Coach says Dickens will start at QB

Ashton Dickens will be the starting signal caller Friday night for the Lockhart Lions in their 2021 season home opener against Victoria West.
Dickens, a 6-2, 190-pound sophomore, started on last year’s freshman team but is ready for the challenge of replacing Jackie Edwards Jr., who graduated last spring, said head football coach Todd Moebes.
“We think he’s the best option at quarterback that we have on our team right now,” Moebes said. “Ashton played well during the scrimmage, which was his first time playing against someone (at the varsity level) that wasn’t his team. He may not have had the protection and time to throw that he was used to, but he was able to get the ball out quickly and threw some really good balls.”
Senior Dylan Evans will back up Dickens at QB, but will also take snaps at receiver, Moebes said.
“I think he did OK,” Moebes said. “Dylan is a good football player. He had a catch for us the other night. He’s going to help our team. He’s certainly trying to make plays whenever he gets on the field and he’s a courageous player.”
Moebes said Thursday night’s practice against Bastrop had been a productive tune-up prior to starting non-district play.
“It was good to be out there competing against someone else,” Moebes said. “We played well for the most part and made good mistakes that we can correct. The only way we can see these mistakes is when we play a live game, so it was good to see them.
When they make an assertive decision out there, whether its right or wrong, you can teach them how to do it another way, the coach explained.
“The thing you don’t want to see is them staying in the middle in no man’s land,” Moebes said. “You can’t coach off that.”
Lockhart’s schedule is bereft of easy games. The home opener against Class 5A Division I Victoria West will be no exception. The team went 8-4 last season in combined regular season and postseason play and is capable of depriving the Lions of ending a nine-game losing streak that dates back to the 2019 postseason.
“They’re very athletic, very physical and they utilize space on the field,” Moebes said. “They’re good at getting it to their skill players in space. They played two quarterbacks in their scrimmage that were very efficient and they made plays. They can be tough to defend and defensively, they can create a lot of pressure on you. They have very downhill hard-nosed players.”
The Lions are coming into Friday night’s game looking confident and in pretty good health, said Moebes, who said he believed the team was excited about opening the season.
“We’re fairly healthy after 2 ½ weeks of practice and a scrimmage, and that’s great to see,” he said. “We need to stay that way.”