With McCaskey known as a speed team, Lions coach Jesse Shay and staff decided to go a different route when the two teams lined up in Friday's season opener.
"Against a team like McCaskey, with a lot of speed, going around the edge does nothing for you. We thought, 'why not go with a straight ahead game?' And that seemed to work.
That strategy proved to be the way to go as Red Lion scored three times early, got a big play that helped open a running-clock second half in a 35-12 victory in front of the home crowd at Horn Field.
Shay said that quarterback Zach Mentzer (11-of-17 2 TDs) "did a nice job, especially as a first-game starter," with some well-thrown passes along the way. Fellow senior Tyler Ness had 12 carries for 101 yards.
Several sophomores had tremendous debuts for the Lions, including Kairen Gordon-Bey on the line, Devante Dennis on both sides of the ball, and Randy Fizer, who despite it being his first game as a receiver, hauled in a "amazing" catch for a touchdown.
The Lions led 21-0, but McCaskey was driving when the big play came as Jason Nazarenus intercepted a Red Tornado pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown and 28-0 second-quarter lead. "They were starting to get some life on that drive and it was over. That was the back-breaker," said Shay.
