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LEHMAN TWP. — The Lake-Lehman Black Knights continued their winning ways, as they dominated all game long to crush the visiting Nanticoke Area Trojans 35-0 on senior night on Friday.

With the victory, the Black Knights won their third straight game in blowout fashion, having trounced Holy Redeemer and Mid Valley in consecutive weeks on the road entering this contest.

Lake-Lehman wasted no time starting its scoring explosion. On just their third play on the night, junior quarterback Ethan Adams connected on a screen pass to senior tailback Zack Kojadinovich for a 38-yard touchdown.

The Black Knights scored again just a few minutes later, as Adams set up the next touchdown drive with a crucial 28-yard quarterback scramble that took Lehman down to the Nanticoke Area’s 14-yard line. On the very next play, Adams hooked up with senior wide out Casey Kaminski on a 14-yard touchdown pass to boost the Black Knights lead to 14-0 with 4:35 left in the opening period.

Lehman’s third and final touchdown of the first quarter came about three minutes later into the action. The Black Knight were set up in great field position when Kaminski leaped in the air, picked off a Nanticoke Area pass and returned it 41 yards. Lake-Lehman cashed in, as Adams hooked up with fellow junior running back Danny Kutz on a 7-yard touchdown pass to take Lehman’s advantage to 21-0 with 1:42 left in the opening stanza.

Lake-Lehman continued scoring into the second quarter when Adams threw his fourth touchdown pass on the night, this time an 8-yard scoring strike to junior running back Nick Zaboski to give the Black Knights an overwhelming 28-0 advantage with 6:58 left in the second period. The Black Knights fifth and final touchdown of the evening came late in the second quarter, when Adams took off on an 18-yard quarterback scamper all the way into the end zone with just 2:14 left before halftime to give Lake-Lehman a 35-0 lead to take into the locker room at the break.

Lake-Lehman sent the backups into the game in the second half, with victory already clinched and the mercy rule in effect. Nanticoke’s offense had no answer for the Black Knights stingy defense, barely mustering many positive yardage plays on the night.

Adams wound up contributing on all five of Lehman’s touchdowns, finishing with four touchdown passes to go along with his scoring run. He completed 12 of his 16 passes for 213-yards and no turnovers.

“Every game is preparation for Week 11 and the playoffs,” Lake-Lehman coach Jerry Gilsky said, “and that is my philosophy this year. You look at this team we faced tonight, and they tried to spread us a little bit more throwing the ball on the perimeter game, so we really worked on our secondary. Last week Mid Valley was more dominant with their running game, so that was another variation.

”So aspects we are getting on both sides with throwing the ball and running the ball,” Gilsky continued, “it’s preparing us for that Week 11 game. So now you have Dallas next week, and coach (Rich) Mannello is a creature of habit and he really runs his offense well, and that’s something that we really need to prepare us for Week 11 because the teams that you look at that we play in the playoffs play that style of offense. You look at Wyoming Area, Western Wayne, that is their style and that really helps us in Week 10 to prepare for that Week 11 and the playoffs.”

Now the 7-2 Black Knights will look to stay hot and win their fourth straight game when they take on their arch rivals, the undefeated, and dominant 9-0 Dallas Moutaineers, to wrap up their regular season schedule.

Meanwhile, head coach Ron Bruza and his 1-8 Nanticoke Trojans will look to snap their four game losing streak when they travel on the road to play rival Hanover Area.

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By Ross Turetsky

For Times Leader