The Granger Lions traveled all the way to Floresville, TX to battle the D’Hanis Cowboys in the Area Championship and left with the trophy.
When the game was over and the dust settled, the Lions came out on top with a score of 41-6.
The Lions offense jumped on the Cowboys early in the game and found the end zone three times for a 21-0 lead. The Lions defense continued their streak of dominating teams and kept the Cowboys offense on check in the first quarter.
Despite keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone, Lions head coach Stephen Brosch saw one area where he thought his team regressed. Brosch said he was proud of how his team played Friday night and he liked what he saw, and just wants to clean up one area.
“There were a couple of early penalties in the first that kind of hurt us,” Brosch said. “It’s a locked in thing that I thought we could’ve done better at, but we learn from it and get better.”
Heading into halftime the Lions held a 31-6 lead and looked to build on that lead in the second half. With an offense that found a rhythm they did exactly that.
The Lions offense was fueled by its running game as usual but saw a familiar face get limited touches.
Senior DJ McClelland played a limited role in Friday’s win as the Lions rotated several backs throughout the night. Jett Jolly, Chase Edwards, Issac Lizardo, Jose Valverde and quarterback Nate Tucker all got a chance to showcase their talents while McClelland rested and delivered big time.
“It’s awesome to have guys like that because when we get this late into the season, we want to keep guys healthy,” Brosch said. “We gave DJ his touches early but when we get a big lead like that it’s always good to have that depth to make sure guys stay healthy.”
The stellar running game allowed Tucker to have more time in the pocket to find open receivers. Tripp Wilkie found himself on the receiving end of one of Tucker’s passes, and when he landed, he found himself in the end zone for a touchdown.
Defensively the Lions were just as ferocious as last week and forced three turnovers in the third quarter. This allowed the offense to add to their lead and claim victory.
With the Lions only giving up 19 points while scoring 101 points during the post season, players can get swept up in the excitement and lose focus of the big picture. Brosch said his group understands the assignment.
“The seniors this year know that things are about to get a lot harder,” Brosch said. “We know that with 16 teams left we are going to be playing some really good football teams. Not to discredit D’Hanis because they are a good team who had a good season. But, from here on out so we have to stay focused.”
The Lions raised the Area Championship trophy Friday night with their hopes of playing for the ultimate prize still high.
