The Blitz: Complete high school coverage
Difference maker: The Paladin offense rushed for 220 yards and had 252 total yards in offense to control the clock throughout the game and kept the ball away from the Lions.
Stat that matters: Fellowship Christian had 50 rushing attempts led by running backs Tyler Hart and James Wilson, who combined for 32 carries and 168 rushing yards.
Turning point: Facing a third-and-25 at the Paladin 34 and only 48 seconds left, Lakeview quarterback Matt Askounis had a thrilling, cross-the-field, dive for the end zone run nullified by a tripping penalty on the play.
Who's next: Lakeview is at Kings Ridge Christian next Friday.
Lakeview Academy entered the football season looking to keep the momentum created from a three-game winning streak to end the 2010 season.
That streak came to an end at the hands of a 6-0 loss to Fellowship Christian on Friday night at Jock Horner Field.
"Sure, I'm disappointed but I was proud of the way we fought throughout the game and our kids played hard to the very end," Lions Coach Matthew Gruhn said.
Lakeview had a chance to win it late. With 48 seconds left, the Lions faced a third-and-25 from the Paladins' 34-yard line.
Senior quarterback Matt Askounis then made what looked to be the play of the game. He rolled to his left, outran two Paladin defenders past the line of scrimmage, then cut back across the field. He picked up a key block from a teammate and dove for the right corner of the end zone for the touchdown that would have tied the game.
But the celebration on the Lakeview sideline was short-lived as a tripping penalty nullified the score. Two incompletions later and the Lions offense was turned away.
"We were riding a high right there and it (the penalty) brought us back down right there," Gruhn said.
The Lions' defense was stout, holding Fellowship Christian's ball-control option offense to only two field goals.
Paladin kicker Bryce Wells put his team on the board with a 33-yard field goal on the first play of the 2nd quarter. He added his other field goal with 7:41 left in the third quarter from 40 yards out.
Several Lion defenders contributed with several big plays as lineman Will Kendrick pounced on an early Paladin fumble on a punt return early in the first quarter. Defensive back Jackson Strickland helped turn away a Fellowship scoring threat by recovering another fumble to help his team keep the game close in the first half.
"We knew it was going to be a physical game and knew what they were going to do," Gruhn said. "We got a couple of breaks on defense but we just couldn't get one in the end zone."
Askounis led the Lions on offense in his first start at quarterback. He contributed 47 rushing yards on 10 carries and 36 passing yards. Trevor Price added 22 yards rushing and Strickland added a big 25-yard catch late in the fourth quarter that put the Lion offense within striking distance of the end zone.
"We've got a young team and I only think we're going to get better and better each week" Gruhn said.
The Paladins were led on offense by running backs Tyler Hart and James Wilson as they combined for 168 yards on the night.
The game was delayed by more than 20 minutes when lineman Will Kendrick was carted off the field on a stretcher as a precautionary measure. He gave an encouraging signal to the Lions fans as he was leaving the field.