MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions are preparing for the upcoming football season with high expectations as they enter their third year of the school’s football program.

“We have most of our team back, only lost a few seniors, so looking to build our team chemistry and do good this year,” said Johnathan Ferguson, Lions quarterback.

Athletic Director and Head Coach Josh Kast said the team ended its previous season 5-5, earned second in the Central Washington 1B league, and played in the state tournament.

“(We) ended up having a tough matchup first round,” Kast said. “We got beat up pretty good over against Naselle in the playoffs.”

Last season, the team was relatively short-handed with only 13 players on the roster, causing many to have to play both offensive and defensive positions, he said. Coming into this season the team is anticipating a larger turnout with around 20 players slated to be on the team.

During the offseason the Lions graduated three seniors who made all league last season: Levi North, Jacob Journey and Brandon Swinger. North was an all-purpose running back and safety and Journey and Swinger were both key players on the offensive and defensive line.

This year the Lions anticipate up to seven seniors on the roster, making this a senior-heavy squad. These include Ferguson, Derick Smith, James Robertson, Jayson Miller, Antonio Serrato, and Ethan Ramsey.

“I just want to play with the best of my abilities and leave it all in the field,” said Robertson.

Since these seniors have been part of the football program since the very beginning, they said they are hoping to finish their careers as Lions with a championship.

Some of the players to look out for this season include Ferguson, who is the team quarterback and provides a great run-pass threat for the team; Treyson Kast, a junior wide receiver who was first team receiver and first team cornerback last season; Robertson, who expects to play as running back this season but is capable of filling any position; and Smith who is a returning linebacker who has been part of the program all three years and is looking to make first team this season.

In preparation for earning a league championship, Kast said the team is starting off their practices by working on becoming better tacklers.

“That’s one thing that I know we noticed last year that we just got to spend more time on in practice throughout the season,” he said.

Having more players on the roster this season will allow for the team to push themselves harder both on the field and in practice, said the coach. This year the team will push for more one on one and full contact drills in practice.

“I’m excited we have more depth this year,” said Treyson Kast. “We’ve got more players so it’s going to be nice to have more subs.”

“It’s a lot more depth, we’re going to get more rest for the starters and get more guys some reps and prepare for future seasons,” said Smith.

Both offensive and defensive sides of the ball are showing great speed potential and more depth and athleticism on the roster. Kast said he is looking forward to working with this group of players for another season and seeing how far they can go.

“They have their team goals that they want to achieve,” he said. “They’re a fun group to be around, and they want to take this program to the next level. They’re excited about that, and that excites our coaching staff and motivates everybody as a whole.”

The Lions’ first game of the season is scheduled for Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. against Sunnyside Christian School on Lions Field.

    Lions players line up to practice tackling training bags during their practice. The Lions have put a major focus on tackling this season.
  

    A Lions player tackles an exercise ball during a drill where they run past a blocker and try to catch the exercise ball as it bounces off the ground.
  

    Two Lions players participate in a drill where one player runs a route with the ball, and the other player runs a mirrored version of the route and has to stop the progress of the ball carrier.
  

    Derick Smith jumps up to make a catch during a receiver drill at practice. Smith said he is excited to see what the team can do with the increased depth on the roster this season.
  

    Lions players line up behind a row of barrels and work on a line drill during their practice.
  

    Johnathan Ferguson, left, carries the ball against Soap Lake last year. Ferguson is a returning senior on the Lions squad.
  

    Treyson Kast evades a Soap Lake defender in a game last year. Kast returns to the team as a junior this year.