The Dublin Lions ended their season in Early Friday, Nov. 7.
Although the battle ended 76-6 in the home team’s favor, head football coach/athletic director Greg Hardcastle expressed pride in the growth of the Lions over the season.
“I feel like the offensive line really came on in the last 3-4 district games,” said Hardcastle. “We were able to run the ball better at times.” Hardcastle also said his line did a good job at keeping quarterback Alex Teten from getting sacked once he returned from the injured list.
The coach also praised Joe Salinas for getting into the groove as running back once Teten returned and he stepped back from QB duties. He also said the defensive line had some great moments but the team will be working on consistency for next year.
Gridiron Lions will have opportunities for conditioning in the offseason with powerlifting approaching and 7-on-7 and the Linemen Challenge returning at the beginning of summer. Hardcastle said 7-on-7 is particularly good for building chemistry between the quarterback and his receivers.
With the end of season, the Lions will be saying goodbye to 17 seniors. “A lot of these guys have been here since the 7th grade,” said Hardcastle. “They developed into leaders and we had some that really stepped into their roles this year. We wish them the best and look forward to seeing what they can do in the future.”
Fortunately, the Lions can look forward to some returners stepping into leadership positions next year as well as talent moving up from JV and Jr. High.
During the final game, Teten passed for 205 yards and Salinas had 60 yards of receiving. Kyson Gilman led in Receiving with 108 and brought in the sole touchdown. On the defensive side, Hunter Splawn had 7 tackles, Cayson Loving had 6 tackles and a sack. Kyler Gaitan, Jax Johnson and Ron Bahena had 3 tackles each.