Lions fall to Tivy in 50-43 shootout

For four quarters, the Lockhart Lions (2-4, 0-1) played their hearts out, putting points on the board, picking up yardage in big chunks, and looking like a district-opening win was within their grasp against an opponent they’d never before beaten.

But in the end, it was the Tivy Antlers (1-5, 1-0) who emerged with a 50-43 win, making one more defensive play to seal their first district — and season — win with just seconds left on the clock.

Trailing by seven points, the Lions went to work at their own 25-yard line with 1:20 to play in the fourth quarter.

After throwing two incomplete passes to wide receiver Tay Andrews and handing off to running back Sean McKinney for a seven-yard gain, Lions quarterback Ashton Dickens kept the ball and burrowed behind his offensive line, picking up a fresh set of downs and spiking the ball to stop the clock with 43 seconds left.

But on third down, Tivy came up with an interception on a sideline route — Dickens’ only pick of the game — to seal the win with under a minute remaining.

The Lions held a 23-21 lead at halftime after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, but Tivy rallied, with Antlers quarterback Jacob Layton finding Fisher Middleton open for a short pass that the running back took 70 yards into the end zone to reclaim the lead, 28-23 with 4:11 left in the third quarter.

But Lockhart answered the call. Wide receiver Diante Jackson ran the ensuing kickoff back to the Lions 47 and Dickens completed a 30-yard pass to Andrews to set himself up for a one-yard touchdown run that put the Lions in front with a 1-point lead with 11:24 fourth quarter.

But the second half was a tale of two quarters. After a seven-point third quarter, the two teams combined to score 42 points in a barnburner final frame. Junior running back Logan Edmonds put the Antlers back on top with a 3-yard run, but the Lions tied it back up after two plays: a McKinney 60-yard run on first down and a 20-yard Dickens touchdown run.

DIckens tied the game at 43-43 with 5:27 remaining on another quarterback keeper, but Tivy slowed things down, chewing more than four minutes of clock on a drive that heavily featured their running backs, with Edmonds and Ryan Mayberry alternating handoffs and Mayberry punching in the deciding touchdown with just 1:20 to play.

Other games in Lockhart’s division included a 17-0 Boerne-Champion (5-1, 1-0) win over Medina Valley (1-5, 0-1) and a 36-29 win by Alamo Heights (5-1, 1-0) over Floresville (5-1, 0-1), which the Lions will go on the road to play next week.

Read more sports coverage in this week’s Lockhart Post-Register.