Just hours before the Cardinals upset the Phillies 1-0 to advance to the NLCS, the Lancers made a statement of their own in a Suburban West matchup against Oakville. But unlike the game played in Philadelphia, this one wasn’t close.

The Lancers, fueled by sophomore Deonte Robinson’s three first-half rushing touchdowns, jumped to a 35-0 halftime lead and went on to take it 50-0. Senior Markuice Savage also contributed to a ruthless first half with a 62-yard punt return touchdown.

Robinson’s big night, which included scores of one, three and 14 yards, gave him a team-high seven touchdowns on the season. It was his second game with three touchdowns, the first coming against Mehlville Sept. 9. His 86 rushing yards put him at 526, also best on the team.

“The line has been blocking really well and getting off the ball,” Robinson said, “We’ve just made a point to pound the ball (this season).”

The Lancers also scored on a 27-yard strike from junior quarterback Matt Goro to senior Will Dupont in the second quarter and a 7-yard run by sophomore Kevin Hampton in the third quarter.

They made it an all-around effort early in the third quarter when junior defensive lineman Gabe Kuhn intercepted a pass and returned it 18 yards to make it 43-0.

The Lancers now hold a firm lead in the Suburban West standings with a 6-0 record and Eureka in second at 4-1. A win against Parkway South on Oct. 14 would give them their first Conference championship since 2008 as well as a strong start to Districts, which also begin next week.

After traveling to Parkway South, the Lancers will face top-ranked CBC on Oct. 21 and then finish the season at Marquette on Oct. 27. They will have to win two of their final three games to advance through Districts.

To avoid an upset next week, Robinson stated the obvious.

“We just need to play like we did last week,” he said.