UNIONTOWN, Ohio - 58 was the magic number for Lake on Friday night.
A 58--yard rushing touchdown. A go-ahead 58-yard scoring pass. And a 58-yard reception ending in a game-sealing turnover.
On their 10-yard line and with 1:42 remaining, St. Francis-DeSales managed a 4th-and-15 completion for 58 yards down the middle, but a forced fumble recovered by the Blue Streaks led to a 13-7 final in which Lake advanced in the state playoffs.
Lake survived on a low-scoring affair that saw star tailback Matthew Sollberger accumulate a team-high 86 rushing yards - much of which came on a 58-yard first-quarter touchdown run to give the Streaks the early lead.
For DeSales, running back Gabe Caruso ran for 107 yards on 24 carries, while Avery Garlock slipped in a touchdown to tie the game midway through the third quarter.
In the final period, Lake quarterback Cale Jarvis (3-6, 75 passing yards) found Dylan Snyder for the go-ahead score with 4:31 left, and the Blue Streaks defense forced a three-and-out on the Stallions. However, after getting stumped on three consecutive offensive plays, Lake punted the ball back with 2:22 left.
It was after three fruitless plays and a penalty that DeSales needed a miracle, and nearly got one with quarterback PJ Noles (4-12, 69 passing yards) targeting receiver Antonio Armistead over the middle. After Armistead sprinted to the Lake 32-yard line, however, Nate Baker knocked the ball loose, allowing Lake to recover the fumble and seal the game in victory formation.
The Blue Streaks are slated to play 3rd-seed Westerville South in next week's regional semifinals, after the Wildcats (11-1) beat North Canton Hoover, 27-21, on Friday.
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