When Lake coach Bill Ingersoll looked at the videotape of St. Aloysius’ first three games, he didn’t see a team that is 0-3 and has been plagued by turnovers and mental mistakes.

Ingersoll saw a team that has controlled the ball and the clock, put together three solid rushing efforts, and been a few plays away from having at least two wins.

And that has him more than a little concerned.

“They’re very impressive. I like their quarterback and their fullback,” said Ingersoll, whose team will host St. Al tonight at 7:30 in a Region 7-1A game. “They have impressed us on tape with their ability to control the ball.”

Indeed, if there is one thing the Flashes have done well this season it is move the ball on the ground.

Alex Halinski has rushed for 301 yards and three touchdowns in three games, and the Flashes have averaged 215 yards per game as a team. They ran for 185 yards last Friday in a 12-7 loss to Thomastown – a game in which they wasted a late lead – and controlled it for almost 20 minutes in the first half of a 56-21 loss to St. Andrew’s two weeks ago.

The job the offense has done has St. Al coach Jim Taylor feeling optimistic, despite the team’s winless record.

“We’ve moved the ball well in all three games and had breakdowns defensively one game, on special teams another, and the other night it was offense,” Taylor said. “I hope we have eliminated them all this week and we’re going to play a complete game and continue to improve in all areas.”

If St. Al (0-3) can continue to move the ball and score at least a couple of touchdowns, it should have a leg up on a Lake team that eerily resembles the Flashes.

Lake also utilizes a run-heavy, Wing-T offense and has attempted 80 runs and only 12 passes this season. The Hornets (1-2) have rushed for almost 600 yards in their last two games, and regularly rotate in seven or eight different backs.

“They all play defense, so it gives them a chance to rest,” Ingersoll said. “We don’t have one great back, but we have seven or eight good ones.”