Lions Steamrolled by Gryphons, 49-23

Senior quarterback  and senior wide receiver Chris Murray kept the Lions in the first half of the game against the Sickles Gryphons Sept. 23. Windham threw two touchdowns, and Murray ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.

But in the end, the Sickles rushing attack was just too much. The Gryphons came out in the second half and exerted their will on the Lions defense.

The final score was 49-23, Sickles.

The Gryphons took the opening drive down the field and capped it with a touchdown run by junior Marcus Vega. The Lions answered with a touchdown drive capped by a touchdown catch from Taylor Gonzales.

On Sickles’ next offensive play, picked off the pass and looked to run it in for a touchdown but was ruled down at the one-yard line. The Lions failed to punch it in and fumbled the snap on the field goal attempt, giving the ball right back to Sickles. Sickles would score a few plays later on a catch by junior DeAndre Mathis.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Gryphons went for an onside kick and came up with it. On their next drive, Vega again punched it in for a touchdown and it looked like the Lions were down for the count.

Then Sickles kicked it off to Murray. Murray caught the ball on the sideline and resisted the temptation to take the ball up the sideline. He ran right back into his blockers and they made a crease for him, which he exploited for about a 90-yard touchdown.

The fireworks were really going off after that. The kick return was followed closely by another great catch and run by Sickles’ Mathis to make it 28-14, Gryphons.

King marched right back down the field and nearly had a touchdown grab from Murray, but he was shoved out of bounds and the Lions had to settle for a field goal.

The Lions needed some momentum back to start the third quarter.

They got just the opposite.

King went three-and-out and Sickles scored on another running play to junior Jared O’Donoghue, but not before Cox put some blue helmet paint on a couple of Gryphon ball-carriers.

The Lions could have packed it in at that point, but they didn’t.

A crushing block from Gonzales freed up junior Marcus Brown to keep the next drive moving, and Windham capped it with a touchdown pass to Murray.

King had closed it to 35-23 but that was the high water mark.

Sickles scored on runs by freshman Ray McCloud and senior LaDondra Crittenden.

The Gryphon Green Machine dominated the Lions, rushing for 353 yards. Both sophomore Yhaquille Grant and Crittenden had over 100 yards apiece, and the hefty offensive line converted every third and short situation.

“They were overpowering one side, and we weren’t adjusting,” said Lions Defensive Coordinator Bass Dillard. “Our youth showed today.”

The district loss hurts King as the Lions drop to 1-3, but the game had a silver lining.

Austin Cox made his presence felt numerous times, delivering crushing hits. He even got a couple carries on offense as the game wound down.

“I’ve been talking to coach all year about putting me in at running back,” said Cox. “We’ve gotta learn from this; learn to keep our intensity up and push harder.”

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