Between the Lines
by JASON GORDON
Many exciting things happened in the Hays CISD athletic world during the 2010-11 school year and in the next few weeks I will pick the top individual and team moments that occurred at both Hays and Lehman between last fall and graduation.
But the one thing I will remember most that happened on the field during this unique 2010-11 campaign is the Hays-Lehman rivalry officially began.
Recently-retired longtime Hays athletic director Bob Shelton once said, and Lehman athletic director Steve Davis agreed, that although the Lobos and Rebels were obviously natural rivals because they were in such close proximity, it wouldn’t begin to be a true rivalry between the two schools until the Lobos started to be competitive with the Rebels on a regular basis on the playing field.
Well, 2010-11 was certainly the year Lehman showed it wasn’t going to play second fiddle to the Rebs anymore, wasn’t it?
After several years of being beaten by Hays in football by lopsided margins the Lobos held a halftime lead on the Rebels at Shelton Stadium before the Rebs rallied for a 28-14 victory.
The Lobo softball team recorded its first-ever victory over Hays and the baseball team did even better, sweeping the Rebels in dramatic fashion for its first two victories in school history over the Rebs in the sport.
Yes, despite the fact it took six years, the rivalry between Hays and Lehman high schools is officially on.
Being a Hays graduate many years ago, I will probably always be accused of being a Rebel supporter when I cover games between the two schools.
In actuality, I think it’s very exciting that Hays and Lehman are getting closer and closer from a competitive standpoint in almost every sport.
Lehman is finally almost equal to Hays in attendance figures, and that means the Lobos aren’t fighting the uphill battle they were when they opened six years ago with far fewer students than Hays.
Lehman tennis coach Orlando De La Fuente has built a program that has athletes contending for the state tournament year in and year out.
Lobo soccer and cross-country coach Jay Sansom, a former Rebel assistant coach, has guided his programs to the postseason multiple times. Lehman baseball coach Toby Robinson has led his Lobos to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, and Lehman boys track and field coach Michael Laney has perennially seen his athletes compete at the regional level and had one runner even make the state meet over the last few years.
It seems to this scribe that Hays and Lehman are pretty close to being equals in most sports now.
There will be few easy victories on either side in any sport from here on out and those who remember the fierce Buda versus Kyle high school rivalry that began in the early part of the last century will once again be rewarded with competitive games nearly every time they attend a Hays-Lehman contest.
The Lobo-Rebel rivalry is getting stronger from a competitive and fan base standpoint day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year.
I for one am excited and proud of the many Lehman programs that have steadily grown into playoff contenders.
The future should be bright for both the Lobos and Rebels, and I’m looking forward to many thrilling games between the two schools in the years to come.
