Lakewood Ranch High football picks up third win of 2023

It was not pretty. 

The Lakewood Ranch High football team could not care less. 

The Mustangs (3-5) got back in the win column Oct. 20 with a 10-8 victory over Gibbs High (0-7). The game was a battle of struggling offenses, with Lakewood Ranch attempting to use its ground game, particularly senior running back Simon Freed, to control the clock. Gibbs used a more balanced approach, but neither its passing game nor its running game could consistently move the chains. 

Ultimately, it was Lakewood Ranch that did enough to secure a win. Freed scored on a 10-yard run in the second quarter, and the Mustangs added a 33-yard field goal from senior kicker Aaron Clark in the third quarter. Gibbs never found points on offense, getting its only score of the night on a 40-yard pick six by senior Davion Massey in the fourth quarter. 

Coming off two-straight losses, the Mustangs will take the win regardless of how it looked. 

"Everything is easier when you're winning," Mustangs Head Coach Scott Paravicini said. "For the guys' morale, this was big. I don't think anyone can question the fight we have this year. Through some tough games, they continue to fight and work. They're all bought in still. So going into next week, we're trying to keep it rolling."  

While the Mustangs' offense stalled against Gibbs, its defense thrived. That includes senior Sebastian Mejia, who began the year as the team's starting quarterback before Lakewood Ranch opted for a rotation of sophomore Liam Fernandez and junior Colin Hait instead. In the wake of that decision, Mejia switched to defensive back. Mejia played extensively against Gibbs and helped Lakewood Ranch stifle the Gladiators' passing attack. 

"I can't say enough about how Sebastian has handled himself," Paravicini said. "He's obviously an athletic kid, a good athlete, and we needed to find a way to keep him on the field. He played well tonight at corner and will continue to do so, but his character, I just can't say enough (good things)."  

Despite being two games under .500, the Mustangs are in the playoff hunt. In the latest Florida High School Athletic Association rankings released Oct. 17, Lakewood Ranch was in possession of the eighth and final spot in Region 4 of Class 4S. The win over Gibbs should help bolster that position, as would wins in the final two weeks of the regular season against Bayshore High (4-4) and Booker High (5-3). 

The game at Bayshore is at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at home.