DELTONA — Lorenzo Lingard didn’t take long to introduce himself onto the varsity football scene.
One quarter and two touchdowns later, the Titans’ lone freshman put his team in position to blow out West Volusia rival Deltona.
Lingard ran for 99 yards on just eight carries with two touchdowns, senior Jeremy Diaz added three more scores and University rolled to a 48-0 victory to open the season. As a team, the Titans gashed the Wolves for 305 yards on the ground.
Lingard capped off an efficient opening drive with a 9-yard score. He then took the wind out of the Wolves’ sails, taking a 4th-and-2 carry 48 yards, untouched, to the end zone.
“We wanted to get that first down, and we thought we had a chance to definitely get the advantage,” University coach Brian Kells said. “That trap was huge, and he took it to the house for us.”
Lingard, called “The Horse” by his coaching staff, was put in the stable at halftime.
“(Kells) says, ‘Feed the horse; ride the horse,’ but not tonight, ” Lingard said. “They had to put me away.”
Diaz and Quenell Rutledge added touchdown runs in the second quarter. Diaz dominated the second half, highlighted by a 45-yard touchdown catch, the only completion of the night for Titans quarterback Chris Negron.
University has won all four meetings with Deltona by a combined score of 172-14. The Wolves have been shut out in three of those contests.
Cameron Myles led the Wolves with 52 yards on the ground.
University hosts New Smyrna Beach, while Deltona travels to Atlantic next Friday. Both games are set for 7 p.m. kickoffs.