Danbury beats Waldron for first time

LAKESIDE — Danbury made school history Saturday at home as the Lakers defeated Waldron 52-36 in non-conference play. "It's obviously a weight off of our shoulders that we finally got over the hump and beat them," Danbury coach Brett Sykes said. "It's the first time in school history that we have beat a Michigan team and so the guys are really excited about that." Excitement might be an understatement. "We were ready to come out and play," senior quarterback Tommy Dean said. "Losing two years in a row was frustrating. Whether it was getting up and lifting, going to practice, everything this week was 'mind on Waldron, mind on Waldron.'" Danbury (2-0) struck first. Parker LaMarca picked an interception, returning it 15 yards to the 1-yard line. Dean covered that distance on the next play, getting the Lakers on the board early. Waldron (0-1) responded on its next drive. Troy Samplo scored on a 15-yard touchdown run, but the 2-point conversion run was stopped by Danbury. The Lakers converted a fourth down early in the second quarter. Danbury moved the ball down and scored on a 15-yard run by Zyler Manning. After getting a stop, the Lakers kept coming. Dean hit Ayden Ayers for a 29-yard touchdown pass and ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Lakers a 22-6 lead. "We had the run game down," Dean said. "We just threw it and it was working for us. My offense line was doing good and my receivers did well." The Lakers turned to its defense for a big touchdown. Cannon Crownover intercepted a Waldron pass and returned it for 49 yards for a score and 30-6 halftime lead. "We knew they were going to try to come in and run the ball," Sykes said. "They have some big guys but we came in, stopped the run, and we made them throw." The Lakers put the game in running clock mode early in the second half. Waldron tried an onside kick to start the second half, but freshman Silas Niese recovered it. On the second play of the drive, Dean hit LaMarca for a 23-yard touchdown. The Lakers are back in action Saturday at Stryker (0-1). "Long drive, but we have to stay ready and stay prepared," Dean said. "Stay locked in on the bus, and have one thing in mind: road W." Waldron 6 0 14 16 — 36Danbury 6 24 8 14 — 52 D — Tommy Dean 1 run (run failed)W — Troy Shamplo 15 run (run failed)D — Zyler Manning 15 run (Dean run) D — Ayden Ayers 29 pass from Dean (Dean run)D — Cannon Crownover 49 interception return (Manning run)D — Parker LaMarca 23 pass from Dean (Crownover run)W — Issac Fether 6 run (run failed)W — Williams 3 run (Jayden Justice pass from Williams)D — Drake Turinsky 6 run (Dean run)W — Shamplo 3 run (Camen Kurtz pass from Williams)D — Turinsky 3 run (run failed)W — Shamplo 5 pass from Williams (Winchell run)