Central's defense swarms Lakeland in 41-6 thrashing

Walled Lake Central is now one win away from its third consecutive Kensington Lakes Activities Association (KLAA) North Division title, after thrashing Huron Valley Lakeland, 41-6, on the road on Friday, Sept. 30.

The Vikings are now 5-1 overall. Central remains undefeated in KLAA North division play at 4-0, tying them for first-place with rival Walled Lake Western.

“This was a statement game for us against a very talented Lakeland program,” said Central Head Coach Robert Meyer. “Our defense was great all night. Limiting their explosive offensive talent was a huge task, but credit goes to our defensive coordinator, Chuck Spolsky, for a great game plan.”

The win sets up a showdown on Thursday, Oct. 6 as Central will travel to face undefeated Western.

The Vikings have won two straight games over the Warriors, including last year’s 40-7 victory to clinch the KLAA North in which both teams went into the game with 4-0 division records.

Last Friday, Central stretched its winning streak over Lakeland to three games, during which it has averaged 41 points and had an average victory margin of 30 points against the Eagles.

Lakeland is now 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the KLAA North.

After a scoreless first quarter, K.J. Schultz scored Central’s first touchdown on a 12-yard run for a 6-0 lead in the second quarter.

Eric Rosteck then picked off Lakeland quarterback Casey Palanca and returned the interception 32 yards for a touchdown, before Schultz scored on a 2-point conversion to give Central a 14-0 lead.

Charles Sanders would get the Eagles on the board before halftime with a 35-yard touchdown run, but Lakeland missed the extra point and trailed by 8 at the intermission.

But that’s as close as Lakeland would get, as Central quarterback Zac Leimbach scored two touchdowns in the third quarter from 42 and 14 yards out for a 28-6 Vikings lead.

Schultz then scored his second touchdown on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter before Rosteck picked up a Lakeland fumble and returned it 23 yards for his second defensive touchdown to cap Central’s scoring.

Leimbach finished with 154 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 18 carries for Central, while Curtis Booth had 11 carries for 95 yards. The Vikings had 316 yards of offense.

Sanders finished with 74 yards rushing and a touchdown on 10 carries for Lakeland, which had 206 yards of offense.

While Central faces Western, the Eagles will travel just a few miles down the road to face Walled Lake Northern on Thursday, Oct. 6.

Lakeland and Northern each have the same overall and division record and need a win in order to keep their state playoff hopes in their own hands.

The Eagles have won the last five meetings with the Knights, including last season’s 35-13 victory.