The entire nation will have their eyes glued to their television screens this Thursday when the Detroit Lions take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Missouri, kicking off the NFL season. The Chiefs and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes prepare to raise their third championship banner in franchise history, and second of the decade. On the other hand, the Lions have increased expectations after a positive conclusion to their most recent campaign- as well as a productive offseason- leading to many believing they will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. But here in Lincoln, we have our eyes glued to a different Lions football game, as the LHS Football program prepares to travel to Johnston to take on the Johnston Panthers.
Lincoln defeated Johnston at home last season, 40-14. Making use of a second half rally after a tough first two quarters, the Lions return this season with a new-look offense, losing multiple starters to the great beyond (graduation). After a dominant Injury Fund matchup against the Cumberland Clippers, a 27-7 triumph in an abbreviated game, the Lions seem to have put a lot of questions to bed in terms of how they will perform this season. Starting off with the most important position on the field, Junior John Nicoll is set to reprise his role this season as the teams signal caller on the offensive side of the ball, holding down the team’s quarterback role. Helping to lead the team to the playoffs for the first time in a couple years, having Nicoll back under center is one of the most important things for the team to return to the playoffs. Lincoln is hoping for better success this season once they enter November as opposed to last year.
Both the offensive and defensive lines feature a large number of returning starters, with seniors Ravi Kapadia and Mitch Murtha playing both sides of the ball once again. Junior Tackle Julian Mourad will also start once again this season, hoping to carry his late season success into the brand new calendar year. Two new starters rise up as well on the interior of the offensive line as well, with seniors Jack Bogdanski and Issac Brown taking over the reigns for a pair of departing seniors from last season, including one that went on to play in college: longtime center and journalism academy stalwart Caden Watters. Last season’s dominant running game is expected to return this season once again as well, with seniors Tyler Durang and Ryan Plante headlining the stacked room of running backs. Alongside the two of them is fellow senior Sean Clifford, who moves over from tight end to help replace graduate Christian Petrone.
On defense, both Tyler Durang and John Nicoll are expected to be the leaders at the Linebacker spot, with Junior Julian Mourad sliding into the starting spot at Defensive Tackle. Other highlight seniors to look out for this season on the defensive side of the ball are Joey Conti, Issac Brown, and Ravi Kapadia.
Plenty of Juniors are expected to have heavy roles all around the team, with both John Nicoll and Julien Mourad starting both ways once again this season. Other Juniors such as Kyle Dussault, DeAndre Parris, DeVante Parris, and Noah D’Amore look for an increased role as well this season.Overall, the team has a lot of new pieces to look forward to, with their message this season stemming back to their success last season. No matter what challenges may be thrown at them, the Lions have one goal this season, to finish the job.
