Bishop England’s defense a bright spot in 13-3 loss to Lake Marion

Two plays.

 

That was the difference between the thrill of victory and the all-too-familiar agony of defeat as Lake Marion High School pulled off a 13-3 victory over Bishop England High School Oct. 6 in a Region 6-AA game contested at Jack Cantey Stadium.

 

The Bishop defense had a breakdown with 30 seconds left in the first half when Gator receiver Mason Miles got behind the secondary and caught a 70-yard touchdown pass from Javion Jayson to give his team a 6-3 lead.

 

With less than a minute remaining in the game, Lake Marion defensive end Darren Bryant sacked BE quarterback Jacob Mackara near the BE goal line, while causing a fumble. Jahkye Deas recovered the fumble and scored to put the game out of reach.

 

Lake Marion won its first game of the season in seven tries and evened its record at 1-1 in league play. Bishop England fell to 0-6, 0-2.

 

“One play in the first half and one play late in the game. That was the difference,” said coach John Cantey, whose squad played a gutsy game although it was denied the glory of a triumph. “It was an offensive struggle for both teams. We have had a hard time moving the football.”

 

Indeed.

 

At first glance of the BE defensive stats, you might have thought the Bishops won the game. After all, the defense allowed only six points and only 210 yards in total offense. Take away the passing touchdown, and that yardage would have been 140. The Bishops had 11 tackles for a loss, five sacks and forced four fumbles.

 

If that doesn’t impress you, how about BE holding the visitors to 2.8 yards per carry on 48 rushing attempts?

 

The Bishops should be in even better shape next year because many of the promising players on defense are scheduled to return in 2024.

 

Defensive end Matthew Ponkow is a freshman while safety Hunter Alex is a sophomore. Fletcher Ethington-Carl and Wyatt Lynn are junior linebackers. Griffin Buss and Thomas Curl are key defensive linemen. Both are juniors.

 

Ethington-Carl was on a mission against Lake Marion with five solo stops and 10 assists. He was credited for a tackle for a loss and a half of a quarterback sack.

 

Ponkow had three tackles for a loss and two sacks. Senior Liam Loughery had a sack and forced two fumbles, recovering both.

 

But the Bishops struggled mightily on offense as they gained only 125 yards the entire game.

 

Mackara completed 4 of 20 passing for 77 yards facing intense pressure. He threw three interceptions. Dixon Hardy led the Bishops with 22 carries for 70 yards.

 

Julian Mazzarulli kicked a 27-yard field goal to account for the Bishops’ only points.

 

The Bishops will face First Baptist on Oct. 13. The Bishops return to region play for the final two games of the regular season: Oceanside Collegiate Academy at home on Oct. 20 and at Academic Magnet on Oct. 27. A victory against either region foe would give the Bishops a berth in the state playoffs.