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Lion Hearts
BY Matt Welch Staff Writer
Saturday could culminate in another state championship for the Prestonwood Christian Academy football team.
But this season, the Lions have been playing for far more than simply a state title.
A closely-knit squad playing for togetherness, legacy and the memory of a devout fan has characterized a season with one final chapter left to be written: a date in Killeen against Argyle Liberty Christian.
Boasting only 16 seniors on its 49-man roster, a heavy onus fell across the shoulders of senior captains Kaleb Kyser, Tyler Kleinert, Scott Lichty and Clifton Bryant to provide leadership.
“Being seniors, we lead the team,” said Bryant, an offensive lineman. “We have so many young players that even through the losses, wins and the hard times, they look up to the seniors to see how we’re going to respond to it. I think they follow that.”
That leadership has manifested itself on and off the field, including a summer retreat that set the wheels in motion for the team’s eventual state championship berth.
“Before the season, we had a senior trip,” Kyser said. “We went out to a ranch and mapped out what our goals were, what we wanted to do as a team and how we wanted to affect people. I think that really set the tone and it’s a new tradition that we started.”
As the team’s offensive captain, Kyser took tradition one step further and coupled with Lichty to build bonds off the field with the team and his fellow skill position personnel.
“Every Thursday night we have a team dinner,” said Kyser, whose brother Chandler is a sophomore on the team. “I’m the quarterback so I take all my receivers out. There are about three underclassmen who Scott and I mentor with. We take them out to dinner, we come back here and talk about some things. We try to mentor and bond with them.”
The players have united to represent not just the academy, but the Lions symbol emblazoned on their helmets. But to look a bit closer illustrates another emotional mark of significance near and dear to the hearts of the Prestonwood players.
Sporting a golden “CC” on the back of their helmets since the season’s inception, the Lions have dedicated their 2009 campaign to the memory of the late Connor Cruse, an 8-year-old who passed away over the summer after a four-year battle with cancer. A second grader who attended Prestonwood, Cruse was as integral a piece of the football program as any.
“Almost every home game, [Cruse] would be there with the players,” Kyser said. “He’d be in the locker room listening to us before the game and I remember his dad would come up and tell Connor that this was the quarterback and I’d shake his hand.”
Lichty said Cruse would often walk out to midfield prior to kickoff with former linebacker and Prestonwood alumnus Tim Flores. For any player to suit up in a Lions uniform this year, the memory of Cruse has lived on throughout the season.
“He was an inspiration to us,” Kyser said, “to fight hard because through his life, he had his ups and downs, but kept fighting. It’s what we use and I know it’s not as life-threatening, but we like to use him as an inspiration to keep going through the struggles.”
Playing in memory of Cruse is just another piece of what has been an emotional season for the Lions. With seniors making up just under one-third of the team’s roster, the upperclassmen feel the importance of Saturday’s game and their chance to make their mark in Prestonwood history.
“This is a big game,” said Bryant. “When we had our senior retreat at the beginning of the season, this was the goal we set and we’ve had our ups and downs. But from the younger players on the team, to the seniors whose last game it is, it’s a big deal for us.”
Lichty’s brother, Erik, was a part of Prestonwood’s 14-0 season in 2005 that culminated in the school’s first state championship. And through his years with the Lions, the receiver now has his own opportunity to add to that legacy.
“It’s cool that now I’m a senior and have a chance at a state championship,” Lichty said, “and can leave a legacy for the upcoming eighth graders who remember us for winning that championship.”
That chance inches closer and closer, as the Lions will embark on their final game of the season tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. against the Warriors at Leo Buckley Stadium. A win would net the perfect sendoff for the senior class in a season characterized by togetherness.
“I think the thing [the seniors] model and exemplify is true selflessness,” said Chris Cunningham, Prestonwood head coach. “As a coach, you look for what switch gets the most out of your team and I think the focus of this team is playing to honor Christ and playing for each other.”
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