By Moses Leos III
Hailing from the Plano area, former Hays and Lehman High athletic trainer Andi Green was more than used to mega high schools.
However, when talk surfaced of a second high school splitting Hays, Green was more than apprehensive. Her tune changed when she became part of the committee that brought in athletic coordinator Steve Davis.
“It took me a while to get used to a second high school in the area,” Green said. “I thought it would be interesting to be a part of growing something from the ground up.”
For the next eight years, Green oversaw much of the growth Lehman High experienced in the athletic realm.
As the school approaches its ten year anniversary, Green, along with current Lehman High coaches Thomas Acker and Orlando De La Fuente reminisce on the past decade of Lobo athletics
The first few days of practice that first year were more than memorable for Green.
Just like any school, the Lobos had preseason practice in football, volleyball and cross country.
However, it would be two years before Lehman played in the varsity level. During which time, Green, who worked the sidelines as head athletic trainer, saw many of the growing pains.
“The kids were trying to learn the speed of the [junior varsity] level,” she said. “With a small sophomore class, they were trying to get up to the faster pace of the game, and play with larger, older athletes.”
While the Lobos took their lumps across the board, Green recalls coaches slowly building the culture and expectations on the field.
“They were taking a young group, but they were asking them to be leaders,” she said.
Slowly but surely, Lobo athletics gained momentum, fostered by the “never give up” attitude Green saw in many of the athletes. Despite the adversity, Green saw Lehman’s athletic programs grow tighter and stronger as the years went by. Experience fostered that mentality.
“It’s exciting to be a part of all of those firsts,” she said. “Some sports take longer than others to build. It’s going to keep moving forward through the years.”
Acker, who was hired as head boys basketball coach in the spring of 2004, remembers the challenge that first year. Ordering equipment and uniforms were priorities.
In addition, Acker and his assistant had to balance practice time with the girls team. At the time, Lehman only had one gym in the school.
“It was a lot of rolling up our sleeves and getting things in and set that we needed to become functional,” Acker said.
Experience, however, hindered Lobo basketball that first season. The Lobos trudged through, finishing with a mark of 3-26.
Through it all, Acker and his assistant instilled the vision of building a powerhouse basketball program in Central Texas. He lauded the first group of seniors that were the building blocks toward that goal.
“The kids that started our program, they deserve all of the credit,” Acker said. “They were the roots of our foundation.”
Acker and his team began to gain confidence as the years passed. With players such as RJ Hardaway and Kenny Webber in the lead, Lobo basketball slowly gained notoriety and attention.
It culminated in 2011, when Tarale Murry and the Lobo boys basketball team played in the school’s first ever playoff game.
Their success also gave rise to Lobo Nation. Acker recalls other coaches rescheduling games, so as to send their athletes to Boerne Champion High for the historic moment.
“Walking out and seeing the bleachers at Champion, by far we had the most people,” Acker said. “Our entire side was standing room only. It was really cool.”
“Lobo Nation was created then, and now it’s used across all sports. It’s fun to be a part of that,” he said.
For head tennis coach Orlando De La Fuente, working through youthful inexperience was a challenge.
It became a bigger issue in tennis, as the Lobos took on schools that had team and club experience.
The approach soon focused on something more – leaving behind a legacy. He worked that first year to instill the mindset of working hard despite adversity. It paid off, as Lobo Adolfo Gonzales became the first Lehman athlete to not only qualify, but medal at state in 2010.
“I think that’s what starts successful programs. It then becomes generational,” De La Fuente said. “They were going to leave footprints for the other groups.”
As the school moves forward, the view now shifts to play in the 6A ranks. Much like the school’s first year, De La Fuente, Green and Acker believe challenges are ahead for Lehman High.
However, Green believes growth will play a part in the athletic program’s success.
“One of our goals is we want to be the center of our community,” she said. “We have to establish that to an extent and we are continuing that.”
