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That underdog role is new for the Lions, but they embrace it.

Before Dec. 16, reporters, coaches and fans trying to catch a glimpse of the Yates Lions hung around the large yellow double doors in the hallway outside the gym where the two-time defending state champs practiced.

But the gym at Yates got quiet after that night — the night Yates lost its first game after 66 consecutive wins.

That one loss to Findlay Prep (Nevada) took with it the interest of thousands of fans who would crowd Barnett Fieldhouse on game nights and ask 17-year-olds for autographs. That loss also took a lot of pressure off a young team in search of an identity.

"A lot of people don't realize that this year is a whole other team," said senior Trey Dickerson, one of three returnees from the 2009-10 squad. "It was hard to be the team that broke the streak, but it also made us wake up and say 'we can start our own streak.'?"

The Lions lost two more games in December — to Westbury Christian and Arlington Grace Prep — allowing schools such as Ball and La Marque to steal the spotlight from a team that had been in it for two years.

After Ball and La Marque dropped district games in the past couple of weeks, that spotlight is up for grabs again, and defending Class 4A Region III champion Yates (25-3, 14-0) might be the team to take it back.

"There are seven teams out there that I wouldn't be surprised to see make it to state," Yates coach Greg Wise said. "It is wide-open."

With a 115-43 win over Austin on Wednesday, the Lions finished an undefeated District 21-4A campaign and captured the league crown for the fourth year in a row. They scored more than 100 points in 18 games.

Still, few are picking the Lions to make it back to Austin for a three-peat.

"I have had people tell me that since we are young, they are really excited about what we will do next year and the year after that," Wise said. "They aren't even thinking about this season anymore."

That underdog role is new for the Lions, but they embrace it.

Something to prove"We have a chip on our shoulder," junior Damyeon Dotson said. "We feel like there is something to prove."

The challenges the Lions faced this season go beyond a few losses. The team had to start over, following a group that had played together for three seasons. The team chemistry was shaky, and several players tried to prove themselves as individuals. Lacking that team concept hurt Yates, Wise said.

"A lot of people think we are out there just running around," he said. "But we have eight or nine different presses we use and it is a lot to learn. It isn't easy to pick up."

Two weeks ago, when everything was going well, Yates faced more adversity when senior Brandon Fagan was hospitalized with complications from a blood clot. Fagan is doing better, Wise said, but he won't return to the team.

That brought the Lions together. They pray for Fagan before each game, and the players held up his No. 15 jersey when they were given their district trophy.

One for all, all for one"We were all friends when the year started," Dickerson said. "But now we have a brotherhood. We are a family and we all care a lot about each other, not just about winning games."

Watching his players form that kind of bond is something Wise says makes them a special group.

"Last year's team was something you don't see every day," Wise said. "And we enjoyed it. This year, we are enjoying it, too, because we have become a different team from the beginning of the year to now."