The football season did not begin with a win, as the varsity team had hoped.  Their opener was a tough loss against the Tuscarora Titans, 18-7. After week two the team is getting back on track to a winning season. With the pressure of keeping up the tradition of an undefeated regular season, the team is headed into challenges with Walkersville, Oakdale and Westminster.

With redemption in their eyes, the Lancers are coming back this season with the bitter taste of the tough loss against Seneca Valley in the playoffs of last year.  Although the team started the season out with a humbling loss, they came together and defeated Indian River in week two, Middletown in week three and South Hagerstown in week four. The score against Indian River was 61-0 with touchdowns by Alec Mathews, Mike Rajnik and Nick Bennett. The score of the Middletown game was a close 13-12 with touchdowns by Mike Rajnik and Davon Butler. The most recent win aganist the South Hagerstown Rebels ended with a score of 20-0.

Senior Will Pellicier, strong safety, said, “We plan to work hard every week to prepare for the game ahead.”

Head coach Rick Conner has been leading Linganore football since he moved from Urbana in 2002. As a long-time coach, Conner has coached players such as Zach Zwinak, former Penn State running back, and Robby Havenstein, current St. Louis Rams offensive lineman.

Senior offensive lineman, Thad Engel said, “With hard work and focus, I believe our team could do well this season and make playoffs.”

The team this year will be considered an underdog while playing most teams. The Frederick News Post has the team ranked only fifth; however, the Lancers beat every team that is ranked ahead of them last year.

The roster of 53 players this year has 25 seniors. This size of the team helps to have players to play against in practice and relieve anyone from getting too tired during the game.

With a winning tradition, fans are excited for this season. Mother of player Thad Engel, Kate Engel, said, “I love everything about Linganore High School Football games: the crowded stands, the high-flying cheerleaders, the half-time entertainment with poms and the band, and, especially, watching my son and his friends play the game they all love. Oh, and the nachos. There’s no place I’d rather be on a Friday night.”

The boys will be playing a total of 10 regular season games. Their schedule is posted at maxpreps.com.