Moral victories won’t cut it this season for Lewisville

Lewisville’s players were dejected, their heads steaming into the cold November night air after a first round playoff loss to Christ Church ended their 2015 season.

It was a gritty scrap, Lewisville only trailing the Cavaliers – winners of four straight state titles at that point – 14-7 at the half, until the fourth quarter when Christ Church pulled away for a 35-13 win. The playoff defeat represented that “close but not quite there” aura that’s surrounded the Lions the last few years.

After the game, Christ Church coach Don Frost didn’t address Lions coach Will Mitchell, instead talking to the Lewisville players directly.

“We’re really close. We’re really close to being a type of team that can do a lot of things – to run and throw – and who is very good defensively,” Mitchell said last week, recalling Frost’s message. “Just close to being a high level high caliber team.”

Mitchell and the Lions don’t have much to show from the last four seasons: an 18-27 record and no playoff wins.

After four years as the younger and smaller underdogs, the Lions have fallen into a perfect opportunity to return to the top of the 1A football food chain.

The state’s 2016 realignment bumped private schools from the 1A division up to 2A; opponents like Christ Church and St. Joseph’s – which combined to knock Lewisville out of three of the last four playoffs – no longer threaten the Lions. After the alignment Lewisville is the biggest school in 1A with over 360 students. The Richburg community has grown with the introduction of new businesses – bringing with it a population increase that looks to continue in the near future.

The four-time state champion Lions return 16 starters and 28 upperclassmen. For the first time in Mitchell’s tenure, Lewisville does not have a single player starting on both sides of the ball.

“It really is this year, more about us, as opposed to our opponents,” he said. “How much do we need to improve, how much do we improve week to week?

“It’s about how we play.”

Chester or Lancaster – much bigger schools that physically and mentally whipped the Lions the last two years – are no longer on the schedule, replaced by Whitmire and Eau Claire. The Lions still face top-ranked 1A schools, McBee and Lamar, but a 17-year old doesn’t view that challenge as nervously as a 14-year old.

“It’s here and here,” said Mitchell, pointing to his head and his heart when addressing the players and parents during their 2016 preseason meeting last Thursday.

Losing stinks and Mitchell hopes that feeling will bond an already close team even tighter together.

“The team’s chemistry, everybody is close and has been together since peewee,” said senior receiver Mike Hill, a 1A All-State selection last season. “We’re talking about making a run at state. I’m so excited, it’s like I’m going to explode just talking about it.”

Lewisville’s roster is experienced in the number of snaps played the last few years, though still relatively green when it comes to winning. But the Lions can draw belief from their talent, and also the program’s vibrant history. Jimmy Wallace and Bennie McMurray’s teams played for seven state titles from 1984 to 1998, and it’s not out of the question for the burgeoning Lions to make regular and lengthy forays into the state playoffs a normal happening again.

“The tradition here is so strong, the history, the championships, if you can get back to that level, the community starts feeding back into it,” said Mitchell. “When your football team is good, your seniors are positive and things are going good, it creates a positive energy around the entire school. And that carries over through the entire school year.”

Maybe it will be Mitchell making an encouraging speech to a vanquished playoff opponent this November. It is time to dish out a moral victory instead of taking one from someone else.

This story was originally published August 1, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Moral victories won’t cut it this season for Lewisville."