THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Levelland High School Athletics

LEVELLAND — OK, now the Levelland Lobos can look ahead. With an anticipated showdown to end the regular season looming next week, a matchup with Estacado to decide the champion of District 2-4A Division II, Levelland first had to make sure it didn’t stub its toe Friday night against a one-win Perryton team still trying to secure a playoff berth of its own. It took a little while, but the Lobos were able to accomplish their goal with a 35-7 victory over the Rangers at Lobo Stadium. Chris Gerber rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the Lobos defense shut down the Rangers (1-8 0-3) in the second half. “It was a sloppy first half, and we challenged them in the second half to come out and put together two quarters and finish this thing right,” Levelland head coach Curtis Lowery said. “For the most part, they did that and played really well.” The victory sets up the clash with the Matadors on Thursday, with the winner claiming the outright district title. While the offense struggled to get going, Isiah Salazar made sure the Lobos (6-2, 3-0) would play with the lead the whole game. Salazar opened the game with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and added a 1-yard run late in the second quarter that put the Lobos up by two scores going into halftime. “I just saw a wide-open hole and cut back, saw another wide-open hole and took off,” Salazar said of the kickoff return. (The defense) had a good week of practice and we’ve got some good players out there.” Salazar would help seal the win in the second half when, late in the third quarter, he set up the Lobos’ final touchdown of the game that put it out of reach with 21 seconds left in the third quarter. It was a stellar defensive effort all the way around for the Lobos, who held Perryton to just 196 yards of total offense and just 67 of that after halftime. The defense also helped the offense overcome a sloppy night with 105 yards in penalties and a pair of turnovers. The Rangers punted four times in the second half, tried an unsuccessful fake punt early in the third quarter and had one other drive ended by Salazar’s pick. “The defense has really been playing well for four weeks now,” Lowery said. “They’ve been playing really dominant football and playing well on the front end and the back end. They kept us in some games early in the year, and tonight put us in good field position to be able to put some points on the board.” PLAYER OF THE GAME Isiah Salazar, WR/DB, Soph., Levelland Salazar was a factor in all three phases of the game for the Lobos. He opened the game with a 95-yard kickoff return, and added a 1-yard touchdown run later in the first half. His interception in the third quarter set up Levelland’s final touchdown. KEY PLAY Facing fourth-and-4 from his own 44, Levelland Chris Gerber made a Patrick Mahomes-esque play that eventually led to the touchdown that sealed the game. He was chased out of the pocket, rolled both left and right and as it appeared he would be stopped for a huge loss, flipped a pass out to Tristan VanZandt, who took it eight yards for the first down. Seven plays — and another fourth-down conversion later — Isiah Salazar scored from a yard out to put Levelland up 21-7 with 29 seconds left before halftime. WHAT’S NEXT With the win, Levelland sets up the much-anticipated regular season-ending showdown at 7 p.m. Thursday at Estacado, with the winner claiming the outright District 2-4A Division II crown. Perryton, meanwhile, returns home to face Borger, with the winner claiming the district’s fourth and final playoff berth.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Levelland High School Athletics

LEVELLAND TURNS BACK PERRYTON

GEORGE WATSON

Lubbock Online | 11/9/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Levelland Athletics