Lions melt Steele Knights, 21-16

By Alonzo Garza
POST-REGISTER

Friday, Oct. 13 brought two District 26-4A evenly matched teams together in Schertz. Both the Schertz Steele Knights (2-4) and the Lions (3-3) had a 2-3 district record going into the match. The Lions came out roaring with great defensive plays and a few exciting offensive plays. The night was riddled with flags and fumbles though,

making for a very tense game for the coaches and the fans of both teams. Still, the Lions prevailed by the end of the night earning their third win in district play with a final score of 21-16.
“The offense churned out 313 yards,” said Head Coach Les Goad. “They did it rushing behind the strong blocking of Shane Sellers, Ira Woolridge, Calvin Johnson, Junior Reyes, Royse Lee, James Woodworth, Joe Fuentes and Damien Salinas. We are proud of them!”
Terrance Waldon led rushing scrambling 157 yards with 16 carries. Waldon is currently ranked fourth in the Austin American-Statesman”s Central Texas High School Football Statistics for Class 4A rushing. He has rushed for 660 yards with 90 carries making him number one in District 26-4A. Second in our district is NB Canyon”s Robert Clay, ranked eleventh in the same stats, with 486 yards with 76 carries for the season.
Richard Ybarra rushed for 105 yards with 26 carries. Marcus Officer rushed for 17 yards with three carries while Demetrius Joseph rushed for 14 yards with three carries as well. Alex Joseph rushed for 15 yards with only two carries. Lion quarterback Dustin Garza completed one of the three attempted passes for a total of 28 yards to A. Joseph, giving Joseph 28 yards for receiving. David Moore successfully kicked in two extra point attempts.
The first sight of flags came within the first three minutes of the first quarter when the Lions got a 5-yard penalty for a false start. Unfazed, the Lions took off on a 68-yard touchdown run by Waldon to get on the scoreboard. The extra point was good for a 7-0 score with 8:37 on the clock.
The excitement during the first quarter subsided until the last two minutes when quarterback Garza delivered a perfect pass to A. Joseph who caught it on the 7-yard line giving Lockhart excellent field position. A Lion fumble gave the Knights possession at the goal line to end the first quarter.
The second quarter began as the first quarter did. Lockhart scored during the first 35 seconds, making the score 14-0 with a 4-yard run touchdown by Ybarra and a kick by Moore. Schertz Steele missed an opportunity to move forward with a dropped pass.
The Lions pushed the Knights back. With the ball on the 44-yard line and 26 yards to go the Knights regained their composure and surged 31 yards with a pass completion. At 8:53, with a first down on the 14-yard line the Knights took a time out. Then, with the ball on the 7-yard line Schertz Steele”s Erin Simmons rushed in for a touchdown. The extra point was good and the score became 14-7 with 7:46 on the clock.
The Lions took possession of the ball on the 30-yard line. D. Joseph rushed for 5-yards. Ybarra rushed on for the next three plays then Moore punted for the Lions. It was a great punt that bounced all the way back into the end zone. The Knights took the ball at the 20-yard line.
With 3:28 on the clock, the Knights fumbled and recovered their ball for a 3-yard loss. A couple of plays later, they fumbled and recovered again. The Knights called a time out after an over-thrown pass was dropped with Michael Oliva defending. With 12 seconds left in the quarter, the Knights called another time out to regroup. A 25-yard field goal attempt was good for the Knights making the score 14-10. The Lions got flags against them for being off sides. Another time out was called with only two seconds left in the half – enough time for a kickoff return by Ybarra to earn a 7-yard gain to end the half.
Third quarter began with Lockhart receiving. A. Joseph gained 18-yards on the return. It was first-and-ten on the 35-yard line when D. Joseph dropped the ball for the Lion”s fourth fumble of the night. The ball was recovered at a loss of 5-yards. Lockhart bounced back with a 22-yard rush by Waldon. The Lions” momentum was squashed when flags on the play flew for a 10-yard loss for holding. Officer carried for 12 yards followed by Waldon who carried for 3. The Lions kept pushing.
The fifth fumble of the game came when the Knights lost the ball to the Lions with 4:48 left in the third quarter. Ybarra rushed for a first down. Lockhart got more flags against them for a false start with 3:17 left on the clock. With second down and 11 yards to go, Officer rushed for a 5-yard gain. With 2:22 on the clock at third down and 6 yards to go from the 11-yard line, Waldon waltzed in easily for Lockhart”s third touchdown. The extra point kick was good and the score became 21-10.
The fourth quarter started with flags, first against the Knights and immediately followed by a personal foul for facemask against the Lions, costing them a 15-yard penalty. At 11:23 Knight Simmons made a 34-yard run for a touchdown. The Knights then took a time out before attempting a two-point conversion that failed with the help of Moore”s strong defending. The score was 21-16 at the beginning of fourth quarter and remained so until the end of the game.
“The defense did a good job of containing the speed of Steele while the offense kept the ball most of the second half,” Goad said. “David Pozuc led all tacklers with 13 tackles and also had one interception. The kids played real hard. They had some mistakes but were able to overcome them. “
The Lions” next game will also be in Schertz against Schertz Clemens on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
agarza@post-register.com