La Feria News

La Feria Lions End Season with Roar

Photos: La Feria Lions Facebook Community Page

by Tony Vindell/LFN

The La Feria Lions ended the 2019 season with pride even though the team lost one out of 12 games.

They went into the second round Area with a perfect score of 11-0 and as the only undefeated team in the entire Rio Grande Valley.

It was such an accomplishment for a school district of some 3,410 students and for a city of 7,300-plus residents.

The Lions beats the odds by defeating 11 opponents and made it in the record books as schools officials said it was the first time the team achieved such a record in recent history.

Coach Oscar Salinas repeatedly said he was proud of the team, his coaching staff and the support they received from the community.

When the Lions faced the La Vernia Bears at the 11th game of the season, the coach said they were facing a tough team to play against; yet they came back with a victory of 63-42.

But a year earlier, the Bears defeated the Lions by 41-13.

In their last game against the Panthers of Liberty Hill, the Lions ended their season with a loss of 66-7.

Although the Lions went through the season scoring big over their opponents, they only scored a touchdown at the last quarter, avoiding a shutout.

The Panthers scored points in every quarter and ended the game with 66 points altogether.

It was lopsided victory for them.

Salinas admitted the Panthers were a tough team to reckon with.

“We all feel real good,” he said before the Lions final game against the Bears. “And everybody is excited about playing another week.”

But the battle of the big wild cats went to Panthers.

The Lions remained undefeated after taking the first playoff game and winning six district and four non-district games.

Coach Salinas said he feels good about it, though he admitted the Panthers were a great team to play against.

Cathy Lee Hernandez, superintended with the school district, and High School Principal Cynthia Chairez repeatedly told The News that everybody felt very proud of how the Lions had done throughout the season.

“We feel real good about how our students have made it in all levels,” Hernandez said earlier . “The community has come out to support us.”

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