Strawn gets season on track with first win
By DAVID MAY
Special to Mineral Wells Area News
STRAWN – Six trains roared past Strawn Greyhounds Stadium on Friday night as Strawn was busy racing past the Dallas Lutheran Lions for an 85-40 win in a game that ended late in the third quarter on the Class 1A sixman 45-point mercy rule.
It was Strawn’s first win, and like the freight trains outside the stadium, the Greyhounds got their season on track after a 100-55 opening week loss. Dallas Lutheran rolled into Strawn fresh off a 62-14 season-opening win over Greenville Christian in TAPPS action.
While there was a lot to talk about and like on the offensive side of the ball, Strawn Head Coach Dwaine Lee had his post-game thoughts on the defense. While he saw progress in Week Two, he wants that to continue as the Greyhounds (1-1) move through their non-district schedule.
“The thing right now is our defense is still trying to find our way. Trying to find our way with new players. It’s early. We are really excited just to play a good team in Gordon,” said Lee.
Strawn next travels to Gordon, ranked No. 1 in the state in some Class 1A-Division polls, including Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. The game is set for Saturday with a 7 p.m. start. The game will mark the 100th anniversary of the first meeting between the two rivals, separated by just 8 miles in southwest Palo Pinto County.
Lee said he looks forward to his team facing Gordon. The Longhorns won handedly last year. But Strawn rolled over Gordon two seasons ago on its way to its fifth state championship. Gordon is seeking its first state title since 1999.
“I think that (playing Gordon) is going to make us better because when you play good people it makes you better,” Lee said. “They can do some things. They are going to pass the ball. So we need to work on that.”
He credited the effort by Dallas Lutheran, which made it a seesaw battle until midway through the second quarter. Its offense took a hit with the injury loss of quarterback Braylen Schupbach, the son Head Coach Brad Schupbach. Braylen Schupbach was hurt attempting to recover an onside kick and did not return to the game.
“This team was solid,” Lee said of Dallas Lutheran. “They’re big. They are bigger than us.”
“We are just trying to get better. We are excited just to play someone good. You have to get better,” Lee said. “Our kids, I see them growing up right in front of my face.”
Lee said he doesn’t see the 100th anniversary of the Strawn-Gordon game adding more fuel to what is already one of the biggest rivalries in Texas high school football.
“They are D-1 (Division I) and we’re D-II,” he said. “It’s a fun rivalry and you have bragging rights. At this point we have to just worry about ourselves. We are just trying to get better.”
Against Dallas Lutheran, the first quarter looked like one where the first team to 100 points would win. The two teams combined for 51 points in the opening 10 minutes, with Strawn taking a 29-22 into the second quarter. The first quarter ended on a 39-yard run for a Strawn touchdown, with the point-after missing.
The Lions answered on its next possession to make it 29-28 Strawn. Dallas Lutheran attempted an onside kick that was recovered by Strawn, but knocked Schubach out of the contest in the process.
Strawn took over at the Lions’ 28 and seven plays later scored on a 7-yard run to make it 35-28. After Dallas Lutheran countered to make it 35-34 in favor of Strawn, Strawn returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards for a touchdown (Texas sixman football is played on an 80-yard field). That put Strawn up 41-34 with 3:07 until halftime.
The Greyhounds defense held the Lions, turning the ball over to Strawn on downs with 37 seconds left in the opening half. A 23-yard passing strike as time expired sent the teams to halftime with Strawn ahead 49-34.
The third quarter saw the Greyhounds score three times on just four plays (one of those was a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line). While Dallas Lutheran was able to mix in a TD, Strawn was suddenly up 79-40, needing a stop and a score to end the game.
That is exactly what they got. The Lions fumbled the ball on its 35 and the recovering Greyhounds needed six snaps before scoring from 11 yards out to put Strawn up by 45 points, 85-40, with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter to end the game.
Strawn finished with 490 total yards on 41 plays, according to posted team stats. The ‘Hounds rushed for 307 yards and threw for another 183.
