By Briana Amaro
The Lehman Lobos held strong for approximately the first 20 minutes Friday in their game against the McCallum Knights.
But a series of mishaps by Lehman, including a lack of ball control on kickoffs, led the Knights to a 26-14 victory in the Lobos’ home opener at Shelton Stadium.
Lehman worked to stop a power running McCallum squad that amassed 465 of the team’s 491 total yards on the ground.
But both teams put up a strong defensive front, with no score after the first quarter.
Roughly 18-minutes into the game, Lehman stopped McCallum on the Lobo one-yard line, forcing a punt by the Knights. But McCallum kept possession after a mishandled ball by Lehman.
Enter McCallum quarterback Max Perez, whose quick run to the end zone resulted in McCallum gaining a 7-0 lead with approximately three minutes left in the half.
Less than a minute later, Lehman quarterback Jacob Zamora completed a 40-plus yard pass to Tyler Henderson, putting the Lobos in position to score with only seconds left in the first half.
Following a holding call on McCallum, the Lobos scored on an eight-yard touchdown run by Bryan Mendoza, tying the score at 7-7 at halftime.
An early third quarter fumble by Lehman at their own four-yard line set McCallum up for what could have been a touchdown. A solid defense by Lehman held its ground, forcing McCallum into a field goal.
The Lobos’ turnover troubles continued on the next kickoff, as a mishandled ball in the end zone resulted in a safety for McCallum.
Even a series of fumbles and penalties against the Knights didn’t stop Perez, who ran for an 11-yard touchdown to give the Knights a 19-7 lead.
Perez finished with 104 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. But the Knights were led by running back Jojo Hardeway, who powered ahead for 238 yards on 14 carries.
On the opposite side, Lehman’s offense could only muster 162 total yards in the game. Zamora went 7 of 21 for 67 yards passing.
As things looked bleak for the Lobos, the offense fought back, starting with a reverse handoff to sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Brown.
It set the Lobos up for a quarterback keeper from Zamora and Lehman’s next touchdown, pulling the Lobos to within five at 19-14.
Brown and Mendoza finished as the Lobos’ leading rushers. Each player tallied 45-yards, with Mendoza scoring a touchdown.
But McCallum tallied one final touchdown to put the game away.
Maintaining possession will be key for Lehman as they prepare for this week’s district opener against Bowie. Bowie defeated San Antonio Madison last week.
The Lobos host the Bulldogs Friday at Bob Shelton Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
