Penton shines again as Lakeshore rolls at East Jefferson, 35-7

METAIRIE – The Lakeshore Titans continued their early-season dominance, defeating East Jefferson 35-7 Friday night at Joseph S. Yenni Stadium.

Lakeshore senior quarterback Chris Penton threw two touchdowns and ran for one more. The reigning Crescen,tCitySports.com New Orleans metro player of the week, who led the area in both yards and passing touchdowns after Week 1, kept the ball rolling against the Warriors.

“Last season, I didn’t really have that quarterback mentality,” Penton said. “I’ve grown to be a real quarterback. I trust my coaches. I know how to make my reads. I know when to run, when not to run. And everything’s been clicking.”

Penton did major damage before the end of the first quarter, and that’s all the Titans would need. He tossed scores to a pair of wide receivers, senior Jalen Willis and junior Jacob Bernard. Senior running back Joshua Hayes added two rushing touchdowns for Lakeshore (2-0).

Following a 49-10 victory against rival Fontainebleau, the Titans nearly posted their first shutout of the season. The Titans recovered two East Jeff fumbles, and their special teams unit blocked a punt.

After two weeks, Lakeshore head coach Craig Jones’ team is outscoring its opponents, 84-17.

“We knew we had something special going into the season.” Jones said. “It’s been a total team effort so far, and we need to keep it that way. Everybody’s on the same page, pulling in the same direction. And that’s huge.”

Now at 2-0, the Titans continue to play with assistant coach Greg Battistella in the back of their minds. Battistella suffered a stroke in the team’s jamboree against Bonnabel two weeks ago.

“This one was for him,” Jones said. “Every game is for him. Coach Batt is such a great guy. He’s a one of a kind type person. I’ve learned a lot from him since I came here, and everything we do is always with him in mind.”

Battistella remains in the hospital, making a slow but steady recovery.

Senior quarterback Gerard Walker’s 45 yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. The run was the only real highlight for East Jeff (1-1) in a disappointing home opener.

Lakeshore will host Hancock County (Klin, MS) next week. East Jefferson will travel to play Newman.