Trojans close regular season with 7-1-2 record, advance to playoffs Saturday
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MIDDLETOWN >> The pee wee Lower Lake Trojans wrapped up their regular-season schedule with a 13-6 win over the Middletown Colts on Saturday at Bill Foltmer Field in Middletown.
Lower Lake (7-1-2) advances to the Mendo-Lake Empire Junior Football League semifinals this Saturday and will play Westshore (9-1) at 2:30 p.m. in Lakeport. The other semifinal has Napa (9-0-1) and Kelseyville (6-4) squaring off at 3:30 p.m. in Kelseyville. Semifinal winners meet for the league championship Nov. 8.
“They gave us a good fight and that’s what we needed going into the playoffs,” Lower Lake head coach Daniel Hooten said of the Colts (2-4-4). “We had a flat first half and had to dig deep to come out on top. It showed me the boys are ready for the playoffs.”
Vinnie Steffen’s 47-yard run to the Middletown 5-yard line set up the Trojans’ first score, a 2-yard run by Maxxwell Wilkins. Steffen’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Sebastian James accounted for the other Lower Lake score. Steffen added the conversion run.
Steffen finished with 63 yards rushing while Wyatt Hooten added 31 yards and Wilkins 20 yards.
Hooten had high praise for his defense.
“Defense was looking solid,” Hooten said. “Draco Benefield has really stepped it up in the second half of the season and is hungry for tackles.”
Benefield led the team with three solo tackles but also forced a fumble and did well in pass coverage, according to Hooten.
Defensive lineman Waylon Estep also stepped up, according to Hooten, finishing the game with two solo tackles and a sack that forced a fumble recovered by Wilkins. Another defensive lineman, Daion Manijvar, had two solo tackles and a fumble recovery.
James and Steffen added two solo tackles apiece.
Saturday’s playoff semifinal marks the second meeting this season between Westshore and Lower Lake. Westshore won 18-0 on Sept. 20 at Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport, the site of this week’s game.
