The Lyle/Pacelli football team got in an early hole in a 53-32 loss at Lanesboro (5-2 overall) Friday night.

The Athletics (2-5 overall) allowed 27 straight points to start the game, but pulled to within 27-12 when Carter Guthmiller hauled in a 39-yard score on a ball that was tipped by Michael Lonergan with just seconds left in the first half.

“We did some good things tonight,” L/P head coach Mark Buntje said. “That was a big play at the end of the half.”

L/P, which has lost five straight, had a chance to pull closer at the beginning of the second half, but it started from it’s own 8-yard line and couldn’t move the ball.

“We had terrible field position and that hurt us,” Buntje said.

The Athletics, who were already playing without speedster Cody Meyer who is out a groin injury, may have lost their starting running back Nate Williamson for the season in the second quarter while trailing 27-0.

“That’s gonna hurt us if he’s out, because with Cody gone, that’s two of our faster players,” Buntje said. “But our line’s healthy so maybe Colton Scherer can step up for us.”

Scherer, a sophomore, tallied off a long scoring run late in the game as he finished with 52 yards on two carries.

Riley Marsolek returned a kickoff 80 yards for a score for L/P.

LP 0 12 0 20 — 32

Lane 6 21 12 14 — 53

STATS

L/P rushing : Scherer, 2-for-51, TD; Marsolek, 8-for-32; Williamson, 9-for-29

L/P passing: Matt Buntje, 14-for-28, 170, 3 TD; Brady Stier, 0-for-1, INT

L/P receiving: Lonergan, 5-for-81, TD; Stier, 7-for-47, TD; Guthmiller, 1-for-39, TD

Lanesboro rushing: Ethan Hall, 10-for-99, TD; Colin Bakke, 13-for-85, 3 TD; Dillon Draper, 6-for-77, TD