The Levelland Lobos dropped to 0-2 in the 2022 football regular season after a 217 loss to the Snyder Tigers in their home opener. Heading into week two, Head Coach and Athletic Director Lyle Leong had to make the decision to go with second string quarterback Rusty Johnson as original starter, senior Konner Alexander was ruled out with an illness. Missing from the defensive side of the ball, Levelland’s Xavier Espinoza and Ben Alvarado were sidelined after tough week one battle against the Plainview Bulldogs. “The kids are definitely settling in, and they continued to fight through the entire game despite multiple things not going our way,” said Leong. “We didn’t have that many mistakes this time around compared to week one but have to clean those up and we have to capitalize on opportunities.” Opening the game, the Levelland defense stone walled the Tiger offense. Size and depth have been an issue for the Lobos this year, however, the Lobos have shown strength in numbers when it is needed. The Lobos have managed to rally in open field tackles and fill holes within the tackle box to the best of their ability. That energy allowed the early momentum within the game to shift in Levelland’s favor. The Lobo defense forced multiple fumbles while also converting one into a turnover in the mid first quarter. With Johnson at the helm of the offense for the Lobos, the run game and short passes provided a spark for Levelland. Eventually working their way down the field, Lobo running back, Marco Guillen worked his way through multiple arm tackles from the Snyder defenders and sped his way down the sideline for the touchdown. After putting the first points on the board, the Levelland defense returned to the field with confidence and momentum on their side. The Lobo defense continued to pressure the Tiger offense on three straight plays to force a long third down. Once the ball was snapped, the Snyder pocket broke down as the Lobo defenders forced the Snyder quarterback to escape. The Snyder quarterback located and threw the ball to the Tiger receiver down the sideline, but he was in double coverage. As both Lobo defensive backs went for the ball, it was tipped in the air allowing the Snyder receiver to make the catch and reach the end-zone after a 40yard sprint with no Lobo players in sight. The first quarter ended, 7-7, with the Lobos starting the second quarter with the ball. As the game progressed, the Snyder defense began to focus on the run game as Johnson, Guillen and running back Ladarian Jordan were the triple threat of the Lobo offense. Focusing on the pass game, Johnson struggled to connect with his receiving core. Offensively, the Lobos could not gain any traction and stalled on multiple drives before halftime. The Tigers flipped the momentum in their favor after stringing together positive plays to keep the chains moving. Taking their time, Snyder marched down the field as their quarterback found his rhythm and exploited the open spots in the Lobo coverage. The Tigers capped off the drive with a two-yard quarterback run down the middle for a touchdown to push the score to 14-7. Coming out of halftime, the Lobos leaned on their run game, but could not produce any points. Offensive mistakes such as holding calls, false starts and bad snaps plagued the Levelland offense. Moral had taken a hit from the multiple offensive possession resulting in punts and turnovers. However, the Levelland sidelines and Lobo players continued to keep the energy going as that was one thing Coach Leong had challenged his team to do coming into week two. Both the Tigers and Lobos exchanged possessions in the third quarter, until the Snyder offense began to put together a solid offensive drive. On a fourth down and distance, the Tiger quarterback took a gamble and rolled out of the pocket to buy more time. Instead of looking for a man that had cleared the first down marker, the eyes of the quarterback traveled to the back corner of the end-zone and hit the Tiger receiver for the final points of the game. As the fourth quarter progressed, the run game for the Lobo offense was shut down. With limited reps with his receiving core, Johnson attempted several throws with no success. “It was a tough game,” said Leong. “A couple of things happened that weren’t in our favor like the tipped and bounced pass for a Snyder touchdown, but we have to fight threw those plays.” Coach Leong praised his defense for fighting the entire game as they had to respond after turnovers or punts after quick offensive outings. “Our defense played a heck of a job for four quarters,” said Leong. “Our special team units played well too.” With Johnson making his first start of the season at quarterback, Leong was happy with his effort and performance. Johnson has been a regular starter on defense in the Lobo linebacker core and has been part of the special teams’ units as well. “Rusty was excellent, and I think he did a great job for us,” said Coach Leong. “Kudos to him for stepping up and filling the role for us. I have no complaints with the way he performed for us.” Coach Leong and his staff know that capitalizing on the offensive side of the ball can put the Lobos in a spot to compete and get their first win of the season as the defensive side of the ball and special teams have found their footing. “These dudes continue to work and fight day after day for us coaches,” explained Coach Leong. “I think everyone will begin to see the success and turnaround as we get closer and closer each week.” The Lobos had a short week to prepare for the Lubbock High Westerners on Thursday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Lubbock at Lowrey Field. The Westerners are 1-1 after week two loss to the Big Spring Steers, 51-26. The Westerners week one win came against the El Paso Socorro Bulldogs, 41-8.