The Granger Lions varsity football team lost its first district game of the season, 32-15, to the Sommerville Yeguas on Friday, Oct. 18. The Lions' offense struggled and was unable to capitalize in pivotal moments.
The game began as a defensive battle, with both teams failing to score on their first two drives. Sommerville was first on the board with a 70-yard screenplay for a touchdown, making it 6-0 after a missed point-after attempt. The Lions quickly responded when junior wide receiver Joseph Sifuentes returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown, giving Granger a 7-6 lead. Sifuentes had an impressive day as a kick returner, providing the Lions with multiple short fields.
Unfortunately for Granger, the team could not take advantage of the favorable field position, as several drives in the red zone ended in punts or turnovers. The Lions were hampered by penalties that pushed them back, ultimately keeping them off the scoreboard. The Yeguas capitalized on these mistakes, scoring on a jump ball that was caught and run in for a touchdown, giving Sommerville a 12-7 lead at halftime. Lions head coach Gaston McDorman discussed the team's inability to seize key opportunities.
'We had opportunities, we had chances — a couple of self-inflicted mistakes on our part — but Sommerville's defense is really good. Those guys came to play. We knew they were going to be good, and we just shot ourselves in the foot at the wrong time,' McDorman said.
Offensively, the Lions continued to struggle in the second half, failing to maintain drives putting more pressure on the defense. Junior running back and linebacker Caleb Hobratsch led that side of the ball, making several big-time tackles in critical moments. However, Granger’s defense eventually tired, as Sommerville scored 13 unanswered points to make it 25-7 early in the fourth quarter.
The Lions showed some fight by scoring on a screen pass that Hobratsch took 50 yards for a touchdown, followed by a successful twopoint conversion to make it 25-15. Despite the attempt at a late comeback, the damage was done, and the Yeguas sealed the game with another touchdown drive. McDorman discussed the team's mindset after the tough loss.
'It's one game,' he said. 'We talk about our season being in chapters, and this was one chapter. We have to turn the page and move on.'
Granger falls to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in district play, while Sommerville improves to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the district. The Lions will host McDade on Friday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m
