The Dublin Lions had trouble finding footing in Rattler Country Friday, Oct. 18 as they battled Tolar in an away 56-14 loss.
Greg Hardcastle, head Dublin football coach and athletic director said he was proud of his team’s effort in facing a team who was a state finalist last year.
“It would have been really easy for them to give in,” he said of his team. “But they fought hard.”
Despite the score disparity, Dublin showed prowess on the defensive stats as DJ Ferguson (who brought in one of the Lions’ touchdowns) had 11 tackles followed closely by Alonso Moreno with 10.
Caige Balvantin racked up 9 tackles and 8 sacks while Jake Southall also had 8 tackles and 8 sacks on the field. Fernando Esparza also brought down 8 tackles while Jovani Cervantes had 7.
Quarterback Kaden Gaitan had 116 yards of passing and rushed in the other TD for Dublin. Kicker Rey Chacon completed both of PAT kick attempts.
Alex Teten led in rushing with 52 yards.
The Lions are looking for a win as they return home to Cervetto Field Friday, Oct. 25 to face the 3-4 Eastland Mavericks. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Hardcastle reported this is a big game for the Dublin boys and they should be pretty evenly matched. “We encourage everyone to come out and support the team,” he said, adding that the Lions are fired up for the next three games in trying to get a playoff bid.