Hopeful Lion fans came to their feet in the closing moments of overtime.
Lions Fall to Beaumont Central in Overtime, LIVINGSTON, October 2, 2010 - The Livingston Lions varsity football team came out swinging against the Beaumont Central Jaguars on Friday October 1, 2010. The Lions jumped out to a 14 - 0 lead but ended up losing the lead by halftime as the Jags were able to score two touchdowns on Livingston. In the second half, the Lions could only muster up one touchdown in a defensive struggle against the always tough Jaguars, but the Lions also held the Jags to one second half touchdown. The game ended up going into overtime. Overtime in high school and college is not like overtime in the NFL where you kick off and the first team to score wins (sudden death). For the school levels, each team is spotted the ball on the 25 yard line (25 yards from the end-zone). The Jags had the ball first and managed to capitalize scoring a touchdown. When it was the Lions turn, they weren't able to punch it in. One reason is they got a 15 yard penalty after driving to within the 5 yard line. This put the Lions back at around the 18. On 4th and 18, they threw up a pass that fell incomplete securing the victory for the Jags. Final score: Jags 28 - Lions 21
My observation of the Lion offense: Head Coach Randy Rowe has put together a solid football team in 2010. The defense plays well. The first most important thing for any offense is to establish the run. Rowe's offense has a running game that is the team's bread and butter. Even teams like Beaumont Central that traditionally have a smash-mouth defense struggles against the Lion running game. On Friday night the Lions ran well against the Jags...But there's always room for improvement. The Lions glaring weakness seems to be passing. As usual, I don't have the official stats, but I think the Lions threw a total of about 3 passes on Friday and none were completions (please correct me if I'm wrong). The Jaguars on the other hand, had an offense that could run and pass and their passing game worked effectively against the Lions. This is called balance. If all a team does is run, then defenses will not respect the passing game and use more men to attack the runners. One fan (whose name I wont mention) stated to me that the Lions might need to use a Wildcat offense; this is where you utilize a passing quarterback in obvious passing situations, and a running quarterback for other situations. I remember a couple of years ago when we played Dayton in the playoffs. The Broncos had a simple screen pass that they utilized throughout the game that was eating our lunch. Just simple short passes for moderate gains would force any team to respect the pass which would leave opponents vulnerable to the potent Lion runners (which I believe would make the Lions nearly unstoppable). When you force teams to respect the run, it opens up the passing game. When they're forced to respect the pass, it opens up the running game...Balance.
Final Thoughts... Even though our once perfect record now has a blemish, I firmly believe the Lions will be in the playoffs this year and I'm looking forward to it. Beaumont Central is a fundamentally sound football team and the Lions have beat them the last two years in close games. This game was no exception. It was so close it went into overtime and it was our turn to lose. The boys played well. Ryan "The Train" McClain was constantly in the Jags backfield again and recorded multiple quarterback sacks. McClain plays at such a high level every game that there must be colleges seriously looking at this young man. His presence is a menace for opposing offenses. Quarterback Chevoski Collins and running back Antonio White had some nice long runs. Special teams played better than usual and didn't allow any long returns on kickoffs or punts. Next game is against the Nederland Bulldogs in Livingston. Come on out and support the Lions. For about 5 bucks you get around 3 hours of great football and parking is free.
Willie Openshaw
Cassity Land (15) makes a shoestring tackle on the Jag's quarterback.
Quarterback Chevoski Collins looks at the Jaguar defense before taking a snap.
Rayn McClain gets some major elevation when he tried to block a Jaguar punt.
Antonio White runs in heavy traffic. White had another sterling performance running for the Lions.
Cat like balance: Quarterback Chevoski Collins exhibited extraordinary balance gliding along he edge of the sidelines.
Ryan McClain (on the ground) brings down the Jaguar quarterback. The Train recorded multiple quarterback sacks on the evening.
Lion defenders swarm a Jaguar ball carrier.
Lion defenders corral a Jaguar running back.
Ryan McClain made life hard for the Jag quarterback.
Michael Rudebusch (42) cuts off the Jag QB as the Train closes in.
Young Chevoski Collins is gifted with natural athletic abilities.
Traveonne Plattenburg closes in.
Gerrod Hilliard gets in the Jags' quarterback's face.
The offensive 1 - 2 punch of Chevoski Collins (left) and Kid Dynamite (Antonio White)
Gerrod Hilliard (35) and Ryan McClain close in.
Kinder Lions run out on the field before the opening kick off.
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