With the 2013 Southland Champions title already under their belts, the Lions football team knew that they would have to show determination and a positive mindset in order to successfully complete their spring practicing session.
Saturday at noon, fans came out to watch the spring game.
After spending many weeks of practicing during the beginning of March, the Lions used the drills and objectives learned at these practices to give their fans a glimpse of what’s to come for the fall season. The players were divided into two teams that were titled Green (Offense) and Gold (Defense). The Green team defeated the Gold team with a final score of 79-27.
Senior quarterback Bryan Bennett completed 13 of 19 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. The defensive side earned a total of 27 points, coming from turnovers, two for three-and-outs and any stops. Junior running back, Rasheed Harrell, rushed a touchdown.
The offense got on the board with the help of an opening drive and nine-play, 75-yard scoring march. Harrell earned a 12-yard touchdown, which put the Lions on the board.
Later during the quarter, junior quarterback Jordan Barnett threw an interception to junior linebacker Herbert Harris after Bennett’s opening drive. A 47-yard pass to senior wide receiver, Isaiah Kepley, set up a three-yard touchdown run by Bennett.
The Lion defense answered with a three-and-out, highlighted with sacks by senior linebackers Isiah Corbett and Justin Church. Junior wide receiver Byron Johnson managed a 34-yard catch and run on an opening play while senior tight end Jeremy Meyers caught a 17-yard toss from Barnett two plays later.
Senior kicker/punter, Ryan Adams, earned the Lions defense a field goal and a 34-yarder in the second half. Bennett led the Lions in the beginning of the fourth quarter. After hauling in a pass, spinning out of a tackle and racing 10 yards, junior wide receiver Blane Arnold ran for a 67 score yard. The Lions offense was held off the board by the Lions defense for the remainder of the game.
Head Coach Ron Roberts gave insight on the overall purpose of the spring game and his opinions on the offensive and defensive sides.
“The big part is that we’re just trying to evaluate players and get some prospect guys, to put them at the talent level that we’re going to need them to play on,” said Roberts. “I think we’ve gotten better on both sides of the ball and I was pleased with how the game went today. There’s always room for improvement where we would be wanting to do better, but I really think the spring ball game was a huge success.”
Corbett thought the spring game was a good way to become prepared for the upcoming fall season.
“It was pretty good,” Corbett said. “The sun kind of shocked us a little bit. We really plan to take it one day at a time along with working hard and staying humble.”
With an outstanding performance, Bennett spoke on how the spring practices prepared the team for an outstanding showcase on Saturday afternoon.
“I think we had a great spring leading up to this,” Bennett said. “We were able to get some of the new guys in and kind of get them acclimated with what we do. We’re going to continue to get better and learn from today, but I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”
For more information regarding the Lion football team and ticket information, fans can visit lionup.com and lionsports.net.