Growing pains evident in loss to Columbia; boys XC takes sixth at Early Bird

After losing 20 seniors from last year’s football team, this season has been viewed by many as a rebuilding year. Still, there was reason for optimism, as plenty of new seniors remain on the roster with new head coach Jeff Joiner leading the way. The Vikings, however, looked a tad rusty in last Friday’s 70-7 loss to Columbia. The game was 0-0 after one quarter, but the Vikings lost control in the second and fell behind 25-7. Joiner’s team will have another tough game this week, facing No. 2-ranked Tucker. …The boys cross country team ran to a sixth-place team finish in the Bob Blastow Early Bird Invitational. John Ewing led the way for the Vikings, finishing 14th overall with a time of 16:44.1. David Dixon was next, crossing the finish line with a time of 17:29.5. … In the girls race, LHS finished fifth. Meaghan Wetterhall paced the team with a time of 19:41.7. … After getting off to a 2-0 start earlier in the month, the volleyball team was defeated by Marist 2-0 in straight sets last Tuesday.