Almost every time New Deal faces a challenger to its district dominance, when a team comes along that, on paper, looks to be ripe to pull the upset, the Lions find the answer.

New Deal's Stephen Bryant helped the Lions continue their run of success in district play, beating Olton on Friday.

Yet another challenger emerged this past Friday when New Deal hosted up-and-coming Olton at Faubion Field, with many feeling the Mustangs’ offensive balance could be the key to stopping New Deal’s nine-game district winning streak. Instead, it was another dominant performance for the Lions on both sides of the ball, racking up 432 rushing yards and holding Olton to just 110 yards total offense in a 33-0 victory.

“We’ve had several good teams in the past that have gotten to the playoffs, and I’m not saying we’re there yet, but that have just (struggled in the postseason),” veteran head coach Ron Mayo said. “This team continues to get better and better and take bigger and bigger steps and hopefully we can finish the season like we’ve started it.”

District dominance is nothing new for the Lions (6-0, 1-0 in 6-1A) since they moved down from the Class 2A ranks to start the 2004 season. Counting Friday’s win, New Deal is an astonishing 28-1 in district play over the past five-plus seasons. The only loss was to Ralls, 10-7, to start the 2007 district slate, and since then the Lions have won 10 straight district games.

“I think it’s the way we practice,” Mayo said. “Our first team and second team get the same amount of reps and the kids are ready to step in whenever they’re needed. The level of depth isn’t big in 1A but they can do it. A lot of that is because they pay attention in practice and get their reps.”

Those reps have translated into an offense that averages 376.8 yards per game offensively, including 320 yards per game on the ground, and a defense that is limiting teams to 67.5 yards per game defensively, plus a paltry 15.3 yards per game rushing.

The problem for New Deal has been extending that dominance past the regular season. Since moving to 1A, the Lions have advanced past the area round of the playoffs just once, losing to Nazareth in the 2006 Division II regional finals.

“Maybe then we can work our way into December and go all the way,” Mayo said, “but we’ve got a long road ahead and have to take care of business.”

Quality depth

Lubbock Christian suited up just 19 players due to injury on Friday in its TAPPS Division III-I contest against Carrollton Christian, and the list of injured included starting running back Michael Sanders, who suffered a concussion the previous week against Colleyville Covenant.

But the Eagles proved you don’t have to have a lot of depth, just quality depth. The Eagles were able to get back on the winning track with a 41-7 win that saw several players step up, including reserve running back Matthew Gray (77 yards, TD).

“We feel very good about the players we have and have been pleased with the way they have approached each week.” LCHS coach Hutch Haley said. “We had one game where we were a little disappointed with our mental approach against Colleyville, but sometimes you need that adversity to get the focus back, and they responded well to the things we pointed out, and we saw a different team this past Friday.”

The good news for LCHS is they get a much-needed bye this week, and that is expected to allow several players to heal and return to the lineup. In addition to Sanders, sophomore running back/defensive back Jesse Hill also suffered a concussion against Covenant and is expected to return, plus senior tight end/defensive end Jared Gore is expected to see his first action since suffering a broken leg in a scrimmage.

Rivalry intensified

District 4-4A showed just how competitive it will be from one week to the next on Friday, with Big Spring and Abilene Cooper picking up huge road victories.

Now, one of the area’s top rivalries is renewed with an added sense of urgency. When Frenship travels north to face Hereford on Friday, the loser likely will be out of the race for the district crown as both teams are coming off losses.

Frenship saw its district winning streak snapped at 16 games by Big Spring (28-14), and Hereford fell to Abilene Cooper (20-14), leaving both at 0-1 when they meet at Whiteface Stadium. The Tigers have not finished lower than second place in district play since 1998.

“I don’t think we have to go back to the drawing board, we’ve just got to get better as a team in what we’re doing,” Tigers head coach Brad Davis said after Friday’s loss. “We’re not going to change what we’re doing because it’s been good for us for too long. We knew this would be a very tough game and next week will be difficult, too. We have to be ready every Friday night to play four quarters of football if we want to have a chance, and that’s talking about making the playoffs.”

Senior receiver Zach Kittley is confident the Tigers will bounce back this week.

“We can correct (the mistakes),” Kittley said. “There’s a lot of football left in this season. We just have to get ready for Hereford.”

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