There’s an old saying, “the pioneers take the arrows.”

Lisbon football moved up to Class 1A for the first time in school history this fall, and took its share of arrows, finishing the year 0-8.

“It was a tough season for everybody, in terms of wins and losses,” first-year Lisbon coach Alex Dean said. “A lot of things didn’t go our way.”

“But I’ll remember the growth and watching the kids band together. My heart goes out to the seniors. It was a tough way to go out.”

Senior night was Friday, Oct. 17, at Walmer Field, and the Lions closed the year with a brutal loss to No. 8 Dyersville Beckman, 63-0.

The Blazers were dominant, rolling up 339 rushing yards on 25 carries. Mack Wolfe led the way with 113 yards on seven carries.

Offensively, Lisbon was limited to just 31 yards.

“They are just a really hard-nosed, physical team,” Dean said of Beckman. “They are very confident in what they do, and it shows up on the field. They are a very impressive team.”

Chase McFarlane led the defense with 5.5 tackles.

Beckman won the District 5 title. Lisbon (0-8, 0-5) will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019, when they finished 4-5, 2-3.

The Lions had the option of picking up a ninth game this week, but the players passed on it.

“The seniors said if we didn’t earn it, it doesn’t feel right to play that ninth game,” Dean said.

Dean said the coaches have already met and are working on building for 2026.

“Sometimes you have these seasons,” Dean said. “Moving up to 1A was a huge adjustment. It is something Lisbon football had never done before. We were the first. I hope the kids are proud of that.”

“The guys banded together and did their best. I think the future is bright.”