The Lake View Wild Gators will host the Cross Trojans this Friday at 7:30 p.m for the Class A, Division II lower state title.

Lake View claimed the lower state title in 2011 and finished as state runner-up. This season the Gators faced a tough schedule that included Dillon, Aynor, and Socastee, but only lost one Class A matchup against Johnsonville. Lake View entered the playoffs as the top seeded team in the lower state and defeated Branchville 45-21 and Denmark-Olar 21-6 to advance to the lower state game.

Cross finished the regular season with a 7-3 record that included a loss to Class AA Timberland but wins over Class AA’s Lake Marion and Kingstree and Class AAA’s St. James. Cross entered the playoffs as the number three seed in the lower state and defeated Scott’s Branch 65-16 and second seed Timmonsville 27-12 to earn a lower state title shot.

In recent years, Lake View and Cross have crossed paths several times in the playoffs. last year, the Gators defeated the Trojans 38-16 in round two, and in 2010, Lake View took out Cross 35-16 in the first round. 8n 2009, Lake View eliminated Cross 22-13 in the second round, and in 2006, when Lake View won their last state title, they shut out Cross 40-0 in the second round.

The Wild Gators have several strong players, including running back Darius Leonard who led the Gators to victory in last week’s 21-6 win over Denmark-Olar. Leonard carried 14 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns in that game, and led the defense with eight tackles. Kendrix Worley and Corenthious Brunson have also been major assets, with Brunson catching three passes from quarterback Chris Ford last week for 50 yards and a touchdown. Ford connected on six pass attempts for 101 yards on Friday and in the November 2 game against Branchville, he threw a 63-yard pass that connected with Leonard for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Cross was down 12-6 at halftime last Friday before returning to score 21 unanswered points in the second half.

The winner of Friday’s game will face the winner of the upper state title game between McCormick and Hunter-Kinard-Tyler on Friday, November 23, at 3:00 p.m. at Benedict College in Columbia. Game time for this Friday is 7:30 p.m. in Lake View. Make plans to attend to support our local team!