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Lightning Seniors Strike with Fourth Agape League Championship!

by Vince O'Brien

(Yucca Valley, CA) It was Senior Appreciation night at Lightning stadium as 500+ fans came out to see the undefeated Lightning (8-0-1, 5-0) strike down the Victor Valley Eagles (4-5, 2-3) to secure their 4th Agape League Championship in a row. This Senior class is the first to win four league championships and have never lost a game in league play. It is also the 5th time the Lightning have gone undefeated in the regular season in the last 7 years. Head Coach Jackie Roberts was also recognized for his 100^th game as head coach boasting an incredible record of 80 – 20. The victory also secured a No. 2 ranking in the 8 Man Div. 1 CIF – SS and one of the four No. 1 seedings in the playoffs.

The Lightning offense wasted no time as Senior Jesse Frazer connected with Senior Derek Brogdon for a 65 yard touchdown bomb on the first play from scrimmage. The Lightning passing attack struck again on their next possession as Frazer connected on another bomb of 58 yards to Senior Alex Carter. The defense held Victor to 1 yard and a punt. Once again Frazer led the passing attack with a 21 yard first down completion to Senior Boomer Arnold, who made a spectacular diving catch, and another 21 yard completion to Brogdon. Brogdon finished the drive by attempting the team's first field goal of the year and it was good for 20 yards. Brogdon then returned an interception 25 yards on the Eagle's next offensive play and Frazer wasted no time by rewarding Brogdon with a 16 yard TD reception on the following play. On Victor's next play Frazer intercepted the ball and returned it 32 yards for another Lightning touchdown. After the defense held the Eagles to minus 2 yards Senior Eddie Nixon set a school record by returning the punt 70 yards for a touchdown. The fans got a treat watching Nixon explode on his only touch of the night as he reminded everyone why his nickname is "Nitro". This ended the scoring for the first quarter with the Lightning punishing the Eagles 38-0. The Lightning reserves saw plenty of action in the second half as the defense continued to stifle the Eagles passing attack on way to a 50-0 crushing victory. The game was ended at half-time on the mercy rule. The Lightning faithful stayed to watch the Lightning Cheer squad show their talents with a spectacular dance routine and to honor the Seniors as each was introduced with their parents on the field.

The Lightning Offense took advantage of the four interceptions and one fumble recovery provided by the defensive unit by striking fast and furious through the air in the first quarter followed by the rushing attack that methodically ran the clock out in the second half. The Lightning offense had 282 total yard and 5 TDs. Frazer had a season high in yardage completing 6 of 13 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns, Brogdon caught three passes for 102 yards, a career high, and 2 TDs, Carter had 1 catch for 58 yds and a TD, Arnold has 1 catch for 21 yds, Senior TE Jon Krapivkin had 1 catch for 8 yds, Senior TB Shawn Ward had 3 carries for 12 yds and his first ever TD, Junior QB/TE Denzel Dobbins had 3 carries for 23 yds and a TD, Sophomore RB Steven Henderson had 5 carries for 35 yds, Freshmen RB Tyler Carlisle had 3 carries for 23 yds, Freshmen QB Kristopher Teague had 2 carries for 3 yds, and Senior "lineman" Eric Scholar had his first touch of his career for 2 yds.

The defense gave its strongest showing of the year holding the Victor Valley Eagles to 53 total yards with only 2 first downs. This is an amazing feat since the Eagle passing attack led the Agape League in passing averaging 10 receptions for 200 yards a game. The Lightning Defense held them to 1 catch for only 20 yards; it was all about defending the pass this night. The dominant defensive showing was led by 5 turnovers with 4 interceptions and one fumble recovery. The defense scored twice, once an interception returned for a touchdown by Senior Jesse Frazer, and then a 70 yard punt return for a TD by Senior Eddie Nixon. It was also the fourth shut out by the JS defense this year. Tops on D were Arnold who led the team in tackles with 7 and added a Quarter Back Hurry (QBH), Frazer had 2 interceptions, on for a TD, 2 tackles and 2 pass defenses, Krapivkin had 1 interception, 3 tackles and 3 pass defenses, Brogdon had 1 interception, 2 tackles and 3 pass defenses, Carter had 4 tackles and a QBH, Senior DE Jeff "B-Rad" Brady had 2 tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery and a QBH, Dobbins had 4 tackles and a QBH, and Junior LB David Manley had 4 tackles and 1 sack for a 1 yard loss.

The road to the 8 Man Championship: Next up for the Lightning is the First Round of the playoffs next Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:00PM at Lightning Field when the #2 Ranked Lightning (8-0-1) takes on the #10 ranked Hillcrest Christian Eagles (5-4). This is considered by many the toughest opponent ever in the first round for a #1 seed. HC hails from the Heritage League which is the #1 8 Man league in the nation. HC also boasts one of the top rushing teams in Division 1.