The Lions Football team is coming out with confidence this year. In previous years, the Lions have struggled to make an early impact, but this year they look like a healthy football team. Despite the setbacks, the Lions have started the season 2-3. The Lions opened the season with a loss to one of the top teams in the area, Paul VI, but retaliated with a win against Cumberland the following week. In the last 3 games, the Lions lost to nationally ranked Timber Creek and always-tough Seneca but dominated Woodrow Wilson for their second win of the season.
The Lions started the year without their starting quarterback and great athlete Rodney Williams. However, sophomore Joey Argentina, though young, filled in nicely as the team’s  quarterback. The Lions were put right into the show the first week of the season as they faced PVI on the road. The Lions held their own but suffered the 0-1 start to the season. In game 2, Argentina got the first win of his career, in a 21-20 effort over Cumberland. Cumberland nearly snatched the glory away from the Lions, but a final second stop in which Cumberland risked it all,  gave the Lions their first win. After a very tough loss to one of the most formidable football teams the Lions have ever hosted (Timber Creek) and another loss at Seneca High School, the Lions were prepared to break through against Woodrow Wilson.
Welcoming back the agile Rodney Williams, the Lions scored 39 unanswered points after going down 6-0. The Lions played great defense against a usually quick-paced and explosive Woodrow Wilson offense and were able to integrate a solid run game to go along with the passing game. There were no true heroes in the game, everyone played well from special teams to defense, from the strong o-line to the skill players. Coach Wright could not be anything but impressed with the resilience of his team after struggling in the first 4 games. Hopefully this game is a precursor to what the rest of the season will look like for the Lions.
The squad this year has to face something most teams do not. With a new head coach, playbook, and expectations, this is different from recent years. The strong senior leader Eddie Dunn says everything is new “on both sides of the ball.” However, “the game is still the same. It’s about adapting to the new system and working together.” Nevertheless, the Lions are dealing with the change. Joey Argentina says he thinks the team will be “better than the record shows. The defense is doing well and having Rodney [Williams] back could really open up our offense.”
The Lions have much to look forward to. As always the Thanksgiving classic game will be played versus rival East and the Lions have conference games and more opportunities to become a factor in the area. This could be the year for the Lions to break out.