(Photo is AI genorated)
By Stephanie Zwick
Photos By Kirsten Tacha
The Badgers’ homecoming football game brought together alumni, students and plenty of school spirit. The stands at Lyman High School were decorated in black and white, along with red, white and blue balloons that matched the week’s America-themed celebration. As usual for homecoming, the stands were packed.
The Badgers hosted the Colorado Springs Christian School Lions. The Lions won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Badgers the ball first. Liam Yoder returned the opening kick, but the Lions quickly stopped his progress. Camden Tacha then carried for two yards, and Yoder added a short gain. Joe White’s pass to Parker Lacik fell incomplete, forcing the Badgers to punt. On the Lions’ first possession, Dillon Rockwell, Nelson Sontay, Yoder, Parker Harris and Roberto Sontay each made defensive stops. The Lions eventually found an open receiver for a touchdown and made the extra point to take a 7-0 lead.
The next kickoff rolled into the end zone, giving the Badgers the ball at their 20-yard line. Yoder broke free for a 30-yard run. Tacha and Harris added short gains, but the drive stalled. The Badgers tried a fake punt with Tacha, but the Lions stopped him short of the first down and took over on downs.
The Lions were called for an ineligible player downfield on their next possession. Carlos Nunez made key stops against the run, and the Badgers’ pressure forced an incomplete pass. On the next snap, the ball sailed over the Lions quarterback, allowing the Badgers to recover it in good field position. Yoder quickly turned the mistake into a touchdown, and Roberto Sontay made the extra point to tie the game at 7-7.
After the kickoff, Nunez stopped the Lions’ runner. The Lions threw two incomplete passes around a completion that Joe White stopped, then returned to the run before Tacha made the tackle. A completed pass on the next play led to another Lions touchdown after Rockwell slipped while trying to break up the catch. The extra point gave the Lions a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Yoder returned the ball to open the second quarter. Rockwell ran for 10 yards and a first down, then completed a pass to Tacha for another first down. After Harris was stopped for no gain, Rockwell connected with Tacha for 14 yards. Tacha added seven yards, and Rockwell completed a pass to Harris. Tacha then ran three yards for another first down. Harris and Yoder added short gains, but an offsides penalty moved the Badgers back. Rockwell’s passes to Yoder and Tacha fell incomplete, turning the ball over on downs. The Lions answered with a long touchdown pass and made the extra point to extend their lead to 21-7.
Rockwell returned the next kickoff for a short gain. Grant Masterson carried for a couple of yards, and Joe White completed a first-down pass to Macael Barry. White then connected with Tacha and Harris. Yoder ran for nine yards, but White’s next pass to him fell incomplete. White later completed passes to Yoder and Tacha to move the chains, but his final throw to Yoder was incomplete. The Lions led 21-7 at halftime.
After halftime, Carlos Nunez and White combined to stop the Lions’ return. The Lions recovered a high snap and then completed a pass for a first down. Nunez made another stop before Parker Harris broke through for a sack. An incomplete pass forced the Lions to punt, and Yoder made the return. After Yoder was stopped for no gain, Tacha picked up three yards. White then tried to pass to Yoder, but the Lions intercepted it. Nelson Sontay stopped the next play, and Rockwell and Sontay combined to tackle the receiver after a completion. Sontay read the next run well and made another strong stop. White and Tacha followed with a tackle for no gain, and Nunez tipped away a pass to end the drive. The Badgers took over, and Yoder ran for 10 yards. Tacha gained five yards on two carries. Cecil McAtee then ran nine yards for a first down. Harris added one yard, and Rockwell gained five, but McAtee was stopped short on the next play, giving the ball back to the Lions. Sontay and Tacha stopped the Lions’ runner as the third quarter ended with the Lions still ahead 21-7.
A series of incomplete passes forced the Lions to punt early in the fourth quarter. Yoder caught the punt but slipped and went down. White ran for three yards, Yoder gained six, and Tacha picked up the first down. Harris and Yoder continued moving the ball on the ground before White fired a strong pass to Yoder for another first down. However, a penalty against the Badgers ended the drive and turned the ball over on downs.
The Lions gained five yards before White and Nunez made the stop. Rockwell then intercepted a Lions pass. Tacha ran for five yards, but the Badgers fumbled and the Lions recovered. The Lions also fumbled on their possession but recovered their own ball. Roberto Sontay made the next stop, and the Badgers soon regained possession on downs. Yoder responded with two first-down runs. Tacha gained four yards, and Yoder added another yard. Rockwell completed a 10-yard pass to Tacha for a first down, but his next throw to Masterson fell incomplete after a defender broke up the play. Rockwell and Yoder then ran for another first down, and Yoder added a 10-yard run. After incomplete passes to Tacha and Yoder, Rockwell connected with Yoder for a touchdown. The extra point cut the Lions’ lead to 21-14 with 48 seconds left. The Badgers attempted an onside kick, hoping to recover the ball and tie the game, but the Lions secured it and took a knee to run out the clock. The Lions won 21-14. The Badgers’ previous homecoming loss was in 2019 against Strasburg, the same season they went on to win the state championship.