DeLand pulls away late, beats Lake Mary, 47-28, in Region 1-8A shootout

LAKE MARY — Even with a 12-0 lead, and having scored points on all three possessions to that point, DeLand coach Steve Allen was far from happy.

"We scored three times and had 12 points. That was just unacceptable," he said. "As we got going, I felt good that (assistant coach) Snap (Wood) had a pretty good feel for what they were doing."

That proved to be an understatement.

Dionte Marks caught 10 passes for 151 yards and two scores, and Demaurez Bellamy added 144 rushing yards and another pair of touchdowns as the Bulldogs defeated Lake Mary, 47-28. DeLand (6-1) totaled 436 net yards of offense in notching a key victory over a fellow Region 1-8A wild card hopeful.

"We got in the groove and started clicking," said quarterback Leon Rolle, who tossed three touchdowns. "Everything came together."

Lake Mary (4-3) dropped its third home game of the season, though its previous two defeats — to Tallahassee Godby and Oviedo, respectively — were by a combined total of four points.

Back and forth

After a fairly inauspicious start, the action heated up in the second quarter. DeLand and Lake Mary traded haymakers, combining for 41 points in 12 minutes.

Lake Mary refused to quit despite DeLand's repeated attempts to pull away early.

Bellamy spotted the Bulldogs a 12-0 lead with a 43-yard rumble. The Rams responded with a crisp 10-play, 76-yard drive capped by Pedro Rodriguez's first touchdown catch of the evening.

Jadyn Nirschl gave DeLand a jolt off the bench, firing a 39-yard strike to Christian Thomas and punching in a 4-yard run. Lake Mary answered immediately with a 41-yard run by Michael Cardegnio.

Rolle returned on the next Bulldogs drive and dropped in a 44-yard touchdown to Marks, only for Lake Mary to convert a 4th-and-13 just before halftime with Rodriguez's second score from 24 yards out.

"Our quarterbacks are really getting the hang of things, and I'm really loving it," Marks said. "When they scored, we had to get back on the field and execute. It's amazing to keep coming on the field, scoring and scoring."

Special teams stand out

Allen heaped plenty of praise on the Bulldogs' special teams, in particularly kicker/punter Drew Breitenstein.

Breitenstein, who clinched a district boys soccer title last season with a decisive penalty kick, converted field goals of 24 and 38 yards in addition to five extra points.

"He's become quite a weapon," Allen said. "Our net punt return average against is nil. That's not an accident; we try to limit that."

DeLand's kick coverage unit also turned in a strong effort as Lake Mary opted to avoid giving return ace Avantae Williams a chance. Matt Moore alertly fielded an onside kick to open the game, and several other Bulldogs did the same as the night wore on.

Turning point

DeLand gained a 12-point advantage for the fifth time with 6 seconds left in the third quarter, a 4-yard plunge from Bellamy.

The Bulldogs' defense finally made the pivotal play to thwart Lake Mary's ensuing drive. Freshman Gunnar Smith's pass deflected off the hands of a receiver and into the waiting arms of Rosheen Cuthrell.

Less than 2 minutes later, Rolle iced the game with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Miller. DeLand went 9 for 11 on third down, including the night's final touchdown.

What's next?

DeLand will attempt to get back into the District 1-8A race, heading to Flagler Palm Coast for one of the season's most anticipated games.

"Neither me nor my kids are going to be intimidated by any environment," Allen said. "We have to take care of the dudes that they put on the field, and they have a pretty sporty group."

DeLand 47, Lake Mary 28

DeLand;6;20;14;7;—;47

Lake Mary;0;21;7;0;—;28

First Quarter

DeLand — Breitenstein 24 FG

DeLand — Breitenstein 38 FG

Second Quarter

DeLand — Bellamy 43 run (run failed)

Lake Mary — Rodriguez 7 pass from Smith (Kucharski kick)

DeLand — Nirschl 4 run (Breitenstein kick)

Lake Mary — Cardegnio 41 run (Kucharski kick)

DeLand — Marks 44 pass from Rolle (Breitenstein kick)

Lake Mary — Rodriguez 24 pass from Smith (Kucharski kick)

Third Quarter

DeLand — Marks 31 pass from Rolle (Breitenstein kick)

Lake Mary — Cardegnio 2 run (Kucharski kick)

DeLand — Bellamy 4 run (Breitenstein kick)

Fourth Quarter

DeLand — Miller 32 pass from Rolle (Breitenstein kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — DeLand, Bellamy 21-144, Rolle 5-33, Nirschl 3-21, Alexander 3-19, Marks 2-(minus-10), Williams 1-1. Lake Mary, Cardegnio 18-93, Smith 3-10, Lee 1-(minus-4).

PASSING — DeLand, Rolle 9-13-0-150, Nirschl 5-8-0-83. Lake Mary, Smith 25-42-1-293.

RECEIVING — DeLand, Marks 10-151, Miller 3-43, Thomas 1-39. Lake Mary, Rodriguez 8-112, Lee 7-62, Robinson 5-62, Abram 5-46, Cardegnio 1-11.