The Levelland Lobos fall to 0-3 after a Thursday loss against the Lubbock High Westerners 2114 on the road in Lubbock. Steadily showing growth as each week has passed, the Lobos stayed competitive against the Westerners throughout the game. Self-inflicted penalties and mistakes kept the Lobos out of reach of the lead against Lubbock.
Athletic Director and Head Coach Lyle Leong applauded the effort his squad showed consistently against the Westerners.
“Overall, I thought we played well. I told the kids; I think it’s a couple of plays that we must make at the end whether it be throws or catches,” explained Coach Leong. “We’ve got to be able to make those plays at the end of the game and we didn’t.”
The Westerners scored first after opening the game with a kickoff return to tak an early 7-0 lead.
The Lobos tried to respond offensively after the touchdown but traded multiple possessions with the Westerners until the later minutes of the first quarter.
Levelland worked their way down the field thanks to a strong run game from senior Marco Guillen and junior Ladarian Jordan.
Closing out the first quarter with consistent ball movement down the field, the Lobos retained possession going into the second quarter. After reaching the red zone, the Lobos stalled within the 10-yard line forcing a fourth down.
Leong sent the field goal team onto the field with Guillen handling kicking duties for all special team’s units. The snap and hold were successful however, the kick was wide left, and possession changed to the Westerners.
After battling the Westerners offense and holding them scoreless for the remainder of the first quarter and the majority of the second, the Lobos scored their first points of the game late in the quarter.
With two minutes on the clock in the first half, the Lobos marched down the field and put six points on the board with a heavy formation package with Guillen running downhill for a seven-yard touchdown.
Coming out of halftime, the Lobo defense started allowing more explosive plays that resulted in the Westerners adding another seven points in the middle of the third quarter.
Sizeable plays through the ground and air allowed for a fastpaced march down the field with Levelland struggling to regroup.
Trailing 14-7, the Lobos offense continued to battle heading into the late seconds of the third quarter into the fourth.
Utilizing swing passes, screens to the edge and the power running of Guillen, the Lobos worked their way into another red zone situation and capitalized on the situation.
With a similar heavy package as the first touchdown, Guillen bulldozed his way down the middle of the pile with the help of the Lobo big men to fall into the endzone for their final touchdown of the evening.
The Westerners matched the Lobos with a touchdown drive the next possession with four minutes remaining in the game. Dropped passes and poor throws plagued the Levelland offense in the end.
Trying one last attempt at a drive to get into scoring possession, the drive resulted in a fourth down hail marry that was intercepted to close out the game.
“I’m proud of these kids,” said Leong. “We have gotten better as the weeks have gone by; it’s been gradual. From week one to two and during this game.”
The goal for Leong and his program is to continue to get better each week in preparation to chase a district championship.
“Like I’ve said before, our goal is to win district and we’re going to continue to pursue that goal,” explained Leong. “I know we will continue to keep growing and become better as a whole.”
Coach Leong, his coaching staff and players will go back, and review film focus on what needs to be corrected before Friday’s battle with Estacado at home.
“We will examine who played better and determine who needs to be where to succeed,” said Leong. “We must have the best person on the field, and they have to play with everything they have. This is Texas high school football so we need the absolute best these guys can bring to the table.”
Keeping his team invested in a tough non-district schedule is something Leong and his coaching staff are continuing to tell the players. Letting the team know that the early adversity and grow will pay off when district play rolls around is the message Coach Leong sent to his team in the post-game huddle. “First and foremost, it’s an honor to play the game and it’s a privilege that we get out here,” said Leong. “I know how they are feeling because of the work they put in, but it’s supposed to hurt when you don’t win. You’re supposed to go back and work on those mistakes. Do we feel we should have won? Absolutely. Lubbock High did a great job, they won and kudos to those coaches and those players.”
With Levelland hosting the Estacado Matadors for homecoming,CoachLeongknows his kids are fired up to get their first win of the season against a long-time rival.
“Our kids are going to be fired up, it’s an opportunity to get back on the right path,” said Coach Leong. “I love these coaches; these kids and I’m blessed to get to be the leader of this group. We’ll get it right and continue to get better each week that we have the opportunity.”