After suffering grueling back-to-back losses to both opponent Southfield A & T and rival Clarkston High School, the West Bloomfield High School Varsity football team was able to bounce back with authority against their Troy Athens competition to win 49-21.

The Lakers entered this highly contested match in desperate need of a victory over the previously 1-6 Redhawks in order to revive their playoff hopes. WBHS did just that on Friday, October 14.

The Lakers’ offense proved to be explosive throughout the entirety of the night. The offense remained consistent in scoring 14 points in each of the first two quarters to take a sizeable 28-7 lead. Despite a comfortable lead, the Lakers seeked to further secure their lead especially after losing a 21-0 lead against Clarkston in their previous devastating 42-21 loss.

The Lakers were able to maintain the same intensity on both offense and defense in the second half, only allowing two touchdowns and scoring 4 of their own.

Quarterback Bryce Veasley took command of the Laker offense with 4 touchdown passes. His favorite receiver of the night proved to be James Faulkner who combined for a career high of 11 targets and translating to a 177 yards, including one touchdown. Taj Mustapha added to this explosive offense with 2 receiving touchdowns. Receiver Garrett Winn also made the highlight reels, recording a stunning 60 yard touchdown.

Upon reflecting on this much needed Laker win, 89.3 WBLD Lakers’ Football play-by-play commentator Vaibhav Velagapudi stated that “our passing game excelled in the game, with Bryce Veasley throwing 2 touchdowns. Furthermore, our running offense had a great day as well with Davion Johnson eclipsing 70 yards rushing while also adding 2 rushing touchdowns.”

Velagapudi continued, “…defensively our secondary shut down their wide receiving corps and our defensive line got great penetration on Troy Athens’ porous offensive line, leading to a season high of 5 sacks on the night.”

Despite the Laker’s mediocre record this season, there still is hope for making the playoffs. 89.3 WBLD Lakers’ Football Radio co -host Jake Cohen stated, “Lakers absolutely need to win this Friday, clinching a 5-4 record. This game will then give the Lakers enough playoff points to push us into a qualifying playoff spot.”
Go Lakers!