By Albert Trevino
The Livingston Lions fell 24-14 on the road to the Fort Bend Austin Bulldogs in the season opener in Sugar Land on Saturday.
In the first non-district matchup of the season at Edward Mercer Stadium, the Lions let costly errors on both sides of the ball keep momentum in favor of Fort Bend Austin.
“We started giving up those big plays every time and it is inexcusable,” said Lion head coach Finis Vanover. “Everybody going to sleep and not being aware of the down and distance. About eight terrible plays, on our part, they took advantage of.”
Vanover emphasized the need to reduce turnovers and improve defense on key downs, noting that the team struggled with substitutions and conditioning. He believes that addressing these issues will lead to better performance in future games.
“We have to stop fumbling and giving up [long yardage] on third and fourth down. If we can clean that up, we will be fine,” Vanover said. “They got tested by a lot of numbers and our subs were struggling. We will have to get in better shape moving forward.”
Starting the first possession from around midfield, Lion senior tight end Deondre Johnson caught a pass up the middle to quickly reach the red zone. The play provided the offense with an early spark.
Livingston marched further down the field, and Lion senior quarterback Damorian Hill capped off the drive by punching it in for a three-yard touchdown, putting the team up 7-0 early.
A Lion penalty on a punt attempt during the first Austin drive kept a Bulldog possession alive. Austin would move the chains into Livingston territory, but later turn the ball over on downs. They would gain possession again at the end of the first quarter.
That led to a pass from Bulldog junior quarterback Koen Herrmann to senior wide receiver Chrishun Fitch for a 27-yard touchdown pass, which tied the game.
Passing on a fake punt kept Livingston’s next possession alive near midfield in the second quarter, giving them a fresh set of downs. Despite the slick play, the Lions could not capitalize with a score and were forced to punt again, missing an opportunity to extend their lead.
Instead, Herrmann later delivered another long bomb to Fitch to get into Livingston territory. From first-and-goal inside the five-yard line, Herrmann would punch it in for another touchdown to take the 14-7 lead.
The Lions immediately turned the ball back over on an interception, giving Austin another opportunity to score in the final seconds of the half. Bulldog junior kicker Justin Sosa made a midrange field goal to extend Austin’s lead by three at halftime, 17-7.
In the second half, Livingston’s offense got rolling with a handoff between the tackles to senior running back Jerren James going deep into Austin territory.
Lion senior running back Trenden Williams avoided a tackle on a huge gain that put Livingston inside the red zone.
Hill took a quarterback keeper inside the five-yard line for a fresh set of downs, then rushed again on a short second-and-goal for the touchdown. This cut the deficit to 17-14 late in the third quarter.
Livingston appeared to have momentum, as they marched again down the field on the next drive going into the final period.
Another touchdown would have given the Lions the lead, however, a crucial turnover occurred, fumbling on the snap.
Handing off on the first play from scrimmage, the Bulldogs scampered 62 yards for a touchdown. This extended the Austin lead to a two-score game late in the fourth.
Livingston turned the ball over on downs on their next possession, despite advancing into Austin territory once more. The missed opportunity allowed the Bulldogs to regain control of the ball. Austin would run out the clock and secure their win.
Comment
Comments