Freshmen Lions start season with a roar
Both teams tackle their first games successfully
Stacy Laramore runs the ball against the Panthers. She is the only girl on the team.
September 8, 2016
The Lions played against the Ellison Eagles on August 25. The red team won with a shutout over the Eagles 28-0, and the blue team turned out victorious ending their game 34-22. They also lost and won against the Pflugerville Panthers on September 1. The red team lost 14-0 and the blue team won with a final score of 41-32.
We were expecting a big strong team that would be difficult to beat. All week we practiced hard, working on all of the plays so that we could play our best.
— Eli Gehman
The freshman team this year is one of the larger teams that the school has had in awhile.
“The biggest challenge for our team was taking what we did in practice all week and applying it to the game,” Gehman said. “We were expecting to get run over by the Eagles. I was surprised because we were expecting a big team.”
A major game changer was when Noel Salazar caught an interception, according to the players. This went on to help out the blue team in the long run.
“We have a really strong freshmen team this year, a lot of them really know what they’re doing and are very focused on the field,” Assistant Coach Robertson said. “I have a good feeling that in a few years, our team will be good again.”
According to Gehman, the interception encouraged the team to get excited and play harder.
“For our upcoming game next week, I feel we need to work on starting out strong, playing 110% right from the kickoff,” Gehman said.
Next the Lions lost and won against the Pflugerville Panthers with the red team losing 14-0 and the blue team winning 41-32.
“I thought the team was prepared,” Will Loofe said. “I wanted things to go well and for everyone to be healthy.”
At the end of the third quarter, Xavier Terri caught an interception which advanced the Lions in the game.
“I think I performed well in the game,” Loofe said. “I looked to my coaching staff for guidance and support throughout the game.”
The blue team planned to work on their defense, tackling and penetration in the back of the field which helped them with their game.
“I mentally prepared myself by going to my coaches and made sure I did what I needed to do,” Loofe said. “I stayed hydrated and got lots of rest heading into the game.”
The Lions next game is today against the Westwood Warriors for the blue team at 5:30 p.m. at Bible Stadium and the red team plays at 7 p.m. away against Del Valle.
