Levi Medley has been running clear toward the end zone against many opponents this season. He leads the Lobos into their biggest game of the year Friday night against Hays. (Photo by David Simoneaux)
by WES FERGUSON
You couldn’t tell it from the stands, the way Levi Medley was dodging tackles and tearing through defenders last Friday night, but the Lehman running back was playing hurt.
He woke up early Saturday following the Lobo’s 41-12 win over San Antonio Jefferson, and he hit the Lehman training room to work out the soreness in his left thigh.
“Hurt my quad on the second play of the game. Ran right into a dude, and my whole leg went numb,” Medley said as he cycled on a stationary bike. “It lowered my performance a little bit, because I couldn’t make big cuts and couldn’t break off because it started cramping up.”
Medley still managed to finish the game with two touchdowns and 124 rushing yards on just 11 carries. But then, Medley is used to playing through pain.
Last season, he was an early impact player for the Lobos, rushing for nearly 350 yards in the team’s first two games. But he was slowed by injuries during district play and finished the season with 633 rushing yards in limited action.
He was determined his senior year would be different.
Over the offseason, Medley said, he got bigger and tougher. He ran three miles a day, and from lifting weights he could tell his legs were becoming more built. He also worked his upper body to be able to break more tackles.
The extra work is showing on the field. Whether accelerating through a hole in the defensive line, spinning away from a linebacker or “trucking” a defender with a stiff-arm, Medley has run for 724 yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry, while scoring eight touchdowns in Leh-man’s first four games. So far he has been the centerpiece of an offense that has scored at least 40 points in three of those games for the undefeated Lobos.
Medley is currently on pace to break former Lobo R.J. Hardaway’s single-season team rushing record of 1,408 yards and single-season touchdown mark of 14. He has an outside chance to eclipse Hardaway’s Lobo career rushing mark of 2,481, set from 2006-08.
Medley is a soft-spoken young man, but he grinned when asked whether he believes that every time he touches the football he has a chance to score.
“Yeah,” he said. “Every time. The linemen will open a hole and I’ll follow them all the way to the end zone.”
The Lobos want Medley to be at his best when they face rival Hays in a Homecoming showdown this Friday night. The game, with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Shelton Stadium, is Lehman’s chance to knock off the Rebel varsity football team for the first time in school history.
Lobo head coach Steve Davis said Medley’s speed and agility are keys to the team’s success.
“When you love playing the game, you kick it up a notch and Levi is an explosive back,” Davis said. “He’s a gamer, man. When the lights come on he’s ready to play. He gets himself mentally ready, works hard during the week learning his assignments, and when it comes time to play he’s ready to go.”
Lehman quarterback Matt Anguiano said Medley puts his heart into every play on the field.
“Levi runs the ball real great, and any time you can do that it makes everyone’s job easier,” Anguiano said. “The running game sets up the passing for me, so he really makes my life a little bit easier too.”
Medley, who moved to Kyle from Tennessee before the start of his junior year, is determined to improve upon his performance in last year’s game versus Hays. In that game, a loss for the Lobos, Medley injured his ankle in the second quarter and finished with only 74 rushing yards.
“I want to redeem myself from last year,” he said. “I wasn’t on my game last year. I just want to give it everything I have this time.”
