PLAYERS OF THE WEEK FOR THE LIBERTY GAME
The players of the week for the Liberty game are:
Offensive--Damion Willis
Offensive Lineman--Spencer Harvey, Eleazor Mendoza, Nate Leonard, Eric Harrison, and Jacob Smith
Defensive--Jon Maribo
Defensive Lineman--Michael Snowden
Special Teams--Tavario Smithe
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK FOR THE SHERMAN GAME
The players of the week for the Sherman game are:
Offensive--Zach Lee
Offensive Lineman--Eric Harrison
Defense--Tavario Smith
Defensive Lineman--Chad Taylor
Special Teams--Elias Ramos and Michael Gonsalves
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK FOR CENTENNIAL GAME
The players of the week for the Centennial game are:
Damian Willis--Offense
Jacob Smith and Eric Harrison--Offensive Line
Travis Tarver II--Defense
Michael Snowden--Defensive Line
Jon Maribo--Special Teams
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK FOR NORTH GAME
The players of the week for the North game are:
Damian Willis--Offense
Collin Pope--Offensive Line
Evan Hinkle--Defense
D'Juan Swinney--Defensive Line
Red Shannon--Special Teams
HOW ‘BOUT DEM LIONS!!!!!
Lions Defeat Bulldogs 49-3 in Crosstown Showdown
October 16, 2009
The McKinney Lions won their second straight district game Friday night at Ron Poe stadium by defeating McKinney North 49-3 in the Crosstown Showdown. The Lions defense dominated the Dawgs, giving up only a field goal after holding the Bulldogs deep in Lions’ territory. The Lions have not allowed a touchdown in 8 consecutive quarters. On offense, the Lions protected the football and capitalized on the performance of its defense, controlling the ball and scoring 7 touchdowns.
On their first offensive possession of the night, the Lions established their ability to run the football when Damian Willis scored on a 68 yard touchdown run. The Lions relied on their running game racking up 313 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground behind the blocking of offensive linemen, Collin Pope, Eliazar Mendoza, Nate Leonard, Eric Harrison and Jacob Smith, and 106 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. Damian Willis, Zach Lee, Travis Tarver II, and Scooter Thompson each scored a rushing touchdown, and Matt Lipka had 3 touchdown catches. For the night, Zach Lee was 5 for 11 passing with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Lipka led receivers with 4 catches for 94 yards, and Josh Weathers had 1 reception for 12 yards. The Lions had 419 total yards on offense.
Defensively, the Lions picked up where they left off last week not allowing a touchdown. The Lions’ stingy defense created 5 turnovers—4 fumbles and 1 interception. Jon Maribo had 2 fumble recoveries, and Travario Smith and Collin Zabasky each had 1 fumble recovery. Dustin Driggs, Evan Hinkle, and Jerrol Guidry each caused a fumble, and Matt Lipka intercepted a Bulldog pass in the Lions end zone to stop another North scoring threat. D’Juan Swinney had 2 sacks and Joseph Blaquiere had 1 sack. Morgan Maribo had 4 tackles, 5 assists, 2 passes broken up and a blocked kick; freshman Red Shannon had 6 tackles and 1 pass broken up; Eric Butler had 1 tackle and 6 assists; Evan Hinkle had 5 tackles and 2 assists; Michael Snowden had 3 tackles and 6 assists; and D’Juan Swinney also had 2 tackles, 2 assists, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 quarterback hit.
Players of the game were Damian Willis for offense, Collin Pope for offensive line, Evan Hinkle for defense, D’Juan Swinney for defensive line, and Red Shannon for special teams.
Kudos to the Lions for an outstanding team effort and victory!! Although the Lions struggled through the first half of their season, they continued to work hard to improve, focused on the job at hand, and never gave up on their goals. Their efforts are paying off, and they have worked themselves back into the playoff picture. Next week’s game is a crucial district game against Frisco Centennial. Let’s all come out in force and cheer our Lions on to their next victory Friday night at Ron Poe Stadium. GO LIONS!!
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK FOR FRISCO GAME
Players for the week for the Frisco game:
Offensive--Zach Lee and Matt Lipka
Offensive Line--Nate Leonard
Defensive--D'Juan Swinney
Defensive Line--Joseph Blaquiere
Special Teams--Michael Gonsalves
LIONS’ DEFENSE SHUTS OUT FRISCO
By Billy Leonard
October 9, 2010
The story of McKinney High’s 35-0 Homecoming victory Friday night was that the Lions defense held Frisco scoreless and led the way for the Lions’ first district win. The defense’s performance is a credit to the Lions’ players and coaches who have worked tirelessly to improve, have maintained an outstanding attitude, and who have displayed a desire to prove that they are better than their win/loss record shows.
