Lehman running back Ryan Wagner breaks free from a wall of Jefferson defenders during a 28-7 Lobo win. Lehman will now turn its attention to cross-town rival Hays, and will try to knock off the Rebels for the first time in team history Friday night at Shelton Stadium. (Photo by Dominic Martinez)
by MARK CAUL
Many Lehman football fans were waiting intently all week to see what Levi Medley would do for an encore after he rushed for 154 yards in his first varsity start against Austin Crockett a week ago.
The speedy junior tailback certainly didn’t disappoint as he finished with 200 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns in Lehman’s 28-7 romp over San Antonio Jefferson at Shelton Stadium on Friday night.
Medley electrified the Homecoming crowd with a short 5-yard touchdown run to cap an impressive 10-minute first quarter drive that got Lehman on the board first and then later brought them to their feet with an 80-yard TD scamper on the first offensive play of the second half that technically put the game on ice.
“I can’t say enough about how Levi has stepped up and is running the football right now,” Lehman head coach Steve Davis said. “If he would have been here for a two-a-days, there’s no telling where he would be condition wise. He’s a great kid who plays hard and when he accelerates through the hole he really hits it.”
Medley finished just short of Jacob Torres’ single game rushing record of 228, despite sitting out the final ten minutes of the game for Lehman.
“Yeah, I was tired but it’s pretty cool to know that I came that close to the record,” Medley said. “It feels pretty incredible.”
Junior Charles Williams contributed on both sides of the ball as well, picking off two Jorge Flores passes deep in Lehman territory at linebacker and also turning in a highlight-reel 51-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter, which extended Lehman’s lead to 28-0 with less than nine minutes remaining in the contest.
“We came to play tonight on both sides of the ball,” Williams said. “We know what we need to do when district play comes so it was time for everybody to step up their game.”
The Lobos (3-1) were flagged for a season-low 11 penalties and didn’t commit a single turnover on offense. While the Lehman defense again paid dividends by totally dominating Jefferson as they intercepted Flores four times and sacked him five times.
Only a late score by Jefferson’s Prentiss Johnson on a nifty 80-yard punt return with about five minutes left in the contest prevented the Lobos from posting their first shutout in two years.
Davis believes his squad is starting to peak at the right time.
“We know what’s at stake and we know every district game is going to be important,” Davis said. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work to be successful. Hays is going to be a challenge for us.”
Lehman will square off against its district rival Friday night at Shelton Stadium.
