Angle's return pays immediate dividends for Lakewood defense
HEBRON — When the Lakewood football team traveled to Viking Stadium last Friday night, they were optimistic of achieving their first win in Licking County League-Cardinal Division play. However, the Lancers’ optimism quickly changed, losing 19-7 in a grueling match against Northridge.
Lakewood (2-5, 0-2) started the season with a 2-1 record, their best since the 4-0 stretch at the beginning of the 2016 season. The Lancers looked to have taken momentum into the heart of their season, but injuries began to rear their ugly head for the squad.
One of the Lakewood players who had been sidelined for a majority of the season heading into the game against the Vikings was senior linebacker Xander Angle. Angle tore his meniscus in the Lancers’ preseason camp, having to undergo surgery to repair the damage in his left knee.
The linebacker saw his first action of the season against Heath in Week 6, only getting in the game for 30 plays.
“I missed the first five or six games of my senior season,” Angle said. “(My knee) is sore. I’m definitely not as fast as I was, but I’m not going out (of the game) again.”
Angle’s grit and determination was in full force against Northridge last Friday, getting into the backfield play after play to stop the run. The linebacker finished the game with six tackles, one for a loss, and a forced fumble to create the only turnover of the game.
The Lakewood coaching staff decided to use Angle and his fellow linebackers closer to the line of scrimmage to stop the Vikings’ power run attack. The Lancers found success with this game plan in the first half, limiting Northridge to 135 yards of total offense with Angle and sophomore Ben Nieves inside and senior Nate Lee outside.
“It was harder for them to block us up front because of our (defensive) tackles,” Angle said. “I was running free (into the backfield), and a lot of that credit goes to our defensive tackles (Keegan Jacks and Cody Allen)”
Lakewood looked to be in prime position to outlast the Vikings’ inside run heading into the halftime break, but two punishing second-half scoring drives gave Northridge the advantage down the stretch. The Vikings finished the night with 280 yards of offense, 185 yards coming from their back-breaking ground attack.
“We weren’t able to get (their offense) off the field in the fourth quarter,” Lakewood coach John Poulnott said. “We have to figure out what we’re best at and try to live on those things.”
Angle and the Lancers’ defense will be back in action Friday at Calhoun Memorial Field against Newark Catholic (1-6, 0-2). Lakewood is looking to snap a 34-year drought against the Green Wave, who are led by junior running back Mikey Hess.
The Lancers also are looking to rebound after four consecutive losses. The losses have been tough for Lakewood, but it has not done much to damage the team’s spirits.
“We’ve done a good job at practice to keep our morale high,” Angle said. “We do a lot of team bonding in practice, and I think that helps to keep a smile on our faces.”
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Xander Angle's return pays immediate dividends for Lakewood Lancers
