Coming off a difficult loss in the season-opener against Gunderson, the Lynbrook football team looks to bounce back with, as lineman Stephen Lee puts it, "bloodthirsty" vengeance when it travels to Del Mar Friday night (7 pm) to take take on the Dons.
Despite the opening-game 33-13 loss to the Grizzlies, the Vikings have had a great opportunity to perfect their game and fix flaws that became apparent last week.
“We've been doing nothing but fixing our mistakes from last week," Lynbrook LB/WB Kyle Williams said. "Our fundamental mistakes from last week were all fixable and I think that now that we've fixed all them, this team can definitely play to its fullest potential.”
Adjusting their mental game as much as their physical game has also been something that has been emphasizing over the week of practice.
“I think our team learned that no matter how hard we work or how successful we are, we cannot afford to take a week off. I think that's one of the reasons why we didn't win our last game,” Lee said. “When we scrimmaged Mt. Pleasant, I think we got a little bit too confident and sort of took the week off. That won't happen again.”
This Friday, when the Vikings play Del Mar, they will be looking to “finish tackles on defense and pick up some blitzes on offense,” in the words of QB/FS Gabe Rosales. They will be looking to redeem themselves against the Dons, who lost their season opener, 64-0 to Monte Vista Christian.
“I think Del Mar will help us regain confidence after last Friday, and really just make a statement to the rest of the league," FS/WR Lucas Ranieri said. "With that said, we can’t get too cocky, because that’s the best way to lose a game.”
After a great week of practice and conditioning, the team is looking for a shot at redemption at Del Mar.
"I believe the second game, not the first one, is the game that sets the pace for the rest of the season because the first game involves too many nerves and is sometimes not a clear representation of a team's full potential," Williams said. "When the second game comes around, players aren't as nervous and can focus a lot more.”
