Dokubo, Conant drop Lake Park

London Dokubo couldn't have dreamed up a better beginning to his senior season, and neither could his Conant Cougars.

The Conant receiver returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a score, then reached the end zone on his first two catches to give him 3 touchdowns - and the Cougars a 27-point lead - before the first half was over.

"We're a really young team, so there were definitely a lot of nerves on our team," Dokubo said. "But then after the kickoff, everything went smooth, at least for the first half. The defense picked us up after that. But the start was real good. We were happy with that."

Dokubo finished with 5 catches for 123 yards to help lead Conant (1-0) to a 27-14 win over host Lake Park (0-1).

"He showed some real speed tonight, but we have a bunch of guys like that," Conant coach Bill Modelski said. "We run really well as a team, and that's a great asset to have."

While the start of the game was all Conant, Lake Park rallied and had the Cougars reeling in the second half. After a 62-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Zack Gehant (10-for-22, 234 yards) to sophomore receiver Kevin Teglia (2 catches, 98 yards) at the end of the first half, junior running back LaCurt Evans capped the Lancers' first drive of the second half with a 36-yard touchdown run.

The Cougars fumbled on their next offensive play, and Lake Park drove the ball to the Conant 2, after an unsportsmanlike penalty extended the Lancers' drive. That's where Conant senior defensive lineman Kevin Robinson stepped up.

Robinson stuffed Gehant for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-goal, and helped swing the momentum back toward the Cougars.

"I just got in and shed my blocks," Robinson said. "I give credit to my defense for making a hole open for me, and I just did what I had to do."

Modelski said he was happy with the overall play of his team, but the Cougars' inexperience showed up at inopportune times.

"We did some things that you really pull your hair out watching some of the stuff that went on," Modelski said. "We've got some work to do, but we'll take the win and move on and try to build on it."

Conant junior quarterback Matt Cullen completed 10-of-18 passes for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns.

"A game takes on its own life, and you can't control it," Lake Park coach Andy Livingston said. "The first play of the 2010 season was a touchdown against us. It definitely put us in a bad spot. But I'm proud of them for the way we battled back."

Livingston said he was frustrated by the fact the Lancers had three trips to the red zone and came away with zero points during their comeback effort.

"Part of the plan is that when you get to the red zone you score," Livingston said.

Sophomore running back Ronald Castaldo had 11 carries for 65 yards for Lake Park, and senior receiver Joe Giatras had 4 catches for 36 yards.