The Levelland Lobos football team faced off against the Seminole Indians in the Bi-District round of the 4A-2 playoffs at Frenship High School this past Thursday, falling 77-38.
The Lobos came ready to play in the matchup as they took a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter, but Seminole would battle back to take the lead, which would kickstart a back-and-forth game.
That dialogue lasted until extremely late in the second quarter when the Lobos had a couple of consecutive turnovers that Seminole turned into touchdowns.
The score was 42-30 in favor of the Indians at halftime, and then on the opening play of the second half, Seminole returned a Levelland kickoff for a touchdown.
That play would serve as the back breaker as the Lobos could never fight their way back, but they certainly left it all on the field, which is an effort Levelland Head Coach Lyle Leong commended.
“Our kids played hard and I thought they did a great job. I thought Seminole did a great job. I thought the referees did a great job,” Leong said. “Seminole scored a few more points than we did at the end of the game, but they’re a well-coached, really good team. Overall, our kids played outstanding.”
Two players who put on outstanding performances were junior starting quarterback Ethan Salazar and sophomore wide receiver Bryson Golightly.
The duo excelled in the first-round playoff matchup as Salazar had 224 passing yards and three passing touchdowns, completing 17/39 pass attempts. Salazar would add eight rushes for 67 yards too.
Golightly had a pair of touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. He finished with four recep tions for 80 yards and two carries for 11 yards.
Other offensive standouts included senior wide receiver Kaden Brogden and sophomore running back Noah Martin.
Brogden was the Lobos leading receiver with seven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Martin led them in rushing with 19 carries for 120 yards, averaging 6.3 yards a carry.
Martin’s performance is even more impressive when you realize that he only played the second half of the game. (Martin was required to miss the first half due to being ejected last week) Junior Jake Potter rushed the football effectively as well, rushing for 80 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Junior Tobias Gavina also made his mark with two receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the football, it was a tough night as the Lobos were unable to stop the run, allowing 367 rushing yards to Seminole, but senior defensive lineman Tanane Brackens still made one of the best plays all night.
The Indians were trying to run a slip screen, which Brackens read perfectly to undercut the route and intercept the football, returning it inside the Seminole 10-yard line to set up a Lobos offensive touchdown.
Even in the loss, the Lobos had countless impactful playoff performances, which doesn’t surprise Coach Leong.
“They’ve been doing it for years now, so it’s nothing new. They worked for it; they came all summer and when I tried to get them to go home, they were still here,” Coach Leong said. “So, it’s just a testimony to how great our kids are, how great their families are, how great the team is.”
The Lobos showed that greatness on the field this season and while it may be ending differently than they wanted, there’s still nothing to be ashamed about.
They end the season at 6-5, finishing with a winning record for the second straight season, which is something that Levelland football hasn’t done since 2018.
The program is trending up and establishing a winning identity, and the best part is that Levelland only graduates a few starters from this group.
The future is bright for the Lobos as they’ll look to build on this season with an even better next one.