In the blink of an eye, a moment becomes a memory. The 2017 football season is over after the Luther Lions fell to the Hennessey Eagles in Round One of the playoffs Friday night.
The Lions accomplished a post-season record of 10-2 losing only to the Millwood Falcons in the District Championship Title game during the regular season during week eight, and to Hennessey in the playoff opening round.
Looking back
Over the course of the season, the Lion offense, led by Offensive Coordinator Coach Matt Price stayed relatively healthy all season. Not many players were out, and this factor showed in Lion scoring drives all season. From my perspective, it seemed like when the passing game worked and was strong, the running game wasn’t covering as many yards, and vice versa. First season starter, sophomore #10 Peyton Wilson carried the offense setting up scores of 30 or 40 points a game. It was a fun to watch and attend.
The success of the Lion defense led by Head Coach Zack Smith shows up in the stats of the Lions’ winning season. The defensive players staved off injury and illness. To quote the Progressive Insurance commercial, “Defense wins championships.” Although Luther fell out of the state playoff race with a heartbreaking one-point loss to the Hennessey Eagles, they won a championship of brotherhood, team connection, and creating their own #family.
Without the help of the Lion Defense, Luther would not have held their opponents to low scoring games all year. We saw some games when the Lion Defense held opponents to zero points, but also the games that the opponents snuck behind our offense and trailed just a few points behind. And then, there was the Millwood game, where the Lions had allowed Millwood to score 58 points to our 12, which cost the Lions the district title. And finally, for the first-round playoff game on Luther’s home field, the Lions suffered a loss to close the curtain on the 2017 season, with the 20-21 score with the Hennessey Eagles matchup.
The seasons showcased the Lions with great offensive and defensive plays, like some touchdowns caught at the far edge of the end-zone. There were some pass interference and some interceptions that turned into a “Pick 6” for touchdowns. Luther’s defense also had two safeties this season for two points each.
The 2017 Season was a blast to watch. With more seniors on the team than fingers on our hands, graduation will send them on their way. The 2018 Boys of Fall will have some new names and numbers on the roster.
In the blink of an eye, when the home team was down with only seconds left, the season closed. But life goes on. A handful of Lion seniors traveled to Alva Saturday to watch the NWOSU Rangers, and Luther’s own alumnus Maurice Wright, Jr. The group also had campus tours. One of the Lion moms reported the mood was low on the road trip with some puffy eyes and grief over the loss and an end to the hopes for a championship.
The curtain is closed, and the future is now the present. As the Lion Reporter, I want to thank you for the opportunity to report on this team for the last two years. However, this will be my last Lion Reporter post, and I am looking forward to my own future, which becomes my present in January, as a Nursing Student at the University of Central Oklahoma. This will always be #mytown, and I’ll see everyone in the stadium to cheer on the team for years to come, but without having a job to type at the end.
It’s still a Great Day to be a Luther Lion!
