THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Levelland High School Athletics

Levelland was more than Monahans could handle Friday night. The Lobos dominated from the start, running away to a 62-26 victory in a Class 4A Division II bi-district playoff game at the Mustang Bowl. Levelland (8-2),was led by quarterback Chris Gerber’s 188 yards passing as he went 17 of 19, with wide receiver Jonathan Nevarez finishing with even receptions for 94 yards. Gerber also rushed for 90 yards on five carries. Isiah Salazar rushed for 97 yards on just two carries. “The kids played great. Monahans is a great football team. I thought tonight was our most complete performance of the year,” said Levelland head coach Curtis Lowery. “Our kids expect a lot from themselves and we expect a lot from them.” Kye Noyola finished with 33 carries for 180 yards for Monahans (5-6), while J.T. Pittman threw for 26 yards, going 2 of 5 with one interception on the night. “It is disappointing,” said Monahans head coach Mel Maxfield. “We’re proud that we made the playoffs. “As we look to the future, we are losing a lot of good seniors. Kye Noyola has been tremendous for us. We have some kids coming back and I’m excited about the future.” Levelland needed only two plays to take the lead, scoring on a Gerber 51-yard touchdown run with 11:21 left in the first quarter. “We talk about coming out fast and starting fast and setting the tone early,” Lowery said. “We were able to get the ball first and we were able to score.” After forcing Monahans to punt, Levelland’s Jacob Ramirez took the punt return all the way back for a touchdown on a 65-yard return with 8:05 left in the opening quarter. A Monahans drive stalled in Levelland territory and the Lobos quickly found the end zone for a third time with Tristan Vanzandt’s 16-yard reception with 10:34 left in the second quarter and the extra-point made it 21-0. A Brandon Vasquez fumble was recovered by Levelland on its own 19-yard line. Levelland made Monahans pay soon after as Gerber scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 7:27 left before halftime. Vanzandt scored on a 38-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter and with Jerrson Hernandez’s extra-point, Levelland had a 35-0 lead with 3:29 left before halftime. Pittman hooked up with Peyton Adams for a 12-yard pass for a touchdown but Monahans missed the extra-point with 34 seconds left before halftime. Isiah Salazar scored on the ensuing kickoff return, scoring on an 82-yard return with 21 seconds left before halftime. It didn’t take Levelland very long to find the end zone in the second half. Zach Mulkey hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Gerber on Levelland’s first possession of the second half to take a 49-6 lead with the extra-point with 5:53 left in the third. A 28-yard run by Pittman soon led to a touchdown run by Noyola for Monahans on a 1-yard carry. The two-point conversion ended with an interception with 2:33 left in the third. Monahans would soon turn the ball over on down when a run for one yard by Noyola wasn’t enough in the fourth quarter.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Levelland High School Athletics

LEVELLAND TOO MUCH FOR MONAHANS

MICHAEL BAUER

Odessa American | 11/17/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Levelland Athletics