By WES FERGUSON
After dispatching the San Antonio Jefferson Mustangs 41-12 last Friday night, the unbeaten Lehman Lobos could finally focus on the game their fans want them to win more than any other:
Homecoming versus Hays.
The Hays Rebels have foiled Lehman every year since the school began playing football, but Lobo players swear this is the season they will get the best of their rivals and go 5-0 for the first time Friday night at Shelton Stadium.
“It’s very important,” running back Levi Medley said when asked how crucial the team’s goal of beating Hays is. “It’ll be the first time in team history.”
With all the talk about the Hays game, the Lobos still had to take care of business at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio. But Jefferson’s Mark Mangel took the opening kickoff 25 yards to his own 49-yard line. Four plays and less than two minutes later, quarterback Jorge Flores darted seven yards into the end zone to score the game’s first points.
The Lobos answered during their first opportunity with the football. Quarterback Matt Anguiano found sophomore Brandon Hamilton over the middle of the field for a 52-yard gain, and two straight runs by Matt Zamora put Lehman on the board too.
From then on, the night belonged to Lehman.
Levi Medley rushed for 124 yards and Zamora added 98, with both running backs scoring a pair of touchdowns each, as the Lobos improved to 4-0 for the second time in team history. Junior lineman Kris Hernandez terrorized the Jefferson quarterback all night, and the Lobos’ aggressive defense and four lost fumbles by Jefferson ensured the game was never in doubt after the opening minutes.
“We knew Jefferson was going to be good,” Lehman head coach Steve Davis said. “They had almost their whole team return from last year’s team that made the playoffs. They bent us a little bit on that first drive, but then our defense stiffened up a little bit and got the job done.”
On offense for Lehman, A.J. Armonta and Christian Melendrez also scored touchdowns, while quarterback Matt Anguiano completed 4-of-6 passes for 88 yards and a pick. Davis rested Anguiano for a good portion of the second half, letting Armonta take snaps and hand off to the Lobos’ passel of running backs. Medley also got plenty of rest in the later minutes.
The second score for Jefferson came during trash time in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Jorge Flores optioned right to running back Joseph Luna. Luna darted down the sideline, then got an accidental block from a referee as he sprinted 74 yards for the touchdown. Jefferson fell to 1-2 with the loss.
Lobos players say they badly want to achieve the school’s first win over Hays. Davis downplayed the rivalry, however, saying he wanted his players to remain levelheaded and focused on the fact it’s Lehman’s first district game.
“You try not to get involved in all the hype,” Davis said. “Leave that to the fans. The atmosphere will be charged enough on Friday night that it will get you motivated to play. We’re just going to go out this week and prepare hard like we do for every other game.”
