The Dublin Lions snagged their second win of the season in an active 34-23 homecoming victory over the Florence Buffaloes.
The Lions showed they came to fight immediately with a touchdown on the first kickoff return of the game.
“It was great to get off to a good start with that pass to Dalan [Rasberry, who ran the ball across the field],” said Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Greg Hardcastle. “That let [quarterback] Kaden [Gaitan] settle in and get comfortable.”
Gaitan, who stepped up when Chris Teten moved to the injured list, seemed to get very comfortable. The sophomore had 158 yards in passing and contributed a touchdown during his 73 yards of rushing.
Rasberry had two touchdowns in the game and 135 yards in receiving.
The other two TDs were carried over the goal line by Cameron Patton, who rushed for 138 Friday night.
Aidan Hernandez went for 5 in his Point After Touchdown (PAT) kicks.
“Everyone ran the ball pretty well,” said Hardcastle. “I’m pleased with the way everybody stepped up.”
On the defensive end, Colt Pitcheralle and Lucas Azua led in tackles with 15 each. Collin Clendenin had 10 tackles while Cooper Picket snared 10 tackles and a sack during the game. Fernando Esparza also scored nine tackles.
“Defensively, we got some big stops when we needed them,” Hardcastle said of his team, pointing out interceptions, tackles and denied passes that kept Florence from breaking free.
The coach admitted the Buffaloes were able to snag some late game runs to narrow Dublin’s lead.
“Fortunately, we had a good lead we were able to hold on to and run out the clock,” he said.
The Lions have a bye week this week, offering the players some rest before they travel to Merkel Oct. 7 for the opening of district.
“This is a good week to get some of our guys to heal up and hone our skills and work on fundamentals,” said Hardcastle.