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Lions outscore Coleman in first scrimmage

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Coach Denney Faith liked a lot of what he saw during the first scrimmage of the season last Friday against Coleman – he just wanted to see a little more of it.

The varsity portion of the practice game was cut short due to a weather delay, keeping the Lions from getting in their last offensive set.

The Lions will be on the road on Thursday (today) for a 6:00 p.m. start for the JV in Anson, with the varsity starting immediately following.

There will not be any official admission fee at Tiger Stadium, but fans will be asked to donate to the annual “Our Day to Shine” project sponsored by the Texas High School Coaches Association. Donations will be accepted for the THSCA benevolent funds which assists coaches and players who suffer serious injuries or illnesses.

“We have helped out with this cause for several years and we hope our fans will come through to support this effort again this year,” said Faith.

The Lions will open the regular season at home next Friday, Aug. 31 against the Colorado City Wolves.

Faith was pleased with what he saw during the varsity scrimmage, with the Lions scoring three times with the first team and another with the second team.

“I felt like we played pretty well for our first live contact,” Faith said. “We were aggressive and played hard, but obviously we still have things to work on.”

One of the “glaring” mistakes that the coach said would have to be corrected was fumbling the ball, including one on the goal line that kept the team from tallying another score.

“We had way too many turnovers, so we have to work on taking care of the ball,” he said.

On defense, he said that the team has to work on pursuit angles.

“The defense worked hard and I was pleased with the effort, but there are areas where we need to improve,” he said. “But that is what scrimmages are for – to show you what you are doing well and the things you aren’t.”

The defense only allowed two first downs during the scrimmage.

“We are progressing every day, but we aren’t there yet,” Faith said. “We have a tough pre-district schedule that will really challenge us, and we have to continue to get ready for that.”

He added that the team continues to work on conditioning.

“We aren’t in the kind of shape we need to be, but I think the guys realize that and will be working hard,” he said.

The JV scored eight times while keeping the Coleman JV from scoring.

“This was the first time for us to see a lot of these younger kids in a live situation,” Faith said. “We are still evaluating at this point, but we have another scrimmage to see them in action.”