The Levelland Lobos Football team kicked off their 2023-2024 season with their first scrimmage Friday at Idalou High School against the Wildcats.
The Lobos are led by thirdyear Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Lyle Leong.
The Lobos and Lions alternated offensive and defensive units for set numbers of plays testing their first and second string players.
The Lobos began the scrimmage with a strong defensive outing from the starting core of players. Holding the Wildcats to short gains in yardage, the Lobos defense had no trouble rallying to the ball and making open-field tackles.
Defensively, the Lobos are littered with returning veterans as senior defensive lineman Kain Maldando, senior linebackers Austin Ellis, Rusty Johnson and junior Noah Tienda made their presence felt across the field.
For the Lobos first scrimmage of the season, Coach Leong was very pleased with the team as they showed heart and played until the whistle every play.
“We felt good, we had some kids making plays on both sides of the ball which is a big difference from last year where on some plays we had one or two players on the ball,” explained Coach Leong. “I think you could name 10-plus players who made a play today and step in, so in some areas we still lack depth but for others we have some depth players that can come in and make some plays for us.”
At the start of the scrimmage the offense racked up miscues ranging from high snaps, fumbles, errand throws and miscommunication.
However, as the scrimmage progressed, the Lobos found ways to string plays together and move the ball down the field against the Wildcats.
“The mental mistakes for me is what sticks out and I think some of the kids who aren’t used to varsity have to get the butterfly’s out. Some of these kids that never had the chance to prove themselves. They came out here and treated it like the Super Bowl, so for them it was just an opportunity and another chance to prove themselves”, said Coach Leong. “Whether you play high school, college or NFL it’s still football at the end of the day and it takes a few snaps to realize it and feel comfortable to get in the groove that we were able to get in later in the game.
For the teams conditioning, the Lobos found themselves getting tired further into the scrimmage. While depth is not too much of a concern for the Lobos, there are a handful of players having to go both ways on offense and defense.
“Part of our game plan was to preserve our team and keep them fresh. Some of that is going to be them getting in shape as we go on, but for some of the guys it’s different when they play both sides of the ball. It is a transition that some of them will have to get used to,’’ explained Coach Leong. “This year the best players will stay on whether that be kickoff, punt, offense, or defense. The best players will be on the field this year, so they had a little taste of what’s going to happen this year and what we expect of them.
The Levelland Lobos have their next scrimmage this Friday against the Big Spring Steers. Prior to the scrimmage, LISD will be hosting Meet the Lobos which begins at 6 p.m. at the Lobo Stadium. The first regular season game of the season will be against Plainview at Lobo Stadium, August 25 at 7 p.m.