The Last Caul
by MARK CAUL
Tarale Murry and the Lehman High Lobos boys basketball team had just defeated Smithson Valley for the second time this season which mathematically gave them the inside track in securing the fourth and final playoff spot in District 27-4A.
As the congratulatory handshakes and hugs from their many fans, family and friends continued long after the game ended, Murry was still soaking in the moment with the rest of his teammates but was very subdued in the process.
He knew the journey was just beginning.
The boys basketball playoffs begin in less than three weeks and whether or not the Lobos will be included is still to be determined.
But the fact that they are still alive in the playoff race and now control their own destiny is a testament to the great strides Thomas Acker’s program has made in five seasons.
Don’t get me wrong. Lehman has had a couple of great athletes filter through the system that managed to keep them competitive for much of that time.
Four time all-district pick Kenny Weber (a 2009 graduate), arguably the best player in the program’s history, made the winning shot as time expired in Lehman’s historic first win over Hays High two years ago and was an integral part of Lobo basketball for his entire career at the school.
RJ Hardaway (also a 2009 graduate) and Jonathan Garrion (a 2010 graduate), both all-district selections, also played major roles during their stay at Lehman.
Fortunately, there is still talent at Lehman that has enabled the Lobos to be in the playoff discussion throughout much of the year.
The last time I checked, Lehman head coach Thomas Acker didn’t look much like a psychic, but he certainly sounded like one in a conversation I had with him just before their season began back in December.
He was extremely positive about which direction his team was headed in their new district. You could hear the confidence in his voice as he discussed this group of players that he honestly believed had an excellent shot at making the playoffs.
Now, with only a few games to go in the season, here they are right on the cusp of the school’s first-ever playoff berth in boys basketball.
Although much of the pre-season buzz was centered around Murry, fellow senior Adam Woodworth and sophomore point guard DeAndre Carson, this year’s success has been a total team effort.
When Murry went down early in the season with an injury, Woodworth immediately stepped into his role as the team’s rebounder and inside presence.
Carson has been the team’s most consistent scorer for much of the season while seniors Dane Peddycoart and Larry Benson have also been instrumental for the Lobos.
Acker has assembled a squad that is been very disciplined, detail-oriented and hungry to make their mark in Lehman basketball lore.
And the more I watch them play, the more I believe they have taken on the fiery, lunch-pail persona of their head coach.
If two weeks from now the Lobos are taking the floor for the first time in postseason play, it will not only be an historic moment for their program but the culmination of a long, hard journey for Acker and his crew.
I’ve got my popcorn ready.
