Lakeland football playoff preview

As the 2008 season rapidly approached this summer the biggest question surrounding the Lakeland Lancers was how would senior Dan Deighan succeed as he switched from his familiar position at receiver to being the teams signal caller at quarterback.
Deighan very quickly answered those questions but as the Lancers piled up wins two more questions seemed to follow the Lancers around.
First who might get hurt next? Followed by who would step up and succeed in his place?
Such has been the life of the Lancers this season.
The injury bug started when Troy Bianchi suffered a leg contusion early in the season.
With Bianchi missing time Kevin Gormely, Zach Protin and Nick Zinhobl led a cast of many that made the Lancers one of the top defenses in the area.
After seeing Bianchi go down the Lancers then had to cope with the loss of senior running back Ray Capo. Capo, who was looking to build on a very promising junior year, suffered a knee injury that has prevented him from playing running back since very early in the season.
Up stepped junior Bobby Thompson who has erupted for a very solid season.
Last Friday in the Lancers final regular season game Lakeland suffered two more serious injuries. The first came when Thompson was forced to leave the game with an ankle sprain. Minutes later Erik Patricola suffered a broken leg that ended his season.
Even with two more starters on the bench the Lancers refused to slow down as Jake MacDonald stepped in at running back and John Barnable filled the hole on the line to help lead Lakeland to a 21-0 win over West Milford. With the win the Lancers won the 2008 Trends Cup and headed to the playoffs without a mark on their record.
While the number of injuries that have surrounded the Lancers in 2008 would cripple most teams they seem to have brought the Lakeland squad closer together.
Now as the Lancers head to the playoffs they may start to see some of their walking wounded return to the field.
Head coach Tom McCormack seemed confident that Thompson should be able to take the field against Ramapo. While Thompson may not be able to play running back the Lancers coach believes he will be able to man his position in the defensive backfield.
Should Thompson not be able to go on offense McCormack is more then confident that MacDonald can be successful.
In addition to the return of Thompson, McCormack is hoping that Bianchi will be able to take Patricola’s spot on the line.
Another big piece that has helped the Lancers in 2008 has been the heart of Capo. Despite a knee injury that would have ended most players seasons Capo has continued to battle for the Lancers. While he has not been able to return to his spot at running back he has dedicated himself to his work on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker.
Considering the fact that the Lancers have successfully battled injuries all season the sky is the limit for Lakeland, especially if more of their injured players can come back to the field and contribute.