Lions struggle in road opener against English Valleys

By Molly Roberts
Posted 9/2/20

English Valleys defeated Lone Tree, 39-22, in the first football game of the season this past Friday.

The Lions, plagued by an injury, illegal procedure penalties, and red zone turnovers, …

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Lions struggle in road opener against English Valleys

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English Valleys defeated Lone Tree, 39-22, in the first football game of the season this past Friday.

The Lions, plagued by an injury, illegal procedure penalties, and red zone turnovers, struggled against English Valleys quarterback Cole Stephenson’s successful passing offense and a robust Bears defense that forced 13 tackles for loss. 

Lone Tree senior Alex Viner managed 11 carries for 100 yards and 6 receptions for 40 yards despite leaving the game early in the third quarter due to an apparent leg injury. With Viner off the field, quarterback Cade Shield took up the ball-carrying charge, ending the game with 24 carries for 103 yards and two rushing touchdowns. 

 “Alex going down was huge for us,” said head coach Aaron Bohr. “He is our only full-time starter returning to the same position this year and he is such an experienced playmaker for us. We were kind of in scramble mode in the second half. We have to keep working on finding other guys to step up when things like this happen.” 

Lone Tree struggled at the line of scrimmage, racking up several illegal procedure penalties, including five flags in the third quarter alone. 

Bohr said the number of false start penalties may have been influenced by usual first-game jitters, but seeing the illegal procedure calls on film did irritate him. 

“Our guys know we don’t have the room to make those kinds of mistakes, like we may have had in the past,” Bohr said. “It just comes down to executing better.” 

Following an English Valleys touchdown early in the third quarter, Shield returned the kickoff to the Lions 39-yard line, then barreled through the Bears line with an 8-yard carry. Shield took the ball on the next two plays as well, picking up another first down. A 5-yard pass to Cade Patterson and a short run from Shield left the Lions on third-and-goal on the 1-yard line. But an illegal procedure penalty moved the Lions back to the 6-yard line. A pass intended for Patterson was broken up by Kaden Hall. Another incomplete pass turned the ball over to the Bears. This was Lone Tree’s third red-zone turnover on downs. 

Lone Tree’s game against Twin Cedars, originally scheduled for Sept. 4, has been canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Marion County and Twin Cedars schools. The Lions are due to take the field next at WACO on Sept. 11.