JESSIEVILLE LIONS: Trying to recover

Lions still adjusting to life in higher classi◊ cation

— Things were going reasonably well for the Jessieville Lions. The team hadn't missed the playoffs since the '90s, they won the 2A state title in 2006, and they knew exactly what kind of offenses and defenses they would be seeing from week to week and year to year.

Last year brought a sea of change: a move in class from 2A to 3A.

Suddenly, the Lions were facing unfamiliar teams with bigger, stronger, faster kids. What followed was an unseemly 2-8 record - as lopsided a conference finish as the Lions have had in recent memory.

"We had some of the gaudiest defensive stats we've ever had," head coach Don Phillips said. "We gave up a whole bunch of points and didn't score many.

"It wasn't hard to figure out there were some issues."

Jessieville will look to solve some of those issues in its second 3A season, which begins Sept. 4 at Mountain Pine.

Last year was a season to learn from for Phillips, who saw several players transfer or get injured before and during the season. Especially affected was the offensive line, which forced the Lions into new territory: a reliance on the passing game.

"We ended up throwing a lot more than the year before because we lacked depth up front," Phillips said. "We didn't have a system built for that. Basically, we just reached into the minnow bucket hoping to grab something that worked."

The lack of a clearly defined system led to an abundance of turnovers. Phillips said the Lions gave up the ball three times for every turnover they forced. That kind of math doesn't add up to success.

"I try to shoot for plus-three on turnovers," Phillips said, referring to how many more turnovers he likes his squad to force compared to the opponent. "I don't think we had a game all last year where we were in the plus column."

To help turn the tide this year, Phillips will be relying on a large group of ninth-graders who are moving up to varsity. The Lions also plan to return several players who missed time with injury last year.

"We've got bodies this year, especially up front, that we didn't have last year," Phillips said. "Offensively and defensively, I think they'll be able to force the issue on the other guys."

Besides added depth up front, the Lions will look to talent in the skill positions to get them back in the win column. Senior Orlando Sierra (5-10, 180), whom Phillips called "industrious" and "a hard worker," will play tailback and occasionally fullback for the Lions. Junior Kyle Eckard (5-11, 190) will take over at quarterback after serving as a backup last year.

"[Eckard] doesn't have blazing speed but he has the tools to do what we need him to do," Phillips said. "I'm anxious to see what he can do. I think he's going to be a good one."

The Lions hope to find a few extra points out of kicker Anderson Carranza. The team had difficulty moving the ball last year, and Carranza was left with few opportunities to show off what Phillips called "one of the better 3A kickers in the state."

Phillips spoke from experience. During a spring practice, Carranza booted a mishandled ball that curved hard and smacked Phillips in the head.

"[The ball] nearly knocked me to the ground," Phillips said. "[Carranza's] got 40-50-yard range. If we get him into position, he's very capable of getting us some points."

The Lions return only two starters on offense and three on defense, but a solid youth movement holds promise for this fall and the future.

"It's paramount for us to re-establish our identity," Phillips said. "We need to come out and start winning so the kids know that this is what we do and that we're going to do it. We're trying to reinvent the system to be successful again."

Numbers:

6-3: Height of team's tallest player, senior lineman T.J. McNeely

280: Benching weight of 180-pound running back Orlando Sierra; Lions' strongest player per pound.

0: Number of points allowed in Jessieville's two 2008 victories

0: Number of Jessieville's All-State selections

34: Average number of points allowed in team's 7 2008 losses

Tri-Lakes, Pages 13 on 08/30/2009

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