The Frisco Raccoons game plan was obvious from the start--long, sustained drives to run the clock down and keep the ball from the Lions’ explosive offense. The strategy appeared to be working as Frisco took the opening kick off and proceeded to march the ball down the field; however, a goal line stand by the Lions thwarted the Raccoons’ scoring effort. McKinney took the ball over on the 5 yard line and put together an impressive 95 yard touchdown drive. Thereafter, the Lions’ defense picked up where it left off and consistently stopped the Raccoons’ offense. The Lions’ offense had only three possessions in the first half, and because of two turnovers, the halftime score was 7-0 in favor of the Lions.
For the night, the Lions’ offense displayed a balanced attack accumulating 444 total yards, 219 rushing yards and 225 passing yards. After a first half where 2 of its 3 offensive possessions ended in fumbles, the Lions scored 14 points in the second quarter and 14 points in the fourth quarter. Damian Willis led the rushers with 138 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns; Scooter Thompson had 43 yards on 3 carries, and Zach Lee had 30 yards on 5 carries. Zach Lee was 12 for 15 in passing for 225 yards and no interceptions. Lee had one rushing touchdown and two touchdowns through the air. Leading the Lions receivers with two touchdowns and 105 receiving yards was Matt Lipka. Devante Harrison had 56 receiving yards on 4 catches; Tanner Newton had 41 yards on 2 catches and Josh Weathers had 23 yards on 2 catches. The Lions scored on all of its second half possessions except the last, when it ran the clock out near the Raccoons goal line.
In its best defensive performance of the year, the Lions held Frisco to just 186 yards, consisting of 114 yards on 13 receptions and 72 rushing yards on 32 carries. Morgan Maribo had 8 tackles, 3 assists and 1 tackle for a loss; Jon Maribo had 3 tackles, 1 assist and 1 tackle for a loss; Jaron Davis had 5 tackles and 2 passes broken up; Joseph Blaquiere had 5 assists; Eric Butler had 1 tackle and 5 assists; Chad Taylor had 2 assists, caused a fumble and had a fumble recovery; Collin Zabasky had 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 quarterback pressures; Michael Snowden had 5 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss; Josh Spengler had 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 quarterback pressures; Evan Hinkle had 1 tackle, 1 sack and 1 quarterback pressure; D’Juan Swinney had 1 tackle for a loss, and 1 sack; and Brandon Whitham had 2 assists and 1 quarterback pressure.
Players of the game were D’Juan Swinney for defense, Joseph Blaquiere for defensive lineman, Zach Lee and Matt Lipka for offense, Nate Leonard for offensive lineman, and Michael Gonsalves for special teams.
The Lions are now are 1 and 2 in district play and are very much in the playoff picture if they can continue to play as they did Friday night. Congratulations to the coaches and players for continuing to work hard to improve and maintaining an excellent attitude. The Lions next opponent is Cross Town rival McKinney North. The Lions will be the visitors for Friday night’s contest at Ron Poe Stadium. Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. Let’s show up in force and root our Lions on to another victory!!!!
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK--DENISON GAME
The players of the week for the Denison game were:
Offensive--Matt Lipka
Offensive line--Jacob Smith
Special Teams--Travis Tarver II
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK--WAKELAND GAME
Players of the week for the Wakeland game were:
Offense--Tanner Newton and Devante Harrison
Offensive Line--Nate Leonard and Collin Pope
Defensive--Eric Butler
Defensive Line--Michael Snowden
Special Teams--Gerald Guidry
LIONS FALL SHORT IN DISTRICT OPENER AGAINST WAKELAND
September 24, 2009
The McKinney Lions’ bid for a victory in its season opener against Frisco Wakeland fell just one yard short when Lions’ running back, Damian Willis, was stopped on the one yard line on McKinney’s 2 point conversion attempt. Willis had just scored on a 7 yard touchdown run with just 1:21 left in the game. With the score 42-41 in favor of Frisco Wakeland, the Lions decided to go for the win in regulation by attempting the two point play. Willis took the option pitch to the right side but was met just short of the goal line by several Wakeland defenders. The ensuing onside kick attempt by the Lions was recovered by Wakeland ending McKinney’s hopes for its first victory of the season.
Offensively, the Lions racked up 463 yards of total offense—269 rushing and 194 passing. Although the Lions were able to move the ball most of the night, several miscues resulted in lost scoring opportunities. Damian Willis led the Lions in rushing with 159 yards on 17 carries and 3 touchdowns. Travis Tarver had 72 yards on 11 carries and Zach Lee had 38 yards on 7 carries. In the passing game, Zach Lee completed 20 of 30 passes for 194 yards and no interceptions. Tanner Newton led all receivers with 96 yards on 12 catches and 1 touchdown. Matt Lipka had 4 catches for 40 yards and 1 touchdown, and Josh Weathers had 1 reception resulting in a 32 yard touchdown.
