 6:43 a mile during the relay.
