Not even Cancer 2.0 could slow Lighthouse football

By Michael Ashcraft --

Lighthouse won its football game -- in spite of Cancer 2.0.

When your school is only slightly larger than a nano particle, it must be easy to get discouraged getting wiped out by bigger schools who have beefier boys to choose from.

"Cancer" was the nickname coaches gave a certain player last year who was being selfish, saying he should make the key plays. A selfish attitude, they were saying, would spread like a cancer and ruin the team.

That student got the message and started playing team sport, not #MeOnly.

Then on Thursday, when the Lighthouse Christian Academy stepped onto the field against Discovery Charter Preparatory School, a new student bemoaned the all-too-often scenario of inevitably losing. LCA has 50 students, so the talent pool doesn't necessarily yield many Prime Times.

Just two weeks ago, Lighthouse was slaughtered by Downey Calvary Chapel Christian School.

So when the Saints took the field Thursday at El Cariso Community Regional Park in Sylmar against another big team, this one player whined dourly: "We're gonna get smashed. We're all gonna lose."

That's when Junior Levi Photenhauer stepped in to regulate attitude. Cut the negativity because it kills team spirit, weakens will and paralyzes.

Levi, whose legs run so fast they blur to the naked eye, is not the team captain. But he watches and rebukes whenever anyone gets out of line with the 'tude.

"Dude, you're Cancer 2.0," he said.

The message got through. Shut up. Don't dishearten your teammates.

And the Lighthouse, unaccustomed to dominating, took the field and made five touchdowns and five 2-point conversions spread throughout both halves. The Saints bungled one tackle and allowed a rival TD. The game finished a 40-6 thumping.

Largely, Lighthouse languishes on the lopsided losing side. Used to getting blitzed, yesterday they were blessed.

Levi was one key to the victory. He calms angry players.

"I wouldn't say that I keep everyone in line," Levi said. "What it comes down to, you gotta let them know, especially with a few skill positions, they're at their best when they're relaxed. If we're all level-headed, we can take care of our jobs.

"Football is not about one person. It's about the whole team succeeding. He said we were gonna get smashed and we were gonna lose. Of course that didn't happen, but things like that, talking down the team, not a very good idea."

Cancer 2.0 won't likely be mouthing off negativity anymore, and Lighthouse will look to capitalize on the thrill of victory to seek fresh blood.

Pictured: Brothers Garrett and Steven Lahood, neither of whom are "Cancer 2.0" -- nor "Cancer 1.0" for that matter.

Here's Lighthouse's season-ending victory over Brethren Christian of Huntington Beach. Here's LCA's playoff hopes-dashing game against Hillcrest. Read about the lightning-interrupted first half of Lighthouse's game against East Valley High and how they finalized the victory the next Monday. Read about LCA's loss to Calvary Baptist La Verne. Here's an article about how sidelined team captain willed the Saints to victory over Cal Lutheran HS of Wildomar. This is the article of how LCA powerhouse Marcus Scribner was injured and how the Saints beat Teach Academy anyhow. This article talks about how Coach Zach Scribner lost his house but won two games. Lighthouse Christian Academy opened with a loss here.