By Keff Ciardello
A 33-yard field goal made by Lehman kicker Chris Piedra in the first quarter scored the first three points in the Lehman-Boerne game. It was followed by seven unanswered touchdowns by the Boerne Champion Chargers as they took down the Lobos, 47-3, last Friday night at B.I.S.D. Stadium in Boerne.
The Lobos gained 233 total yards on offense, which was almost doubled by the Chargers 448 yards. Despite a nearly balanced offensive game plan where the Lobos ran the ball 39 times and passed 30, the Lobos amassed most of their yards on the ground with 143 yards.
Five of the seven Charger touchdowns were from 15-year-old quarterback Josh Green, who threw four touchdowns and ran in one more. Green connected with Cort Cowart three times in the end zone, including a 70-yard touchdown.
Green completed 11 of his 21 passes for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Cowart caught six passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Travis Pospisil led Boerne in rushing with 138 yards on six carries and had a 57-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Paul Brown led the Lobos in rushing with 54 yards on 11 carries for an average of 4.9 yards a carry. Even with the range of running options the Lehman coaching staff has, Brown remains the Lobos’ most consistent and productive option to run the ball. He rarely loses yards and has a skilled vision for following his blockers.
Tyler Hyss had a solid game running the ball, gaining 51 yards on just five carries for 10.2 yards per carry. Hyss also accounted for the Lobos biggest play when he gained 24 yards on a run. A speedster usually used as wide-receiver or kick returner, Hyss was lined up behind the quarterback at the runningback position for his five carries, all of which came in the second half.
Hyss previously did run plays, end-arounds and reverses, but had not lined up in the backfield as he did Friday. It was successful experiment by head coach Todd Raymond and could be a sign that a Brown/Hyss combo at running back could be beneficial for the Lobos for the rest of the season.
Quarterback Jeremy Schilhab went 8-30 for 90 yards and a pick-six interception against Boerne. It was a tough night for Schilhab, who is not alone in sharing the blame. The pocket collapsed on him numerous times and there were four dropped passes by the Lobos, including two from his most sure-handed receiver, Kelton Powell. Some costly indecisiveness by Schilhab during the read-option plays allowed the Chargers to shut down plays before they even started.
Powell caught six of the Lobos’ eight completed passes for 53 yards. Though his stats don’t always show it, Powell appears to be, skillwise, the Lobos most athletic weapon. He’s a crafty kick returner as well but his lack of production on offense has more to do with poor passing than his catching ability. Coach Raymond said he wants to get the ball in Powell’s hands more so he can make plays but has had trouble doing so. Powell attempted one run against Boerne, an end-around play that went for 8 yards.
John Herrera had just one catch for 19 yards following his four touchdown performance last week. His 19-yard catch was the biggest pass play by the Lobos on Friday.
A category where Leh-man did top Boerne was first downs. Lehman’s steady rushing attack allowed them to pick up most of their 15 first downs, while Boerne only had 11.
The Lobos return home on Friday night, where they face off against Alamo Heights. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
