Lions lost 20-21 nail-biter to Apaches – Lockhart looking ahead to homecoming, r
The Lockhart Lions made the trip down 183 to Gonzales last Friday night and came out on the short end of a 21-20 thriller.
“This was the best high school game I have ever been a part of, playing or coaching,” said Head Coach Bryce Monsen.
The Lions got off to a strong start. Quarterback Joey Uker found the end zone from 16 yards out, and David Moore booted a
n extra point to give the Lions an early 7-0 lead.
The Lions made that lead stick through the end of the first quarter.
The Apaches, playing before a Homecoming crowd, the Apaches playing in front of a homecoming crowd, evened the score in the second when quarterback Nick Crozier hit Leslie Hastings with a 42-yard pass, drawing Apaches even at 7.
Neither team put another score on the board through the rest of the second quarter, ending the half in a dead-heat.
The Apaches put a charge into the home crowd when Jermone Espinosa crashed over the goal line from a yard out to give the Apaches a 13-7 lead.
Despite the “third-quarter magic” the Lions have displayed this season, they ended the quarter without finding their way back to the end zone.
The Lion offense woke up in the fourth quarter.
They took over on their own half-yard line, but a procedure penalty pulled the ball back another six inches.
With the ball resting near the goal line, the Lions began what Monsen called a “99.9-yard drive.”
Offensive powerhouse Willie Hill made his way to the end zone and fired up both the team”s and the crowd”s energy in the process. Hill”s touchdown run and the extra point gave the Lions a 14-13 lead.
The Lions could not overcome the Apaches” momentum. On the final scoring drive for Gonzales, Espinosa took another touchdown and Kenneth Smith added a 2-point conversion.
Time was working against the Lions, but they still had a few fireworks left.
Jacob Alvarez found hill with a 59-yard touchdown pass, placing the Lions squarely back in line for a tie. Monsen opted to go for the victory with a 2-point conversion, but the attempt failed, leaving the Lions trailing 21-20.
The Lions now with the clock not on their side had some fireworks left in their tank also and when Jacob Alvarez found Hill on a 59 yard pass play the Lions were within a point of tying the game and sending it to ” We were going for the win. It was non district and on the road,” Monsen said. “We wanted to show the kids that we had confidence in them and courage to go for the win. This may be something that helps us later on down the line.”
The Lions were led offensively by Hill, who had 261 all-purpose yards and is averaging 8.8 yards per carry on the season.
“The fans were special,” Monsen said. “They would not let our kids quit. They were there early and they were there late and they were loud. It means a lot to [us] and those players to see that”
This is Homecoming Week, and the Lions will be facing the Dripping Springs Tigers. The Tigers come into the game at 1-3.
“Dripping Springs is always a good team,” Monsen said. “They always play Lockhart Well. We lost a heartbreaker to them last year, and on Friday, I expect another great night of high school football.”
Homecoming festivities start at Lions Field at 7 p.m. The highlight of every Homecoming Week, the ball game, kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
By: Craig Floyd
POST-REGISTER
