A quarterback making his varsity debut led Lakeview to a crucial win in the season opener.

Led by Tyler Brown, the Spartans defeated Portage Northern, 28-14, in a Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference non-division contest at Spartan Memorial Stadium on Thursday.

5 Takeaways From The Game

DRAMATIC DEBUT FOR LAKEVIEW QB

Junior QB Brown led the way with two touchdown runs and a touchdown pass for the Spartans, as they open the season at 1-0. Brown opened the scoring on a quarterback sneak from a yard out to make it 7-0. He later gave Lakeview a 14-0 lead on a 21-yard quarterback keeper.

But the key play of the game was a 56-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Carson Rogers in the second half to break open a 14-14 game.

FAST START FOR SPARTANS

Lakeview has opened the season against Portage Northern four straight years. It is the third straight win for the Spartans as Lakeview has used the early victory in past seasons as a springboard toward the playoffs. The Spartans put away the key win late with a touchdown run from 6 yards out by Jalen Watkins. Watkins led Lakeview with 90 yards rushing.

STOPPING NO. 4

Lakeview struggled to stop Portage Northern's top offensive threat. The Huskies' 6-foot-5 receiver Terron Kitchen, wearing No. 4, gave the Spartans trouble throughout the game. Kitchen seemed poised to ruin the game for Lakeview throughout, but the Spartans were able to hold him down when it counted. However, Kitchen finished with 111 yards receiving and 51 yards rushing, including a 22-yard touchdown on an end-around.

LAKEVIEW SHORT-HANDED

Lakeview was without one of its key players on both sides of the ball. Spartan senior  Steven Laws was on the sidelines for the entire game with a brace on his knee. Laws came into the season expecting to be a three-year starter at tight end and defensive end.

WHAT THEY SAID....

"Portage Northern is really good and we knew it was going to be a battle. We had a couple of key guys out and had to play over that. But hats off to our kids for how hard they played and coming out with a win is a really good thing," Lakeview coach Matt Miller said.

Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0678. Follow him on Twitter:@billbroderick

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