NR Lions football
Building champions for a lifetime
Lions fueled by early playoff exit in '09
By Adam Turer (reprinted by permission from The Community Press)
Coming off a playoff season, the New Richmond Lions are far from satisfied.
The program has thrived under fourth-year head coach Dan Scholz, improving in each of his seasons at the helm. Last year's postseason berth was a highlight, but not the high point of where Scholz aims to take the program.
"We're not happy with just making the playoffs," Scholz said. "We want to win as many games as possible."
The bitter taste of last year's first-round exit fueled the Lions in the offseason. New Richmond returns 13 starters from that team. The veterans on this team are used to winning, after going a combined 16-5 the past two seasons.
"I think our kids expect to continue to improve," Scholz said. "They are disappointed with every loss."
The most experienced group returning is the front seven on defense. Linemen Marty Mahaffey and Cody Deller and linebackers Austin Warden and Danny Scholz lead the Lions defense.
Offensively, Nick Williams and Nick Hill both return at running back. Guard Isaac Shroud anchors the offensive line. The offense will go as far as returning quarterback Garrett Myers takes it. In his second season leading the Lions' option attack, Myers should be improved in every facet of his game.
"The key to the option is having our quarterback back," Scholz said. "He has had a year of understanding what we want and a year of reading defenses."
Scholz liked the intensity his players showed in the offseason and preseason practices. Heading into week one, the Lions are working to refine their play and stay under control.
"The effort is really good, but we have to improve on staying disciplined," Scholz said. "Sometimes we play so hard and try make every big play that we lose discipline."
With a challenging non-conference schedule in addition to Southern Buckeye Academic Athletic Conference rivals Goshen and Western Brown, the playoffs are a long way off for this Lions squad. By the time Week 11 rolls around, New Richmond will be very battle-tested.
"We've got our work cut out for us early," Scholz said. "We don't have time to make mistakes."
The Lions face McNicholas, Simon Kenton, Oak Hill (Jackson, OH), and Deer Park. The Lions have improved their win total in each of Scholz's first three seasons. Double-digit wins and playoff victories are the next milestones for the New Richmond program to reach. After ending an eight-year playoff drought last season, the Lions are eager to not just get back to, but to make some noise in the playoffs.
"Our guys understand what it takes to get to the playoffs," Scholz said. "We hope to take the next step this year."
2010 New Richmond football schedules
Future Lions complete foo Lions head football coach Dan Scholz and his staff held the annual Lions Youth Football Camp the first week of June with 50 future Lions attending the day camp. Right Click Here and choose Save Target As to download an enlarged copy of the camp photo.
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tball camp