Late defensive stands seal Lubbock High football win over Levelland

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

NON-DISTRICT

LUBBOCK HIGH 21, LEVELLAND 14

Keith Ramirez scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:35 remaining, and the Westerners defense made a late stop to preserve the win Thursday at Lowrey Field/PlainsCapital Park.

The teams traded scores in the second half, with Levelland's Marco Guillen tying the game for a second time early in the fourth quarter. But the team couldn't get its offense going on the final two drives, including a four-play turnover on downs with less than two minutes to go.

What this game means: Lubbock High is 2-1, matching its highest win total of the past nine seasons. The Westerners have surpassed two victories one time since 2006, finishing 3-8 in 2012. That is the last year Lubbock High made the playoffs. The result also pushed Levelland's losing streak to 12 games.

Thursday's highlights: The Westerners started the game with fireworks, as sophomore Da'Zaun Jones returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a TD. It was one of only a few explosive plays — the game featured three gains longer than 20 yards — with both offenses relying on bruising running backs.

Thursday's stars: Jones also had two sacks for the Lubbock High defense, which thrice turned away the Lobos inside the 25-yard line. One stop was a Caed Barron interception at the Westerners' 7-yard line. Ramirez ran three times on Lubbock High's last possession, including a conversion on third-and-1, to seal the win. He finished with 13 carries for 116 yards and two TDs. Guillen carried the load for Levelland, tallying a game-high 127 yards and two scores on 22 attempts.

Lubbock High coach Juan Rodriguez on the team's 2-1 record: "It's definitely a great feeling. I'm really proud of our kids. It's a 24-hour turnaround. We always talk about (celebrating) just 24 hours, then go back, watch film. I know there's a lot of things we've got to work on to get better."

Levelland coach Lyle Leong on the team's improvement: "Each week we're getting better and better. That's all I can ask of these kids: to continue to get better, to continue to fight, believe in the process of what we're doing. I think these kids did a great job. … I'm thinking we're one or two plays from being where we want to be. I'm proud of these kids. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Lubbock High receiver/linebacker Da'Zaun Jones: "It's different. We had to come back and be different from the last years. … (Rodriguez) brought a lot. He's a good coach. He'll fight for us. He'll take care of us, tell us right and wrong. He's just a good coach."

Up next: Lubbock High will host San Angelo Lake View in another Thursday affair. Levelland will take on former district rival Estacado in Week 4.

NON-DISTRICT

Lubbock High 21, Levelland 14

Levelland 0 7 0 7 — 14

Lubbock High 7 0 7 7 — 21

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

LUB — Da'Zaun Jones 89 kickoff return (Yael Ontiveros kick), 11:45

Second quarter

LEV — Marco Guillen 4 run (Guillen kick), 2:21

Third quarter

LUB — Keith Ramirez 5 run (Ontiveros kick), 3:10

Fourth quarter

LEV — Guillen 11 run (Guillen kick), 9:24

LUB — Ramirez 15 run (Ontiveros kick), 7:35

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: (LEV) 21; (LUB) 13

Rushes-Yards: (LEV) 36-173; (LUB) 36-213

Passing: (LEV) 159; (LUB) 10

Comp-Att-Int: (LEV) 15-31-1; (LUB) 3-8-0

Punts-Avg: (LEV) 3-36; (LUB) 3-39

Fumbles-Lost: (LEV) 0-0; (LUB) 2-2

Penalties-Yards: (LEV) 11-75; (LUB) 7-40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Levelland, Marco Guillen 22-127, Konner Alexander 7-30, Ladarian Jordan 6-12, Jayden Flores 1-4. Lubbock High, Keith Ramirez 13-116, Bryson Quevedo 10-54, Kylor Petrowski 5-51, Trini Tijerina 1-15, Harley Rojas 3-4, Ivan McGwier 1-(-7), Team 3-(-20).

PASSING: Levelland, Alexander 11-24-1—117, Rusty Johnson 4-7-0—42. Lubbock High, Petrowski 1-4-0—8, McGwier 2-4-0—2.

RECEIVING: Levelland, Wyatt Baccus 5-68, Flores 5-21, Zameron Lecroy 3-46, Mark Buxkemper 1-24, Guillen 1-0. Lubbock High, J Avery 1-5, Ivan Hernandez 1-3, Tijerina 1-2.

RECORDS: Levelland 0-3; Lubbock High 2-1.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Closing out strong: Late defensive stands seal Lubbock High football win over Levelland