North Canton, Ohio — The Lake Erie College football team suffered its first defeat of the season, falling 28-7 at Walsh University on Saturday night.
The Storm and Cavaliers were knotted at 7-7 through three quarters, but Walsh scored 21 fourth-quarter points to pull away for the win.
Quarterback Hunter Newell completed 19 of 33 passes for 221 yards, along with one touchdown and one interception. Gideon Tafari-Thompson was his top target, hauling in four catches for 60 yards. On the ground, Julian Means-Flewellen rushed for 63 yards on 15 carries.
After neither team scored in the first quarter, the Storm got on the board first early in the second. A 44-yard pass to Curtis Thomas put the Storm inside the 30-yard line, and just two plays later, Newell found tight end Devin Morgan for a 21-yard touchdown pass to put LEC ahead 7-0. The touchdown was Morgan's second of the season and the fifth of his career.
The Cavaliers responded on the ensuing drive when William Butler caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Wickard to cap an eight-play, 60-yard drive and tie the game at 7-7 heading into halftime. The Storm had opportunities to take the lead before the break but saw two drives end in missed field goals.
The third quarter mirrored the first, with neither team able to break through for points. However, the Cavaliers came to life in the final frame, scoring three touchdowns to pull away and secure the victory.
Lake Erie out gained Walsh 321-306 but finished a combined 4-of-16 on third and fourth downs in the loss.
Quinterrius Jemison recorded a career-best 17 tackles, while Jason Hewlett added an interception and a forced fumble for the Storm. Dylan Bennett also picked off a pass.
LEC returns home to host Ohio Dominican next Saturday, with kickoff set for 6 p.m.
