The Lincoln football team returned to play on the field against their toughest competitor, Oak Grove, on September 13th at the home stadium.

This year, Lincoln is placed in the B league, however Oak Grove is in the A league. The first kick of the season was against one of the top teams in the county, Oak Grove, receiving an overall record of 10-1 last season.

Junior Varsity lost with a score of 12-34. The team played their best defense in the second half of the game and they had a lot of close touchdowns throughout. Good attempts were made by the Lions, but the players will work harder to play on September 21, against Aragon High.

Varsity also lost 14-20. The varsity players entered behind the band and started practicing/stretching on the field. Oak Grove played well in offense and made touchdowns within minutes into the game. But, the players were on the top of their shoes until the end. Even though they lost, the audience was always supporting the team alongside the band- who added lyrics to their songs.

The team goals expected by Coach Kevin Collins for this season are, “Every week we have to practice like we’re playing the best team, and we can’t look beyond our current opponent.”

Even though the school year has just started and players are required to practice in high temperatures , the football team is really motivated; they practice every day after school. They are given a lot of water breaks because of the heat and their heavy gear. Otherwise, the practices are the same as always.

This year-just like most years, the team faces drama very rarely. Drama means what positions players will specifically be playing and what responsibilities they have towards the team. Coach  Collins said, “There is drama because there are 50 guys on the team; but, we work really hard to stay together.” He added, “I’m very honest about what positions what players will be playing; we’re constantly working with the players.”

He also said, “I try to build relationships with all the players and talk to them individually about what their roles are; but there’s a large amount of boys on the team, so sometimes it can get hard.”

This season, the team is facing minor injuries on a few players; there are minor concussions and a few sprains.

Junior player, Jesus Osuna shared, “My expectation from this season is for my team to make it to league championship.”

Another junior player Benjamin Schroeder said, “Juggling school and practices may be difficult at times but it will eventually pay off.” Osuna added, “Putting school and practices is not hard, but you need to know how to manage your schedule.”

“We work really hard on trying to be one cohesive unit,” coach Collins also added. The Lincoln team really strives to be a family unit in hopes that they will work well together and give everything they have in games.

Coach Collins and all the players are working really hard for a wonderful season. Coach Collins said, “We will play hard every week, if we do that, the wins will start to come in themselves.”