Defensively, the Lions improved over their prior week’s performance and were able to slow down Wakeland’s offense and get some key stops throughout the game.
The Lions are off to a rough start; however, the players and coaches are working hard to improve. Defensively, the Lions have made adjustments, are playing more aggressively, and have been making more stops. Offensively, the Lions have shown that they are still very explosive and capable of putting up large numbers against its opponents, but have not consistently been able to capitalize on the opportunities its defense gives them when it stops their opponents. The Lions look to hit on all cylinders offensively and defensively this week and get back on track when it faces the Denison Yellowjackets this Friday at Denison’s Munson Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK--Boyd Game
Players for the week for the Boyd Game were:
Offense--Zach Lee and Matt Lipka
Offensive Lineman--Eric Harrison
Special Teams--Michael Gonsalves
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK--Denton Ryan Game
Players for the week for the Denton Ryan game were:
Offense--Zach Lee
Offensive Line--Nate Leonard
Defensive Line--D'Juan Swinney
Special Teams--Matt Lipka
Barnburner at the Poe!!
September 13, 2009
Billy Leonard
Fans who attended Friday night’s matchup between perennial powerhouse Denton Ryan and the McKinney Lions got their money’s worth. In a matchup of potent offenses, Denton Ryan and McKinney High slugged it out for 4 quarters, amassing combined offense of 1,206 yard and 133 points—the third highest scoring game in Texas high school football history. The final score, in a game where our opponent was a 31 point favorite, was Denton Ryan 70, McKinney High School 63.
Offensively, the Lions accumulated 572 yards of total offense, 217 rushing yards and 355 passing yards. Zach Lee completed 20 of 38 passes for 355 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions. Matt Lipka had 6 receptions for 188 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. Lipka also scored on an electrifying 100 kickoff return. Devante Harrison caught 4 passes for 88 yards and 1 touchdown; Josh Weathers had 2 receptions for 34 yards and 1 touchdown; and Jon Maribo and Tanner Newton combined for 45 yards on 8 receptions. Josh Weathers also made a touchdown on a heads-up fumble recovery that he picked up and ran into the end zone from 3 yards out. Damian Willis led the McKinney rushers with 26 carries for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns. Zach Lee rounded out the rushing with 30 yards on 10 carries. All total, the Lions scored 9 touchdowns. Michael Gonsalves converted on all 9 points after touchdown attempts.
Defensively, the Lions showed a lot of character and tenacity Friday night and improved from their prior week’s performance. The defense made several key stops in the second half, giving the Lions a chance to go two touchdowns ahead if the offense had been able to capitalize on the opportunity. Braylon Hartfield had 6 tackles and broke up 2 passes; Morgan Maribo had 3 tackles, 4 assists, 1 pass broken up and 1 quarterback pressure; Tommy Hess had 2 tackles, 3 assists, and 1 quarterback pressure; Reid Ainsworth had 3 tackles, 4 assists and 1 quarterback pressure; Eric Butler had 4 tackles, 2 assists, 1 fumble recovery, 2 quarterback hits and 2 quarterback pressures; Travario Smith had 4 tackles, 1 assist and 2 passes broken up; and Dominque Gardner had 2 tackles, 4 passes broken up and caused 1 fumble. On the defensive line, D’Juan Swinney had 1 tackle, 2 sacks and 2 quarterback pressures; and Josh Spengler had 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 tackle for a loss, and 1 sack.
Players of the game were Zach Lee for offense, Nate Leonard for offensive line, D’Juan Swinney for defensive line, and Matt Lipka for special teams.
The Lions’ next game is a cross town rivalry against the McKinney Boyd Broncos. The Lions will be the visiting team at Ron Poe Stadium. Kick off is at 7:30p.m. on Friday, September 18th. Come out and support our McKinney Lions in their last non-district game. GO LIONS!!!
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK--SACHSE GAME
Players for the week for the Sachse game were:
LIONS DROP SEASON OPENER
September 3, 2009
By Billy Leonard
Nothing much went right for the McKinney Lions during their season opener at Ron Poe Stadium Thursday evening against the Sachse Mustangs. The start of the game was delayed for 30 minutes due to lightning and further delayed for almost an hour during the first quarter; McKinney’s high powered offense suffered self-inflicted wounds with three interceptions and one lost fumble; and their defense was unable to find an answer to Sachse’s efficient running game. The result—a disappointing 56-26 loss.
Despite the four turnovers, McKinney’s offense did produce some positives for the team to build on. The Lions had 484 yards of total offense, 265 of which were rushing yards, and 219 passing yards. Junior Damian Willis debuted as the starting running back for the Lions rushing the ball for 247 yards on 24 carries with 1 touchdown, and Zach Lee completed 10 of 17 passes for 219 yards. Matt Lipka, Jon Maribo and Josh Weathers each had touchdown receptions.
