Execution crucial in Warrior's 45-0 rout of South Lyon

After a disappointing opening week loss, Walled Lake Western responded last week with a dominating performance in front of its home fans.

The Warriors demolished South Lyon East, 45-0, on Thursday, Aug. 30 at Warrior Stadium for their first win of the season.

Last Thursday was a stark contrast from their 27-14 loss at home to Saline the previous week, as Western (1-1) was dominant from start to finish against the Cougars (1-1).

“I think the most important thing for us was to win and we focused on execution,” Western Head Coach Mike Zdebski said. “Defensively, it was alignments and execution of responsibilities rather than focusing on the end result. Offensively, it was possessing the ball with no fumbles, no picks, making catches and alignments. It was also about playing more physical.”

Quarterback Kyle Bambard completed 9-of-16 passes for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also led Western with 100 yards rushing and kicked 6 extra points.

In addition, Desaun Walker had 5 carries for 75 yards while Malik Green had a rushing touchdown.

Jake Neracher led the Warriors in receiving as he had 5 receptions for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns, while James LaLonde had a rushing and receiving touchdown.

“Our No. 1 thing was our offensive line play,” Zdebski said. “They gave our running backs holes to run and protected the quarterback better than they did the previous week.”

After splitting its first two games at home, the Warriors will face possibly their toughest test of the season on Friday, Sept. 7 as they travel to Huron Valley Lakeland to face a resurgent Eagles team that has won its first two games in impressive fashion.

“We have to watch and see what they do and play appropriately,” Zdebski said. “We have to create matchups offensively and make sure we’re in the right front coverage defensively.”