Lions boast smaller, seasoned team
The 2021 Dublin Lions rushed into the season with a 43-7 away victory over the DeLeon Bearcats.
Greg Hardcastle, who has stepped up to head coach and athletic director this year, expects this to be an omen of a good season to come.
“This is a year of maturity,” he said of his squad, which includes 16 seniors. “That’s going to bode well for us.”
The squad also boasts a lot of experience under the Friday night lights due to the difficult 2020- 21 season. COVID exposures and quarantines led to many underclassmen suiting up with the varsity last season so they are a bit more prepared than they would have been.
Hardcastle is proud of his seniors’ experience but he sees players like junior Chris Teten stepping on to the field with a little more confidence and practice.
The coach admitted that, with 25 players, the team is a little smaller than years past, but countered that everybody in his lineup can play and gel well together.
“It’s a very close group, and they encourage each other,” he said,
As with every year, the Lions’ first big goal is to break into playoffs and then climb their way further up the ladder.
Hardcastle prefers to keep his players set on the next immediate goal though.
“We have to take care of business each week,” he said of their need to focus their attention on each game. “We’ve got to use the first five [preseason] games to get us ready for [district play].”
Hardacstle said the team will need to focus on staying healthy and can’t be satisfied with the accomplishments along the way. They’ll need to keep building throughout the season to keep moving forward.
“I’m looking forward to us continuing yo improve every week and having a great year,” Hardcastle said.
See the Lions Full schedule in the Dublin National Bank ad on Page C10.