Lisbon Lions varsity football notched a 28-14 win on the road at Wapello Friday, Sept. 24, improving their record to 4-1.
Last week, Lions head coach Phil Whitman had said his team would have to play “our best game of the year if we want to win,” and referred to Wapello as the best team they would face to date.
“I don’t know if we played our best, but we played probably one of the most physical games we played in a long time,” Whitman said after the game. “I would say we played our most physical game of the year so far.”
“They weren’t ready for the physicality that our kids played with,” said Whitman.
Wapello was first to strike. A handoff from senior Wapello quarterback Tade Parsons to junior Jake Gustison produced a 29-yard touchdown run for the home team, putting Wapello up 6-0 with 5:29 to go in the first quarter. The team missed a point-after kick.
When the Lions received the ball with 3:56 remaining in the first, Lions quarterback Gavin Wollum began an eventual touchdown drive that would eat up a good portion of the second quarter. Max Kohl was his frequent collaborator on the drive.
On fourth and goal and under five minutes to the half, Wollum ran the ball to the end zone from the four yard line for a Lions touchdown, tying it up at 6-6. A two-point conversion attempt fell short, and the score would stay there for now.
Wollum was instrumental in the next Lions touchdown as well, dropping back to the Wapello 19-yard line and firing a complete pass to Aiden Hansen with 2:09 to the half. Hansen caught it at the 11 and carried it to the goal line to make it 12-6. Another two-point conversion came up short, and the score would stay at 12-6 for a little bit longer.
After Wapello was forced to turnover the ball on fourth and nine, the Lions, with under two minutes in the half, mounted yet another successful scoring campaign.
Cohen Kamaus, now at the quarterback position, connected with Kaden Caspers with 41 seconds on the play clock. Caspers caught the ball at the 15 and carried it into the endzone. The Lions were up 18-6 until Kamaus ran the ball six yards after their touchdown, making it into the endzone himself, putting the Lions up 20-6 with only moments to go until the half.
The third quarter was quieter in comparison, until Parsons ran 49 yards for a touchdown with 1:47 remaining in the period. Parsons ran three yards after the touchdown for a two-point conversion, Wapello cutting the lead down to 20-14.
Wollum, back in the saddle in the quarterback position in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, ran for 67 yards on third and second. Two plays later, Wollum crossed the goal line for a 26-14 lead. Wollum did it again moments after, from the six yard line, putting two more points on the team’s total, and bringing the game to its final score of 28-14.
The Lions head to Pekin Friday to challenge the 0-5 Pekin Panthers on their home turf.
“They’ve got some good players,” Coach Whitman said of their opponent.