Fremd, Wright run by Lake Park

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Evan Wright is as dependable as Mariano Rivera. Call his number, hand him the ball, let him run behind the biggest offensive line this side of the Dallas Cowboys and dare the defense to stop him. It's the kind of stuff that defines smash-mouth football and turns linebackers into mush.

Wright, a 6-1, 193-pound senior, rushed 39 times for 181 yards and scored the decisive touchdown in the third quarter as No. 4 Fremd (11-0) edged Lake Park 21-14 in the second-round Saturday at Conant to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the Class 8A playoff for the third time in the past four years.

But it almost wasn't enough. Junior quarterback Richard Concialdi, who isn't supposed to be much of a threat, emerged as a hero by throwing two touchdown passes in the first half, including a 15-yarder to Jeff Diegel with 12.5 seconds left for a 14-7 lead.

Lake Park (8-3) bounced back as Artie Monaco returned the second half kickoff 98 yards to tie. And the Lancers had a chance to win but quarterback Larry Nawrot, on fourth-and-two at Fremd's 6 with 3:07 to play, tripped over a teammate and was tackled for a four-yard loss.

"I wish we could have gotten some execution on that last play so we could see what we could get," Lake Park coach Andy Livingston said. "If we had scored, we were going for two to win the game (as they did last week). But it's amazing what Monaco can do."

Wright and Concialdi were on the sideline when Monaco broke his 98-yarder. "He's a great player. We knew he had that capability. But he didn't disrupt us. We knew the offense had to fire off the ball and not let (Monaco's kickoff return) affect us," Wright said.

"We wanted to establish long drives and wear their defense down. We knew we had to pound the ball. That's what we've done all year. What plays? Run behind (6-6, 295-pound tackle) Christian Lombard. That's what works."

Fremd took the kickoff and drove 80 yards as Concialdi capped the march with a 24-yard pass to Josh Jyawook.

Lake Park tied as Nawrot (10 of 18, 115 yards) completed a 24-yard pass to Clay Cooper on third-and-16, then threw an eight-yard TD pass to Cooper with one minute left in the second quarter.

Fremd covered 66 yards in 48 seconds as Wright gained 18 yards on two carries and Concialdi threw a 33-yard pass to James Szafranski, then passed 15 yards to Diegel for the go-ahead TD.

"When Evan is running, the pass is always there," Concialdi said. "The Wildcat wasn't working. It was time for me to step up for the team. That pass to Szafranski (on third-and-four) was the big play."

Fremd took advantage a fumbled snap on a punt to gain possession at Lake Park's 27 late in the third period. Wright, who carried on 22 of 25 snaps in the second half, powered the last three yards for the game-winner.