Dublin Lions fans were treated to a tough fight if they followed the team to Anson Friday night with a call and response game that was tied 14-14 at halftime.
“Anson scored pretty quick but we came right back and answered them,” said Dublin head football coach/athletic director Greg Hardcastle.
This tight match was particularly gratifying because the Lions were down six players.
“We had some guys really step up last week,” Hardcastle commended.
These include Ron Bahena who played both side of the game and Julian Caldera who took a spin on offense he hasn’t been doing. Caldera was responsible for bringing in one of the touchdowns, added 6 tackles and had 44 yards in receiving.
Quarterback Kaden Gaitan provided strong support with 240 yards in passing, 98 yards of rushing and nine tackles.
Fernando Esparza, who brought in a TD, had 52 yards of rushing and 8 tackles.
DJ Ferguson followed closely with 51 yards of rushing and 10 tackles.
Francisco Garcia led in receiving with 102 yards and completed a TD. The other run across the goal line was completed by Sev Ruiz who also had 6 tackles.
Alonso Moreno was a standout on defense, scoring 8 tackles and an interception.
Also leading in tackles were Caige Balvantin (7), Jake Southall (6) and Cayson Loving (6).
Christian Mendez went 4 for 4 in Point after Touchdown kicks.
“We just kept battling and I’m really proud of our effort,” said Hardcastle, who added the Lions successfully converted several third downs.
Even as the lead slipped away in the second half, the Lions battled all the way to the 49-28 finish in Anson’s favor.
This lead started after Anson switched strategies and started throwing screens. This experience gives Dublin another part of the game to finesse as they progress in the season and head into homecoming Friday night, facing the Bowie Jackrabbits at 7 p.m.
“Bowie’s not going to do anything we haven’t seen before,” said Hardcastle after looking at their style of play, which includes 3-4 defense and throwing screens. The Lions still anticipate a fight so they’re preparing.