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Lions come up short vs. Houlka By BARRY BURLESON
Editor The H.W. Byers Lions tried to scratch back Friday night versus another bunch of cats. Trailing
13-0 entering the fourth quarter, they rallied for one touchdown but
couldn’t get another and lost 13-6 to the Houlka Wildcats. “We
almost came back and won,” said coach James Kimbrough, whose Lions
complete their first varsity season at 2-6. “We couldn’t get any
momentum going until the fourth quarter, and then we just ran out of
time.” Byers got the ball back with about a minute left, 50 yards from the end zone, but came up short. “Our kids did not quit,” he said. The first quarter was scoreless. The
Wildcats took the lead in the second period, thanks to R.J. Johnson’s
6-yard touchdown run. Marquis Vance kicked the extra point. A
Byers mistake deep in its own territory resulted in Houlka’s next
touchdown, this one in the third quarter. Ondre Tittle returned an
interception 3 yards for the score. The point-after try was no good. “It
was a tipped ball that one of their defensive lineman caught and ran
in,” Coach Kimbrough said. “We played backed up on our own end of the
field much of the night.” The Lions’ only points
came in the fourth when Ladarrius Jones caught a 10-yard touchdown toss
from Christopher Echols. A pass attempt for the two points fell
incomplete. “Houlka dominated field position and time of possession,” Kimbrough said. “Our defense played exceptionally well.” He said his Lions made outstanding progress while getting their initial taste of “real high school football.” “It
was a major step up for us, and the kids improved,” Kimbrough said.
“There was frustration, because we wanted to win more, but we also
realize it was our first season. “The kids were
glad to have the opportunity to play football - win or lose. We’re
happy to have football at H.W. Byers. We have created an opportunity
for the young people at our school. It’s a big accomplishment.” Almost
his entire team will return next season, when the Lions will join a
district race in the Mississippi High School Activities Association. “We played a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and we have a good nucleus to work with next year,” Kimbrough said. “They’ve
already asked when we can get go back to work and continue to get
better. We’re excited about the district competition, and I believe we
will be OK. We have a good group of younger players.”
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