By Moses Leos III.
Emotions ran high on the field at Lenhoff Stadium in Schertz as the Lehman High Lobos took their coach’s advice and hugged the senior players after their last game together.
The Lobos lost their last game of the season to the Clemens Buffaloes, falling short by 42 points.
Coach Todd Raymond told the boys that the game isn’t about scores but the family you make during the season.
Lehman defensive back Malcolm Turner wraps up a Schertz Clemens player in Friday night’s game at Lehnhoff Stadium in Schertz. Lehman was overpowered by Clemens, falling 49-7 in their final game of 2013. (Photo by Rafael Marquez) |
“We always talk about finishing strong and for a lot of these seniors it’s their last time to play football,” Raymond said. “Our kids work really hard, you can tell by the way that they’ve just been milling around out here. They’re a really close group of kids who have worked really hard and they’re going to help us build this program in the direction we want to build it.”
Lehman trailed Clemens 21-0 at the half, with their only touchdown of the game coming off of a 58-yard run by senior Tylor Dodero in the third quarter.
The Lobos had more than 10 incomplete passes on the game.
Raymond said pressure from the Buffs’ defense caused miscommunication between junior quarterback Jeremy Schilhab and his receivers.
“They’re a really good team, they’ve got a few really good players that are going to play at the next level,” Schilhab said. “We just didn’t connect.”
The team had a total of 165 yards on 33 carries and 90 yards for 9 receptions.
“It’s tough when your quarterback knows those two guys are barreling down on you, to just sit in there and be confident, but he (Schilhab) did a good job,” Raymond said. “You know, he took a couple shots, but it’s tough.”
A 41-yard field goal attempt and a 35-yard attempt were both missed on consecutive drives during the first half, the second coming after a critical fourth and one conversion, voided by two subsequent false start penalties against the Lobos.
The Lobos had five penalties for 40 yards on the game.
A fumble during the first drive of the second half, recovered by Clemens’ defensive back Jeremy Dickey, led to the drive that gave the Buffaloes their fifth touchdown of the game.
“It was tough but we just played hard,” Schilhab said. “It was the last game with all of us playing together. We wanted to finish strong so that we won’t feel bad after and won’t have any regrets.”
The Lobos end the season with a 3-7 record, winning 3 games at home and losing all four games on the road.
Six players will return on offense next season, four of them being offensive lineman and the other two being Schilhab at quarterback and one of the Lobos receivers, Raymond said.
“That’s a great core of kids coming back and we’ve got a great freshman team that’s going to help us out quite a bit (next year),” Raymond said. “It’s easy to build and you hope those young kids will take these experiences and help build on them for the future.”
