The Lisbon Lions varsity football squad improved to 3-1 Friday night with a 40-0 blowout against the visiting Columbus Wildcats.
Veteran Lions coach Phil Whitman indicated after the game that even with a big win, letting one’s guard down isn’t a part of the job.
“You’re always coaching,” he said.
One nice aspect of the situation, said Whitman, “We got a lot of young guys in on Friday night, which was awesome. They were able to play most of the fourth quarter.”
Mixing new players in with some of his Friday night fixtures is a good way to “get them some experience,” Whitman said.
Another positive for the night?
“Our defense has played really well,” said Whitman, noting that the defense blocked three punts on the night, the second of which led to it being returned for a touchdown by Tyson Scott.”
That play, Whitman said, “got things started rolling a little bit more. And our defense our offense some really good field position.”
There were just over six minutes to go in the first quarter when Scott returned the blocked punt from the Wildcats 14 to make it 6-0. Scott turned right around and kicked the ball through the uprights to give his team a 7-0 lead.
The Lions scored again in the opening moments of the second quarter when quarterback Gavin Wollum ran the ball from the 10 into the end zone for the touchdown. Scott again came through with the extra point, putting Lisbon up 14-0.
Four minutes of game clock passed before Wollum was at it again, dropping back to the 36 and letting it rip.
Receiver Kaden Caspers made an over-the-shoulder catch in the back of the end zone and crossed the goal line for a 33-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion failed, and the Lions were up 20-0, a score they would take into halftime.
Another Lion offensive assault started with 9:58 to go in the third, beginning the same way it ended — with Wollum handing off the ball to Moore. Wollum handed it to Moore on first and 10, and seven plays later, on second and goal, when Moore burst into the end zone to put the Lions up 26-0. Scott made it 27-0 with an extra point, and there were seven minutes to go in the third.
It was Cohen Kamaus’s turn next, taking the ball from the Wildcats 16 to the goal line, and giving the Lions a 33-0 edge with 3:59 in the third period. Scott was again good with the point after to make it 34-0.
The final Lions scoring drive began with 11:03 to go in the fourth quarter, and culminated at 7:46 with Kamaus handing off to Moore for an 18 yard run into the end zone. Lisbon was now up 40-0, and it would stay that way until the end of the game.
The Lions would next face Wapello at Wapello on Friday night. Both teams enter the game with 3-1 records.
“They are going to be the best team we’ve faced so far this year, I think,” said Whitman.
“They’ve got a stud quarterback, a stud running back/receiver. They’ve got another receiver that’s really good. They’re big up front. They’ve got a nice linebacker. They’re a solid team,” Whitman said.
“We’re going to have to play our best game of the year if we want to win.”
Lions tame Wildcats in gridiron action
Trent Bowman
September 23, 2021