The Cervetto stadium stands were filled with cheering fans Friday, Sept. 11 as the homecoming crowd witnessed a 33-12 Dublin Lion victory over visiting Keene.
“We came out with high energy,” head football coach/ athletic director Greg Hardcastle said of his team. “They were excited to play and get a bad taste out of mouth from week before.”
That excitement translated into a scoreless first half for Keene, who managed a couple of touchdowns in the back half of the game.
Despite those conceded points, Hardcastle was happy to see his players execute lessons learned in a busy week of practice. He called out his team for consistently moving the ball on offense with runners keeping control with several plays to get a first down.
“It was a great team effort,” the coach added, saying that spreading the plays among the offensive line kept the Chargers scrambling to defend.
Touchdowns were carried over the line by Kyler Gaitan, Jaiden Gauna, Ruben Bustillos, Joe Salinas and Jory McKeithen. Salinas also brought home a two-point conversion play and Paxton Loper added a point after touchdown kick.
As quarterback, Loper showed solid growth with 230 passing yards in the game with Gaitan and Bustillos leading receiving with 84 and 72 yards respectively. McKeithen and Gauna managed 58 and 57 yards respectively.
Salinas led in tackles with 15 followed by Cayson Loving with 11 and Gauna with 9. Gaun and Loving also sacked the the Keene quarterback to stop the ball. Gaitan also had a pass defensed.
The Lions return to Cervetto Field Friday, Sept. 18 for a 7 p.m. kickoff against the Eastland Mavericks. The Mavs are coming off a win as well last week and looking for redemption as Dublin beat them the last two years.
Hardcastle said his boys will look to keep this excitement going but is prepared to face a team that’s improved from last year with a couple of good runners and stronger defense.
The Lions fans are invited to pack the stands again to bring back that winning energy for another week.