Stakes are high for clash between Freeport, Deer Lakes

By: George Guido
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 | 4:59 PM

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A year ago, Deer Lakes was putting its equipment away after enduring an 0-7 season.

Now, the Lancers are hoping to keep their gear handy for a while.

Deer Lakes has emerged as a WPIAL playoff contender from the Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference. It’s win-and-you’re-in Friday as the Lancers (4-5, 3-2) face longtime nemesis Freeport (4-4, 3-1) at Lancers Stadium.

The Yellowjackets have won the last 10 games against Deer Lakes, but the Lancers are hoping to put history aside.

“It’s exciting, and I’m excited for the kids to have this opportunity,” coach Tim Burk said. “They deserve it, and they’ve worked hard, and they’ve put themselves in a spot to get in. That’s all we’ve ever asked for, and we’ve got to go take it.”

Freeport already have clinched a playoff spot, but the Yellowjackets also have something riding on the game.

“If we win this game, we do have a chance of getting home field to open the playoffs,” Freeport senior Vinnie Clark said. “That’s never happened to Freeport since we moved to our new stadium. All year we’ve been think of having that home playoff game.”

The school’s last home playoff outing was the final game played at James Swartz Stadium in downtown Freeport in 2015. The Yellowjackets defeated McGuffey, 45-6.

To remain in the friendly confines of Sarver, Freeport will have to stop sophomore quarterback Derek Burk, who comes into the game with 1,045 passing yards on 78 completions. Running back Cody Scarantine has 787 rushing yards, and Ryan Cochran has 23 receptions, fifth-best in Class 3A.

Yellowjackets coach John Gaillot, whose team is coming off a 33-7 loss to North Catholic, is impressed with Burk’s play.

“He’s matured greatly from last year to this year,” Gaillot said. “I’m apprehensive on how we can stop him. He can move pretty well. They seem more aggressive than they’ve been, and we just can’t take anything for granted.”

Freeport is led by dual threat Ben Lane, who has 448 rushing yards and 404 passing yards. Brady Stivenson leads in receptions with 17, and Clark has 15.

“We understand Freeport has a lot at stake, as well,” Tim Burk said. “They want home field. It’s hard to fathom that we’re playing for second place, too, but Freeport is tough. We’re going to emphasize that all week, and I think we’ll be prepared.”

Even with what’s on the line, Gaillot won’t change his team’s approach.

“We treat all our games as a must-win,” the veteran coach said. “There’s a lot on the line. We win, we could get an 11th or 12th seed, which would be nice. I really despise playing to the level of an opponent, whether it’s up or down. We always want to play at a high level.”

If Deer Lakes loses to Freeport, the Lancers would need a Burrell loss to Valley to keep their season going.

Freeport holds a 44-5 lead in the all-time series against Deer Lakes, but both teams will be focusing on the business at hand Friday.

Freeport needs a win to secure second place. If Freeport loses, the Yellowjackets fall to third place.

A Deer Lakes win would vault the Lancers into second place by percentage points. Deer Lakes could still make the playoffs and take third place with a loss and a Burrell loss to Valley. The Bucs (2-3 conference) already beat Deer Lakes, so Burrell would win a tiebreaker.

East Allegheny has qualified for the playoffs, but has a nonconference game Friday.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Freeport