Lions Ready to Prowl in Football Home Opener
By Frank Cardenas
Javelina Stadium will play host to the Friday Night Lights for the first time this year tonight, as one area football squad is looking to carry momentum into their home debut.
One week removed from a huge 46-0 shutout of South San Antonio West Campus, the Santa Gertrudis Academy Lions will play in front of a home crowd this Friday.
The Lions were on a tear on offense during the first matchup, with a well balanced attack that showcased both the rushing and passing game.
SGA had a combined 163-yard rushing effort, with Domanick Garcia, Adrian Gonzalez, and Ramon Gomez leading the charge with over 20 yards apiece.
Gonzalez and Gomez each had a touchdown on the ground, with Julian Gonzalez and Audi Benitez adding rushing scores of their own.
Benitez also had a receiving touchdown on a 46-yard catch.
Through the air, Garcia went 7-for 10 for 171 passing yards and a three touchdowns. His go-to receiver on the night was Willis Tinsley, who had two touchdowns on the evening for 40 receiving yards.
Although the offense was masterful, Tinsley said it was a team effort that gave them the win.
“A big part of our win was the defense flying to the ball and the offense making plays when they needed to,” Tinsley said. “And we have to hand it to the coaches for calling the plays and getting us prepared and telling us what we needed to do to be successful.”
As for this week, Tinsley is looking to ride the moment of the win.
“Coming off a big game last week, we expect to have another big game,” Tinsley said. “Go out and do what we need to do and secure the win.”
Jacob Sanchez said the Lions defense did do well in the shutout, but this week against Benavides, the Lions still need to focus on causing more turnovers.
“(We need) to cause turnovers, force fumbles, cause interceptions,” Sanchez said. “We want to keep their offense off the field.”
The Lions will face Benavides this week, with the Eagles fresh off a 65-0 loss against Freer last week.
SGA will take the field at Javelina Stadium Friday with a kickoff time of 7:30 p.m. in front of their home crowd.