Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Baylor Montoya 

 

Lafayette Christian used a strong second half to knock off Community Christian Friday night 40-6 to open its 2023 campaign.

The air attack got rolling early for the Cougars, with quarterback David Karvelas throwing a screen to Jonathan Ross, who rolled through multiple defenders to the end zone to start the scoring.

After forcing a stop on defense, LCS scored again. This time Karvelas connected with Paul Batistini for a 92-yard touchdown reception which gave the Cougars a commanding 12-0 lead over the Knights.

Community Christian would respond with its only touchdown of the game with less than a minute left in the first, but it was all Cougars from there.

After trading stops for most of the second quarter, Ephraim Snyder broke the dry spell, scoring his first of the day on a 21-yard rush to put the Cougars up 18-6 with less than two minutes to play in the half.

After the Knights turned the ball over on downs late in the quarter, a final drive for the Cougars ended with an interception as LCS went into the half up 18-6 on the Knights.

The second half started hot with LCS nearly recovering an onside kick to start the half.

The Cougars would get the ball back soon however as a botched snap led to a fumble recovery deep into Knights territory. The Cougars immediately cashed in when Ephraim Snyder broke off a 30-yard run to get into the redzone.

Snyder took it in himself from 8-yards out for his second score of the night later in the drive. Snyder also ran in the 2-point conversion to make the score 26-6 Cougars early in the third.

LCS kept rolling, and scored another third quarter touchdown, after Snyder broke free from a swarm of defenders in the backfield and ran the ball in from 14 yards out, making the score 32-6 Cougars at the end of the third quarter.

LCS put the nail in the coffin soon after the break, with Snyder diving through two defenders into the endzone en route to his fourth touchdown of the night. After a successful 2-point conversion, the Cougars defense once again held strong for a 40-6 final score.

Quarterback David Karvelas finished with three passing touchdowns, and Ephraim Snyder finished the game with four total touchdowns, leading an unstoppable ground game for the Cougars.

LCS head coach Jarred Pike said of Snyder, “He had a great game. We’re hoping he continues that from last season, he’s our leading rusher. We’re looking for him to step up this year, and he did this game.”

Cougars defense also held strong, holding the Knights to just a single score early while totaling four sacks on the game.

“We’re maintaining our gaps, trying to contain, and after that let’s go get the quarterback.” Said Pike on the defense. “Great effort from both sides of the ball”.

The Cougars’ defense was led by Eli Carroll, who tallied six tackles and a sack.

LCS (1-0) looks to carry its momentum into next week as they travel to Fidelis Christian next Friday for a non-region matchup.