A Spring in Your Step: Lions look sharp in annual spring showcase

The McKinney football team struck a balanced note during Thursday's rendition of the annual Blue vs. Gold spring game. The offense edged the defense, 21-14, in front of a packed house courtesy of a 16-yard rushing touchdown from Red Shannon that provided the winning margin.

“The spring game is always a good way to finish the spring and get the excitement going for the upcoming fall,” said Jeff Smith, McKinney head coach. “It's always a lot of fun.”

Shannon, who scored two touchdowns and grabbed an interception during the spring game, is one of several players who will play their third and final season for Smith this fall. Another is quarterback Robert Somborn, who in his senior year will helm an experienced offense that returns eight players.

During the spring game, McKinney's offense worked to establish the right mix between rushing and passing. Their efforts paid off as the game progressed, and by the second half, Smith said that his team was running the ball much better.

“That's something that's a big point of emphasis on our offense, is just running the ball a lot better this year,” he said. “We could throw it well last year, but we've got to pick that running game up.”

The Lions are stocked with veteran players on both sides of the ball, as they also return seven defensive starters. The roster's familiarity with one another helped the spring game run smoothly and serve as a productive end to a month's worth of practices.

“We have a lot of returners and a lot of guys that this means a lot to,” Smith said. “They're excited about this year. They're excited about having a mature football team and having some guys coming back leading, so I couldn't be more pleased with the leadership that we have and that they've shown so far. We've got a big road ahead of us, a big summer ahead of us, but these seniors and this core group coming back from last year's team that played a lot are up to the task.”

The names on the roster will be one of the few things that remain the same for the Lions this year. The UIL’s biennial realignment moved them into Class 5A and placed them alongside some of the largest schools in the state in a district made up of Allen, Plano Senior, Plano East, Plano West and McKinney Boyd.

It's a harsh setup for a team looking to rebound from a winless 2012 campaign. With that in mind, a promising performance in the spring game was more important to McKinney than most, if only to send the team into the summer on a positive note.

“When you have 18 practices in the spring and you bang on yourselves every single day, to finish if off the way we did, I was real proud of the kids,” Smith said. “They gave great effort and executed tonight from top to bottom. I thought the kids did a good job executing and playing hard.

“At the end of the spring, you want to feel pretty game ready. You want to feel like you could go play a game tomorrow and be ready, and we feel that way. Obviously we'll do a little game-planning and adding to that, but we're real proud of the progress they made and effort they gave.”

Heading into the summer, the McKinney coaching staff is asking their players to give three percent – the actual chunk of their time that the summer performance course they offer takes up. It's a motto coach Shawn Copeland carried over from a previous school.

“If we want to beat a lot of teams on our schedule, we've got to be better, we've got to be more committed and we've got to work harder than anybody,” Smith said. “I really expect to have a great season.”

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...