The Teague Lions battled through the heat and a pesky Rockdale Tiger team and left town with their first win of the season on Friday night 28-21.
Teague fought through the normal events of the opening week of the season. They had a couple of scrimmages, but they were running with a live clock and assessed penalties and all special teams were in action. The Lions committed four turnovers but forced five on the defensive side of the ball in the one score win.
The Lions hit the highlight reel early on the opening kickoff. J’Kybryan Harris (far right) took the kick and raced down the far sideline for a 95-yard touchdown and the Lions took the early lead before a single offensive snap was taken in the game.
Rockdale answered the score from the opening seconds and would take a 21-14 lead in the game but the Lions, taking on the identity of the coaching staff with a hard-nosed work ethic, battled back with a score. Quarterback Zak Leija took a low snap off the carpet and ran through the Tiger defense to the Rockdale 18-yard line, completing a 43-yard run. Leija would finish the Teague drive with an 11-yard score to put the Lions within a single point when the conversion was no good.
As the game was winding down and the temperatures were cooling somewhat, the Lions took the lead for good. The Teague drive went into scoring position and Leija connected with Harris for an 11-yard touchdown pass and the conversion put the Lions up 28-21 and the defense would make that lead stick.
Shamar Davis led the Teague rushing attack with 53 yards on 14 carries and an early touchdown and Leija had 70 passing yards and the score.
Teague returns home for their opener at Lion Stadium when they host the New Waverly Bulldogs on Friday night.
(Photos by Jessica Risken)
