The 2020 Tyler High Lions varsity football team.

With a young and inexperienced team, question marks surrounded the Tyler High football team entering the season.

There was a new name and lots of new players in a 2020 year that was anything but normal.

As always high expectations are placed on the Lions, whether they are a veteran team or a young squad.

Tyler has a record of 2-6 overall and 2-3 in District 7-5A Division I and will meet rival Longview on Friday at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler. Kickoff on Earl Campbell Field is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. A win over the Lobos could place the Lions in a tie for third, but with losses to McKinney North and Sherman they would still be eliminated from the postseason. Longview (6-2, 3-1) needs a victory over Tyler to secure the No. 2 seed in the district behind Highland Park.

Although there is no postseason in store for the Lions, Tyler coach Ricklan Holmes, the former all-state player for the Cujo who starred at Oklahoma State and played in the NFL with the Patriots and Browns, wants to finish strong.

“This season has not gone as we would have liked it to go, but through the Lord’s grace, we will complete this season, and with a great week of practice … we will end it on a High Note (Beat Longview),” Holmes wrote in an email on Saturday.

Although the school enrollment slots Tyler in Class 5A Division I, football player numbers are down that have hurt the Lions’ depth.

“The process that we started this year will help us in coming years to stay traditionally strong with low football numbers,” Holmes said. “Not having a full offseason or spring football, hurt our normal development process to get ready for the season. With COVID-19 hopefully coming to an end soon (Keep Praying) … we will get back to some normal way of life and use offseason, track season, spring football, and summer training to make sure 2021 Season will not be a repeat of 2020 Season.”

Holmes also said Tyler may just field junior varsity and varsity teams in the future, “because of the declining number of incoming freshman football players and us having to play underclassmen on varsity for depth … to continue the process of having a number of experienced players to return every year to varsity. This process will help us stay competitive and develop our players for a successful high school career.”

Holmes said, “Numbers and experience don’t lie … Normal schools rely on seniors for experience; we have to rely on playing time for experience.

For 2021, the Lions will have 32 players with varsity experience.

The current roster has four freshmen, 14 sophomores, 14 juniors and 14 seniors.

It will be Senior Night on Friday. The Lions will honor Ken’Yontae Pinkard, Jacques Jones, Travion Ates, Keelan Erwin, Alijah Johnson, Kameron Medlock, Qudarium McMiller, LeTavion Erwin, Mitchell Elder, Preston Johnson, Daylon Myles, Ashton Williams, Deairyan Hampton and LaTravion Hawkins.

This will be the 97th meeting between the two rivals with Longview holding a 50-39-7 advantage according to Lobohistory.com. According to Joe Lee Smith’s TexasHighSchoolFootballHistory.com, the Lobos lead 49-40-7.

The Lobos have won three straight against the Lions, including last year’s 42-0 victory in Tyler. The Lions last won 38-24 in 2016 in Longview. The teams met twice in 1912 with the Lobos winning the first meeting 13-7 and the Lions taking round two, 45-7.

The Lobos have beaten the Lions eight straight at CTMF Rose Stadium.