Lions fall hard to Alamo Heights

By Alonzo Garza
POST-REGISTER

No fewer than nine charter buses reached Lion Country parking lots early afternoon on Friday Sept. 24. The buses were loaded with more than 70 Alamo Heights Mules and just as many, if not more, Lady Mules – all ready to rumble.

The Lady Mules headed straight to the Lions Den where they took on the Lady Lions in serious sets o

f volleyball while the Mules stampeded into the Lions’ field house where they waited eagerly for their coaches to give them the signal.

Once out on the field, the Mules proceeded to trample the Lions in a mostly one-sided game of high school football. The Alamo Heights Mules defeated the Lockhart Lions 31-6.

“Alamo Heights is a great program,” Head Coach Robin Rapp said. “They executed very well early and consequently, built a sizable first half lead.”

The first quarter began with the Lions receiving the initial kick off and starting on their own 22-yard line. The first down was good for a 3-yard gain while a second down pass was almost intercepted. A third-and-seven was good for a short pass with no gain. The Lions punted on a fourth down with four yards to go.

Alamo Heights took over at their own 43-yard line and moved up to the 28-yard line with a third first-and-10 by 8:55. Another first-and-10 had the Mules at the 12-yard line and, eventually, at the 3-yard line with a third-and-1.

At 6:14 the Mules were set to kick a field goal on fourth-and-1, when they were given a penalty of delay of game. They were moved back five yards, but were successful in their first attempt to put a score on the board with a field goal for a score of 0-3 at 5:58.

The Mules scored again with less than a minute and a half in the quarter. They scored with a pass to the right side of the field and a swift run down the sideline. The extra point kick was good for a score 0-10 with 1:17 remaining. The Lions took the ball at their own 21-yard line and ended the quarter with a second-and-9.

The second quarter also belonged to Alamo Heights. They scored at the top of the quarter with a stumbling rush by a tenacious Mule who deflected all attempts to be stopped by the Lions with fancy footwork and sheer determination. The extra point kick was good for a score of 0-17 at 10:49.

Despite a few attempts to move the ball forward, the Lions were kept at bay with a quarterback sack and an interception. The Mules took over the ball at the 34-yard line at 8:30 and by 6:34 they scored yet another touchdown with an identical back-to-back play. The extra point kick was good for a score of 0-24. No further scoring occurred in the remaining six minutes of play.

The second half began with the Lions kicking off to the Mules who took a first-and-10 at their own 30. The Mules moved up to the 43-yard line before a penalty against the Lions gave them an extra 15 yards when a Lion pushed a Mule after he was out of bounds.

The Mules reached the Lions’ 17-yard line with nine minutes remaining in the quarter. A determined Mule reached a first-and-goal with a Lion on his back. A second-and-goal followed an incomplete pass and the Mules asked for a timeout with 8:25 on the clock.

The Mules followed the timeout with a pass to the right side and their last touchdown of the night. The extra point kick was good for a score of 0-31 at 8:20.

The Lions took a first-and-10 at their own 16-yard line at 8:14. Joseph Bell rushed for another first-and-10 at the 28. A pass from Vonte Hedspeth to Bell was good for a first-and-10 at the Lions’ 47. Bell rushed for yet another first-and-10 at 6:43 and then carried for a second-and-1 at the 31. Hedspeth ran the ball down the right side of the field to the 5-yard line for a first-and-goal at 5:35. A second-and-goal down at the 5-yard line was flagged against the Mules, leaving the Lions at second-and-goal at the 2-and-a-half-yard line at 4:43. Bell rushed in for the only Lion touchdown of the game at 4:24. The extra point kick by Brooks Pittman was no good ending the third quarter scoring at 6-31.

The fourth quarter was filled with penalty flags, incomplete passes and fumbles. Both team seemed exhausted and ready to hit the showers. The final score remained 6-31.

According to the Austin American Statesman, the District 27-4A standings are as follows: Alamo Heights and Smithson Valley are each 4-1; Hays and Lehman both stand at 3-2; Schertz Clemens is even at 2-2; New Braunfels Canyon is 1-4 on the season; and Lockhart is 0-5.

“I was extremely proud of the way our guys played the second half,” Rapp said. “Our game picked up and matched Heights during that time. We just need to refocus and build on the second half for the upcoming Clemens game.”

The Lions will travel to the home of the Buffalo to face Schertz Clemens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1.

Samuel Clemens High School is located at 1001 Elbel Rd., Cibolo, Texas.
See you at the game.
agarza@post-register.com