In preparation for spring football, the Lions held their annual competition season from Jan. 22 to Feb. 28.

The team competed in physical challenges against one another to gain points every Wednesday. Players also earned points by having good behavior in the classroom, high grades, attending practices, and supporting other sports teams at our school.

“I think the competition helps us grow together as a team by supporting our teammates and getting hype with each other,” sophomore Hayden Marks said.

On January 15, the teams were determined with a draft day. The team captains and their team coach picked the players they wanted on their team.

“The teams were chosen with a draft day like the NFL,” sophomore Legend Reid said.

There were six different competition teams, Clean Up Crew, The Kingsmen, The Gorillas, Dem Dawgs, The Greats, and Undisputed.

“My team is the clean up crew,” sophomore Jawan Taylor said. “We are in first place in the competition right now, it feels good.”

The point of the competition was not only to build physical strength, but also mental strength and trust within the team.

“As coaches, we have to be hard on the players to build a competitive edge mentally,” assistant head coach Nick Olvera said. “You can be strong physically but it’s the mental part that matters on the field.”

The competition was more than just building strength as a team, it also to developed character in the players.

“Competition is more than about football, as coaches we help them gain accountability for when they are in the real world,” coach Olvera said. “Some of the players don’t have a good representation of what a man is at home, so as coaches our job is not only to be hard on them but help them build their character and show them what it’s like to be a man.”