Unbeaten Lake Mary football rolls Evans
LAKE MARY, FLORIDA – Noah Grubbs & Company made sure to send the Lake Mary High School football seniors out in style on Friday night, and then some.
Grubbs, a highly recruited sophomore quarterback, tossed five touchdown passes, three to Carson Hinshaw, to lead the unbeaten Rams (7-0) past visiting Evans (Orlando), 36-6, on Senior Night in a Class 4 Metro, District 2 game.
This game was all but over by halftime as fans on both sides were treated to an amazing aerial show from Grubbs, who threw for 187 yards and TD passes of 55, 12, 19 and 73 yards to propel Lake Mary to a commanding 29-0 lead going into the break. The Rams scored on four straight possessions after Grubbs was intercepted by Evans star defensive back Brandon Jacob on their opening series.
Carson Hinshaw caught three of quarterback Noah Grubbs' five touchdown passes in Friday's 36-6 victory by Lake Mary.
Photo by Jeff Gardenour
Grubbs, who has numerous Power 5 offers with a full two years to go, then lofted a nifty 20-yard TD pass to Hinshaw in the end zone for a 36-0 lead with 3 minutes, 58 seconds left in the third quarter. That score started a running clock and the Rams (2-0 in the district) closed out the win.
Grubbs finished with more than 280 yards passing, and when he wasn’t passing, Isaiah Thomas was running roughshod over Evans’ defenders for more than 80 yards.
Impressively, Lake Mary’s offensive fireworks didn’t gas the Rams’ defense, which forced four punts and two turnovers on downs before allowing Jermaine Hardy to bust up the middle for a 16-yard TD with 8:27 left.
“Offensively, we played very well,” said Lake Mary coach Scott Perry. “Defensively, played very well. Got to get special teams tuned up, but I like how we’re playing on both sides of the ball.
“Noah is a heck of a quarterback,” Perry said, “had a great game again; the receivers, too. The line protected him, and Isaiah (Thomas) ran well. And, defensively, we had some guys step up.”
Grubbs continues passing mastery
Grubbs passed two more benchmarks on Friday, surpassing 2,000 passing yards for the season (2,200-plus now) and upping his TD passes to 34. He only has five interceptions for the season.
He also showed grit after uncharacteristically throwing an interception on his second pass of the game. He bounced back by completing 7 of his next 11 passes to put the Rams in control.
Big day for Hinshaw
Hinshaw benefited the most from Grubbs’ passing with seven catches for 122 yards and three TDs. The senior ran crisp routes and left Evans defenders in the dust all night long, hauling in TD passes of 55, 19 and 20 yards.
He was one of three players to catch a TD pass, with Logan Cook and Carson Friedman hauling in one each.
“Noah is special,” Hinshaw said. “I’ve known him my whole life. We just have a really good connection. He’s a great player, a great teammate to have.”
Lake Mary defense holds its own
The Rams’ defense, meanwhile, showed it is up to the task of competing for a district championship after keeping Evans’ high-powered running game out of the end zone for most of the night. The Trojans have three good runners in Hardy, Li’darious Pryor and quarterback Chris Peterson, one of the better dual-threat athletes in the area.
Lake Mary used speed and physicality to win the day, led by linebackers Luke Prieto, Jack Lorenz and John Scarelli, and defensive lineman Jaylen Golden to name a few.
“They’re a physical team on offense and our guys stepped up and made plays when they had to,” Perry said.
Tough district stretch
Evans was the first of three straight district opponents that Lake Mary must face as the season winds down. The Rams visit defending district champ and state runner-up Apopka on Oct. 20, and then Seminole on Oct. 27.
Apopka and Seminole both beat Lake Mary during the 2022 regular season but the Rams defeated the Seminoles in the playoffs.
“We only get one at a time,” Perry said. “We got Apopka. That’s what we’re worried about now.
