By Moses Leos III
Taking care of the little things could equate to taking care of business for the Lehman Lobos this season.
Such has been the focus for head coach Todd Raymond and the Lobos as they prepare for Friday’s season opener against Westwood at Shelton Stadium.
Over the course of their two scrimmages against Pflugerville Hendrickson and Pflugerville Connally, Raymond said the Lobos gathered much needed experience as they seek to end an 16-game losing streak on week one.
“We learned during both scrimmages, we can be pretty good if we can take care of the details, take care of the small things,” Raymond said. “Once we realize that and execute, we’ll be fine.”
Lehman closed out its 2016 scrimmage schedule last Friday when they hosted Connally at Lobo Field.
The Lobos got off to a lethargic start, with the team coming out with “zero energy” to begin with, Raymond said. Despite the slow start, Raymond lauded the play of his offense, led by senior quarterback Jacob Zamora.
Raymond said the Lobos have been able to throw the ball downfield better, due to the play of Zamora and the wide receving corps. Lehman’s offense was able to move the ball up and down the field, but were unable at times to finish off drives in a “couple of situations,” Raymond said.
On the defensive side, Raymond said his team played well, with the group hit by two big screen pass plays by Connally, on which the Lobos haven’t worked on “a whole lot.”
Raymond and his coaching staff continued to assess his players on the field as they lead up to the season opener.
“I’m not trying to win the scrimmage,” Raymond said. “I’m trying to do different things, to see what the kids can and can’t do.”
An added element for the Lobos was working against the speed and agility of both Pflugerville teams. Raymond said the speed can’t be replicated in practice, but also provides a way for the Lobos to get players up to game speed at a faster pace.
“To have that (experience) going out, to where the game can slow down for them as we get rolling next week, that’s big,” Raymond said.
Improving on ball security, along with increasing energy will be the keys for the Lobos as they enter their first game week.
“Our energy has got to get better. We have to come out ready to roll,” Raymond said. “You can’t come out and stick your toe in the water and feel the water. You’ve got to jump in and deal with what happens.”
