LAKEWOOD — Fans coming to celebrate homecoming got their money’s worth Oct. 23 as the Cougars won their first Cascade Conference game in fantastic fashion.

Lakewood defeated Sultan 40-26 in a game that saw seven fumbles, an 85-yard passing play, a 73-yard touchdown run and a kickoff return for a score.

“It’s not a surprise to see that when Sultan and Lakewood get together,” said Cougars coach Dan Teeter. “We’re both teams that can score and we usually put up some big numbers.”

The return, an 85-yard sprint by freshman Brandon Stott, tied the school record for longest return and turned out to be the game-winning score in the fourth quarter. The Turks just connected on a play-action pass that netted 85 yards, making the score 26-18 on the previous play. Sultan kicked a squib that rolled nearly out of bounds and to the feet of the charging Stott, who grabbed it a yard away from the sideline, faked toward the middle and sprinted down the outside for a score, breaking one tackle.

“He’s just a freak,” said Cougars quarterback Justin Lane about his second-favorite target so far this season. “He has big play potential every time he touches the ball — he’s fast, can make people miss and powerful.”

The Cougars took a 26-6 lead into halftime behind a trio of scores by Lane, who finished 4-for-10 with 51 yards. The Lakewood junior hooked up with Sam Johnston for a 16-yard score in the second quarter, ran for another on the ensuing drive and on a 37-yard route with Dustin Stanton just before the half.

“It was difficult, but manageable,” Lane said about the 35-mph winds that whistled through Lakewood. “You just have to keep the nose down and concentrate.”

The weather was more of a problem for the Turks, who didn’t complete a pass in the first half, but also fumbled three times in the first half.

“We had been watching the weather reports all week and practicing more on our running game, which was different because that’s not what we’re known for,” Teeter said. “I give a lot of credit to Quincy (Robinson) and Christian (Melton) for stepping up and moving the ball up for us.”

The weather became less of a factor in the second half, when big plays became fashionable. Following Sultan’s long pass and the return, Stott ran for a 73-yard touchdown after Lane faked a handoff to another back and then gave it to the freshman to run to the outside and turn the corner.

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