Football: Lyons smacks Walsenburg in season opener
Aug. 26—LYONS — Lyons football is pure poetry, each stanza comprised of eight lines.
In the Lions' home opener on Friday night, a refrain emerged to torment visiting Walsenburg: run, run, run. Nothing and no one could contain them as they cruised to a 50-0 victory. Through their effort, a continuation of last season's 10-1 campaign, they put the rest of 8-man football on notice.
This year, they're bringing back nearly all of their top playmakers from that state quarterfinals squad.
"It's definitely really exciting," junior running back Malik Sigg-Brown said. "We're just ready to hit hard and keep on going, starting off strong and communicating on just everything, basically."
Sigg-Brown, himself, provided the perfect metaphor for the type of explosiveness the Lions were capable of, scoring three touchdowns on runs consisting of 5, 51 and 55 yards as he finished his night with 207 yards.
Senior quarterback Miles Dumbauld, in assembling his own free verse, scored twice on short runs as senior wide receiver Finn Oetting (48-yard TD) and junior running back Jonas Kauffman (5-yard TD) added their own flair to the scoreboard.
"I think it does set a tone," head coach Jason Yantzer said. "Some of the teams out there know that we're returning a lot of guys and that we're going to be good ... but I'm hoping that we do catch the attention of some of these other teams as we progress through the season going game-by-game."
In 2022, the Lions burst onto the scene with an undefeated regular season, systematically knocking out opponent after opponent, even a heavyweight like Merino. Their postseason run, however, met a brick wall named Mancos in the second round.
Lyons' two-pronged attack was lethal. Dumbauld excelled through his aerial game putting together 1,159 passing yards and 14 touchdowns, as Sigg-Brown, naturally, took care of the ground game. On the run alone, he netted 1,020 yards with 18 scores, then added two more TDs on the receiving end.
Dumbauld, likewise, often relied on his own two feet, as he amassed 587 rushing yards with two additional trips to the end zone. Oetting scored 12 times with 680 offensive yards. Senior Maregu Sullivan, who should come back in earnest from injury in week three, scored nine touchdowns on 682 yards.
"I think that probably the hardest part is to come off a season like we had last year and then learn how to continue winning and keep a level head, to keep achieving, staying hungry," Yantzer said. "Being hungry and staying hungry was pretty crucial. They're champing at the bit."
Sigg-Brown, however, believes his team's performance last fall only kept the fire alive, previewing what's to come over the next few months. The Lions are already off to a white-hot start, with another chance to prove themselves when they hit the road to Las Animas on Friday.
"That spark is what keeps us going," Sigg-Brown said. "I think people should definitely fear us."
