Staff Report
The Lehman Lobos discovered Friday there’s no place like home.
Three scintillating touchdowns from Lobo senior Tanner Johnson jockeyed the Lobos past the McCallum Knights 38-24 to capture the program’s first win in their home opener in ten years. Friday was also the first time the Class of 2022 Lobo senior football players won a game at home during their high school careers.
Tied at 7-7 early in the first quarter, Lehman exploded for 17 unanswered points as they snagged a commanding 24-7 lead late in the second. Johnson, who plays on both offense and defense, was an important factor in 14 of those 17 points. One touchdown was a 22-yard strike to Johnson from quarterback Joey Guajardo, while Johnson ran home a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Johnson caught six passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns receiving and rushed three times for 32 yards. Johnson, who was a force all over the field Friday, also had two interceptions and four total tackles.
Guajardo went 5 of 9 for 138 yards and had two touchdowns passing.
“Last week, we took a hard L (loss). We didn’t feel too good,” Johnson said in an interview posted on Hays CISD social media channels. “This week, we played hard, we rebounded. We played through the whistle and did what we had to do.”
After McCallum added a field goal to close the gap to 24-10 at half, the Lobos counter-punched with a 67-yard touchdown pass from Guajardo to Johnson. Lobo running back Joey Mojica scored the second of his two touchdowns on the night with a three-yard plunge late in the contest to give Lehman a 38-17 lead.
“They’ve been working hard and they’ve overcome quite a bit of adversity. That’s what makes it really special. This is the first win for the seniors at home. Ever,” Lobo head coach Bruce Salmon said. “It’s a monumental deal. that first one is always tough. We’ve been talking about it.”
Lehman out-gained McCallum 374-341 in total yards. Meanwhile the Lobo defense forced four turnovers.
Lehman goes on the road Thursday when the Lobos play Austin High at House Park. Kickoff is scheduled for Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
