Lions suit up to prepare for Hawley scrimmage
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Lion football team is closing in on two full weeks of workouts for the 2020 season, with another week on the practice field before their first contact with an opponent.
The lone scrimmage of the season is set for Thursday, Aug. 20 in Hawley starting at 5:00 p.m. The University Interscholastic League is limiting all teams to only one scrimmage this season in an attempt to limit the spread of the -COVID-19 coronavirus.
The Lions have a roster of 46 players this season for the varsity and JV squads.
“That is a really good number for us,” said head football coach Denney Faith. “The guys were able to put the pads on this week, which is always exciting.”
The Lions will move to an afternoon workout on Thursday due to teacher in-service, but are expected to be back for two last morning practices next Monday and Tuesday. Practices will move to the afternoons starting next Wednesday when classes begin.
“Switching to the afternoons always takes some adjustments due to the heat this time of year,” Faith said.
With only one scrimmage on the schedule, Faith said it may take a little longer to evaluate personnel and finalize how he will fill the starting line-up.
The Lions are returning 12 seniors this year off of last year’s team that advanced to the area round of the playoffs.
One of the strengths of the team that Faith is seeking early on is the offensive line.
“The offensive line is looking good,” he said. “We have a couple of new guys and are working with one injury, but the depth is there this year, which is a big thing for us.”
The coach said that he would like to say that the Lion defense is another strength for the season, but noted that he and the rest of the staff will have to wait until they see the defense in action against an opponent.
“We really would have like a second srimmage, but we will have to wait until we see kids in action to start making decisions about how they can help us the most,” he said.
The Lions are looking for a deep snapper and kicker for the team after both positions were lost to graduation.
“We have our punter back, but we are still looking for a kicker,” he said.
Overall, the coach is happy with the number of players he is working with and the experience many of them bring this year.
“We think we will have pretty good depth this year, which will give kids the chance to rest a little more, especially at the first of the season when it is so hot,” he said. “That is a luxury that we usually don’t have. There are some kids who are moving up or don’t have as much experience who will still have to prove themselves.”
The Lions will open the regular season at home on Friday, Aug. 28, hosting the Colorado City Wolves at 7:00 p.m.
The first three games are scheduled at Robert Nail Stadium, with Dublin coming to play on Sept. 4 and Hamlin on Sept. 11.
A pair of non-district road games in Haskell and Anson will finish out the September schedule, followed by an open week on Oct. 2.
The Lions are part of District 8-2A this season, which has some new members including Meridian, Hico, Ranger, and Santo. Cross Plains is the only district opponent from last season that the Lions will face.
The District 8-2A meeting was held Tuesday, with possible changes to the plan due to -COVID-19 concerns.
The Lions know that games will be limited to 50 percent occupancy this season, although how that would be implemented by all the district teams was expected to be hashed out at Tuesday’s meeting.
At this point, season ticket sales have been put on hold until the rules for fan attendance are decided.
