By Ty Marzean
WKTV Contributor
In front of a large crowd of alumni and fans, including 65 former homecoming kings and queens, the Lee Legends outscored Eau Claire 38-24 on Saturday afternoon in 8-player football.
Junior quarterback Anthony Blok once again led the explosive Lee offense, throwing for 310 yards and four touchdowns and adding another on the ground. He used his speed to extend multiple drives as well.
The Beavers strike first
Eau Claire opened the game with a score on its first drive to grab a quick 8-0 lead.
“We started off slow,” said Lee Coach Lamar Marshall, whose team improved to 4-2 overall, 1-2 in the Southwest Michigan 8-Man Football League – Blue. “They jumped out ahead of us early in the game.”
On the final play of the first quarter, Blok connected deep with sophomore Aiden Merriweather to get to the one-yard line. The Legends couldn’t capitalize as Blok’s pass was tipped and intercepted in the end zone.
The Legends used multiple defensive stops to stave off the Beavers in the second quarter.
“We were able to hold them until the offense could get going,” Marshall said.
Legends heat up near halftime
The offense showed signs of life near the end of the first half as Clarence Lewis ripped off big gains and capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to tie the game 8-8 going into halftime.
Lewis finished with 94 yards rushing, 85 yards receiving and two scores.
“He’s everything to us,” said Marshall, of his senior running back. “He’s our emotional and vocal leader. The guy we lean on when we need a play.”
Big second half for Lee
The Legends exploded for 30 points in the second half.
Sophomore Aiden Merriweather was the favorite target for Blok on the afternoon, reeling in five catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Charles Davis collected 74 yards and a touchdown.
Strong defensive stand to finish
The Legends needed a defensive stand late in the fourth quarter and stuffed the Beavers on a 4th and 1 with 1:31 left on the clock.
“The 4th and 1 stop was huge for us,” Marshall said. “I felt like we grew up in this game as a coaching staff and a team.”
The Legends travel to New Buffalo (4-2) next Friday.
WKTV Game of the Week
Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.
Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.
