Football kick-starts the autumn season, giving everyone something to look forward to. The best part is going to the grocery store on game day to stock up on snacks for the tailgate and seeing all of the Lions gear. If you are not wearing merchandise, you will definitely stand out, and no one is more fanatically supportive than Lions fans. The last couple of years have been the best time to be a fan. In 2023, they had a 12-5 record, and in 2024, they had a 15-2 record, and in both years the Lions were the NFC North Champions. Currently, we’re 1-1 with a very disappointing loss to start, and the fans are getting antsy.
Most Lions fans entered this season with high hopes, and watching that Packers game definitely humbled expectations. The Lions lost 13-27, and while the score doesn’t seem bad, it was heartbreaking watching the Packers’ defense dominate, and the Lions’ lack of communication made it not pretty to watch. Evan Upell, a junior at RHS, shared his frustration when watching the game. He said, “It was a bad game for the Lions, and the Lions should have won.” Another student who shares the same sentiment is junior Rachel Osterholzer. She stated, “I was honestly very surprised because I knew they were very dominant last year… and then came back with everyone healed up and supposedly ready for the season, and then to see our offensive line just fall flat was kind of shocking. I was very disappointed.”
During this game, you got to see a lot of new faces, including the new Offensive Coordinator, John Morton, and Defensive Coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. There are also a lot of new players, some who have already made a name for themselves, including cornerback D.J Reed and rookie wide receiver Issac TeSlaa. Coach Vernon, Rochester’s Varsity Football Coach, shared his thoughts on the new players and coordinators. He explains, “I think they’re really stacked this year. They got really great players, obviously, they’ve been able to sign and keep a lot of their own. And then the coaches, there’s always a kind of beginning getting used to phase.”
After the Packers Game, the Lions played against the Bears the following week. The Bears game fueled the viewers and ignited hope in the fans once again. The Lions won 52-21, and this was an important game to win since our old Offensive Coordinator, Ben Johnson, is now the Bears’ new Head Coach. The game will definitely be a standout in the season, especially watching Goff trying to get into the stands. Coach Vernon emphasizes the Lions’ growth during the past two games. He states, “Obviously, with the Bears game, they showed that offensively they’ve got everything rolling again and defensively they played well.”
Lions fans all share the same hope for this season: to get to the Super Bowl, and the Lions have strong players to get them there. Some of them are common fan favorites. Sophomore Rocky Patalan shared who he is most excited to watch. He said, “Gibbs and St. Brown.” Many other students agreed with Patalan, like Upell, who stated, “Gibbs, Hutchinson, and Goff.”
Ultimately, a couple of games do not speak for the rest of the season, especially with the promising players and coaches the Lions have. I cannot wait to see where this season will take us, but just like any other Lions fan am hoping all the way to the Super Bowl.