Defensively, the Lions struggled all night. Sachse scored on all but one possession and accumulated in excess of 700 yards total offense.
The good news is that the purpose of preseason games is to learn what areas need improvement and to get ready for district play. The Lions have put the Sachse game behind them and are already working hard to improve and prepare for their next opponent, Denton Ryan. The Lions take on the Raiders on Friday night, September 11th at Ron Poe Stadium.
Freshman Gold Victorious in Opener with Sachse; Freshman Blue and JV fall to the Mustangs
The McKinney Lions Freshman Gold team opened their season with an impressive win over Sachse. The Lions won 30-15. Way to go Freshman!!
The Freshman Blue team lost to Sachse 12-0.
The Junior Varsity team traveled to Sachse on Wednesday night and came up short 35-7.
2009 McKinney Lions Intend on Taking Care of Some Unfinished Business
August 22, 2009
by Billy Leonard
The 2009 football campaign for the McKinney Lions officially kicks off on Thursday, September 3rd at Ron Poe Stadium in McKinney against the Sachse Mustangs; however, almost any returning varsity player on this year’s squad will tell you that the 2009 football season began late in the evening on November 14, 2008 in a quiet locker room at Tom Kimbrough stadium in Plano following McKinney’s first round playoff loss to Highland Park.
The Lions had made progress in the 2008 season; they made the playoffs for the first time in four years; their offense was one of the highest producing offenses in the state and first in the DFW area averaging 501 yards a game; and they finished third behind Denison and Sherman in District 9-4A losing to each team by just 1 point. Despite these accomplishments, the Lions were not satisfied. They felt like they could have done better--that they had not reached their goals--that they had some “unfinished business”. That night, they resolved to begin building for the 2009 season.
In lieu of taking it easy after the playoff game, the Lions almost immediately began offseason workouts. Head Coach Bobby Reyes, who is in his third year at McKinney High, formed a leadership council elected by the team consisting of representatives from the rising junior and senior classes. One of the first agenda items was selecting the 2009 football slogan, and it was an easy decision as the council adopted “Unfinished Business” in a unanimous vote.
“One of the biggest differences in this squad is that we have had a number of our kids step up as leaders”, Reyes said. “We have excellent leadership on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.” That leadership has shown in offseason workouts, spring football, summer conditioning and in two-a-days. “We have worked hard, we are dedicated, and we are excited about this up-coming season”, says senior offensive lineman Nate Leonard.
Offensively, the Lions expect to pick up where they left off in 2008. They have a high powered, explosive offense which has proven that it can put up points against all of its opponents from anywhere on the field. McKinney returns 5 offensive starters, three of whom, quarterback Zach Lee, wide receiver Matt Lipka and center Nate Leonard will be three year starters. Lee, who has orally committed to play football and baseball for LSU, has thrown for 4,854 yards and 50 touchdowns in his prior two seasons, while senior Matt Lipka, who has orally committed to play baseball at Alabama, has accumulated 1,540 yards receiving and 19 touchdowns. The offensive line is anchored by Nate Leonard, orally committed to play football at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and tackle Jacob Smith, who also doubles as the deep snapper. Eric Harrison, Spencer Harvey, Collin Pope, and Eleazar Mendoza round out the Lions offensive line. In addition to Lipka, the Lions receiving corps will consist of Tanner Newton, Jon Maribo, Josh Weathers, Hobie Harris and McKenzie Logan. The running back duties will be shared by juniors Damian Willis and Scooter Thompson.
If the Lions are going to reach their goals this year, its defense will need to play better than it did last year. In 2008, McKinney’s defense struggled to stop it opponents, giving up almost 44 points and 486 yards per game. The 2009 Lions have focused on improving their defense and stepping up the intensity, and for those fans that attended the spring football game, they got a first-hand look at the new and improved Lions defense. “Our defense is going to be better. We have good depth, we are physical, we have had some kids step up and take a leadership role on defense, and we had a really good spring,” said Coach Reyes.
Defensively, seniors D’Juan Swinney, and Brandon Whitham return on the defensive line with junior Collin Zabasky. The linebacking corps will consist of senior Joseph Blaquiere and Tommy Hess, and juniors Michael Snowden and Eric Butler. The secondary will feature Travis Tarver, Braylon Hartfield, Chad Packard, Dominique Gardner and Morgan Maribo. Because of depth at various positions fans can expect Josh Spengler, Evan Hinkle, Jake Ard, Tavario Smith, Reid Ainsworth and Trevor Lawhorn to see significant playing time.
Junior linebacker Michael Snowden sums up what fans should expect of our defense, “We are going to play with heart, unity and intensity, and we feel like we have something to prove.”
The 2009 football season has the makings of being a break out year for the McKinney Lions--a team that has, ever since a cold, windy November night in a quiet football stadium locker room, been taking care of business to clean up some Unfinished Business.
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