RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The Cordova Lancers were dealt their second road loss of the season following a 31-14 defeat at Antelope this past Friday, Oct. 11. 

Seven first-half turnovers from the Lancers (5-2 overall, 2-2 Metro League) put Cordova in a hole they were unable to dig themselves out of, despite leading 0-6 after the first quarter, thanks to a one-yard keeper from Cordova sophomore quarterback Trey Wallace. Four interceptions and three lost fumbles by Cordova allowed the Titans (2-5 overall, 2-1 Metro League) to remain in the contest early and gave Antelope the number of possessions necessary to score 17 unanswered points in the second quarter enroute to a 17-6 halftime lead, despite four first half turnovers of their own.

Cordova would try to rally in the second half, as Wallace connected with sophomore wide receiver Terryn "TK" King from eight yards out to score on their first possession in the third quarter, followed up with a two-point conversion run by Wallace to bring the game within three points at 17-14. In what was a hard-nosed and physical game, head coach JP Dolliver was pleased to see his team keep fighting after a lackluster first half output. 

"I loved it," he said of his team’s resilience in the second half. "I was excited to see that. There were some really good things that happened. We were way more composed in this game than we were against West Park."

The score would hold up until the fourth quarter when Titans' freshman wide receiver Deante Gray Jr. would rip off a 46-yard run on a reverse that backed the Lancers up against their own endzone. Antelope would score on a one-yard keeper from junior quarterback Jaden Fletcher, who used his six-foot-six frame to topple into the endzone and widen the Titans' lead to 10 points. 

The Lancers would lose their quarterback for the remainder of the game late in the fourth quarter after Wallace hit his head on the turf. That would be compounded by Gray Jr. breaking off a 39-yard touchdown run late, giving Antelope their final points of the contest. 

"I don't want to take away anything from another football team because Antelope had some good stands and had a good scheme against us," Dolliver said. "They had some pretty good pressure that we didn't have answers for, but I also want to put it in perspective. We gave the ball to them a lot. We played pretty poorly today on offense."

Cordova will look to bounce back on Friday, Oct. 18, after press time, when they host Destiny Christian Academy. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Lancer Stadium.