The Levelland Lobos football team asserted their will on Pecos this past Friday night, winning 41-21 in their home opener.
The Lobos defense started the game by forcing a three-and-out, which the offense immediately responded to with a 50 plus yard touchdown pass between junior quarterback Ethan Salazar and senior wide receiver Kaden Brogden.
They set the tone early and kept it going as they led 28-0 late in the second quarter. Pecos didn’t get on the board until the closing seconds of the first half and when they did score, the Lobos made them work extremely hard for it.
It’s also worth noting that two of Pecos’ touchdowns came in fourth quarter garbage time when many of Levelland’s starters were getting a breather.
That dressed the score a little better for the Eagles, but make no mistake, the defense shut them down.
The unit had four turnovers forced and junior defensive back Jake Potter was responsible for two of them.
Potter played menacing defense as he had an interception and a forced fumble as well as numerous tackles. He made the play of the night when he annihilated an Eagle with a huge hit to force a fumble.
Along with that, following a forced and recovered fumble by junior defensive lineman Tristan Waters, Potter was also able to score a touchdown on offense as a running back.
“Jake Potter played unbelievable, lights out on both sides of the ball. I can’t give him enough credit for what he did tonight,” Head Coach Lyle Leong said.
He was likely Levelland’s MVP in the game, but quarterback Ethan Salazar gave him a run for his money as he scored five touchdowns on the night.
Salazar went 12/20 on his pass attempts, throwing for 244 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, also adding a rushing touchdown.
It’s also worth noting that the interception was the result of a drop where his receiver tipped it into the hands of the defense.
After missing last week Salazar was as sharp as ever, evading pressure and improvising with some great throws on the run, leaving Pecos defenseless.
“He was awesome. He’s started for three years, so the game’s slowed down for him and he understands because he’s a student of the game,” Leong said. “Give a little credit to those receivers as well, they did a great job. Bryson Golightly, he was quarterback last week and for him to go to receiver and make those big plays, he did a fantastic job. Tobias Gavina had a heck of a catch. When Ethan’s in there, those receivers feel comfortable, they know he’s going to make it happen. Hat’s off to Ethan and the receivers, and more importantly than anybody, the o-line, without them it wouldn’t happen.”
The receiving core showed out big time as sophomore Bryson Golighty had three receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown, Kaden Brogden had six receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Tobias Gavina had two receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Shoutout to the offensive linemen for allowing it all to happen and also for paving the way for Levelland to rush for 9.2 yards per carry.
Overall, it was a dominant team performance and the most impressive thing about it all was the adversity they continually overcame.
There was a noticeable penalty discrepancy in favor of Pecos, and it also poured rain in the second half, and not to mention, the Lobos were coming off a blowout loss last week, but nothing would stand in their way.
That’s the mindset that Leong has been instilled in his players and his staff, to stay composed and work through adversity, which they did to put on a stellar performance.
“Glory to God. The coaches and kids did a fantastic job. It makes my job easier when you work with great coaches and kids,” Leong said. “At the end of the day, having someone to give them a breath or two made a big difference. It rained tonight; we played through the rain. They did a great job bouncing back and showing what type of team we can be here.”
After being banged up against Dalhart, they showed just how much they can do when healthy.
Now at 1-1 this season, they’ll look to further show their capabilities this week as they host Idalou this Friday at 7:00pm.