As rain hammered down on the roof of Lake Central on Friday, Aug. 30, students and football players alike were forced to travel home due to lightning. The next day, East Chicago returned to fight.

“I think we had a decent game as a whole, and I think the defense was our strength at the game,” Christopher Lessentine (12) said.

With original starting quarterback Alec Olund (12) out with a broken hand, Colin Studer (10) played in his stead.

“I’m really happy that I’m starting quarterback, but I would rather that I had earned the position, rather than have Alec be injured,” Studer said.

With a final score of 24-0 for Lake Central, the team rejoiced in the drastic difference from Munster’s game.

“It went really well; defensively, we played as a unit, attacking all night, and offense got a few touchdowns to finish it off,” Logan Lambert (11) said.

The defense fought to prevent East Chicago from taking more than 20 yards at a time, also slaying the predictions of a 21-0 loss for Lake Central from the Aug. 30th edition of The Times.

“We have a saying that, ‘A defensive player’s commitment is judged by how far away he is from the ball at the end of the play’,” Lessentine said.

Although this was the first game Studer was playing as starting quarterback, the team played hard to defeat the East Chicago Cardinals.

“It’s nerve-wracking being the starting quarterback as only a sophomore because you have a lot of responsibility trying to be a leader for the team, but I’d like to win the Duneland Athletic Conference this year, and although the scariest part [of being quarterback] is losing, I trust my line with my life, and I know we can keep getting better,” Studer said.

Gallery • 6 Photos

An East Chicago player blocks Colin Studer’s (10) pass while Thomas Quinn attempts to tackle the player. Studer had five blocked passes throughout the game.