Linganore opens season with 29-28 win over defending state champion Mergenthaler
The defending Class 3A champion Lancers extended their winning streak to 14 games with a one-point victory over Mergenthaler in a matchup of state champions.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW
Linganore won 29-28. The Lancers have now won 14 straight games. Rick Conner earned his 244th career coaching victory. Kai Sawi rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown. Jackson Simmons caught the game-winning touchdown. Linganore is coming off a Class 3A state championship.
Linganore opened its season with another statement win, edging Mergenthaler 29-28 in a matchup between two defending state champions.
The victory extended Linganore’s winning streak to 14 games and marked coach Rick Conner’s 244th career win, including 235 victories in 25 seasons at Linganore. The Lancers won the Class 3A state title last season, while Mergenthaler entered as the reigning Class 4A-3A champion.
Senior quarterback David Doy helped lead a reworked Linganore offense that returned only two starters, while sophomore transfer Kai Sawi quickly emerged as a major part of the running game.
Sawi rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, including several key runs that helped extend scoring drives. He also helped set up the game-winning touchdown pass from Doy to junior Jackson Simmons in the fourth quarter.
The result gives Linganore another early-season win over Mergenthaler after the Lancers also beat them 36-27 in last year’s opener.
WHAT IT MEANS
Linganore is replacing major offensive production from last season, but the opener showed the Lancers may already be finding their next group of playmakers. Sawi’s emergence and Doy’s connection with Simmons could become central pieces of the offense.
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