The Teague Lions pitched a shut out of the New Waverly Bulldogs at Lion Stadium in the 2023 home opener. The Lions improved to 2-0 on the young season and travel next week to Centerville to take on the top ten Tigers.
The Lions had a workmanlike win over the Bulldogs. They posted a touchdown in each quarter and fought off a solid Bulldog defensive line that posted five sacks of quarterback Zak Leija. Teague turned New Waverly away each time they came close to scoring and swarmed the Bulldog offense the entire evening.
The Bulldogs took the ball first and faced an early fourth down and converted it at their 40-yard line. Three plays later, New Waverly needed to convert a fourth and one and the Lion defensive line pushed the Bulldog offense back and took over on downs.
Teague stalled on their offensive possession and line up in punt formation. Leija was the punter and took the snap and passed down the middle to Tylin Randle. The fake punt netted a first down to the Bulldog 21-yard line and Leija would score on a 17-yard run. Alex Lopez added the extra point, and the Lions took the only lead they would need with 6:02 remaining in the first quarter.
Defense was the theme of the night, and they made their presence known early in the second quarter. Ke’Mauri Evans knocked the ball loose from Noah Vick and Braden Gauntt recovered at the New Waverly 46-yard line. Evans worked in the Lion backfield, and he finished off the short drive with a seven-yard run. The point after failed and the Lions held a 13-0 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the half.
Late in the first half, a New Waverly pass sailed toward the sideline. Lion defensive back Nick Barrentine reached up and intercepted the pass and toed the sideline in highlight fashion and the Lions took over. The offense stalled there and the punt late in the quarter held the Lion 13-0 lead at the half.
Teague took the ball deep in their own end of the field to open the second half. The kickoff bounced around and the Lions return team picked it up but was stopped at their own eight-yard line. Using a mix of the run and pass, the Lions worked down the field and with 7:58 to go in the third quarter, Leija added his second touchdown run of the game when he raced up the left side to the pylon for the ten-yard score. Leija added the conversion run and the lead stretched to 21-0.
Two short punts put the Lions ahead on the field position for the remainder of the third quarter and into the fourth. Gauntt intercepted a New Waverly pass and the Lions had complete control for the rest of the game. Ny’Land Coaster scored on a 28-yard run but the point after was blocked and the final score would be a 27-0 shutout.
The Teague Lions have posted two wins in the young season and will travel to Centerville next Friday night to battle the Tigers and then return home to take on another Leon County team when the Buffalo Bison come to visit.
(Photos by Jessica Risken)
