By Kyle Mooty

LPR Editor

San Antonio Southwest came into Friday night’s game at Lions Stadium planning to execute its normal game plan and eventually wear down Lockhart. However, it was Lockhart junior Quavon Reese who wore down Southwest, taking the fire out of the Dragons time and time again.

Lockhart opened the season with a thrilling 27-20 victory over Southwest, a team that went 8-4 last season and reached the second round of the Class 5A-1 playoffs. Lockhart is Class 5A-2.

Reese ended Southwest’s first-quarter drive with an over-the-shoulder interception at the Lions’ 12-yard line, returning it all the way to the 41 before an LHS personal foul moved it back to its own 6. That would become a theme for Reese and the Lions.

Reese returned two kickoffs to the end zone, the first from 84 yards out for a touchdown, and the second to the end from 85 yards away before it was called back due to a penalty. He had another spectacular run on an 18-year run that was called back for holding. The latter two each came on the game-winning drive late in the contest.

Reese was hardly through however, sealing the victory with 49 seconds remaining as he picked off another Southwest pass at the Lockhart 28.

Asked if he was surprised by his junior’s all-round effort, LHS Head Coach Todd Moebes said “No.”

“We certainly knew (Reese) was very capable of having a game like that,” said Moebes, opening his third season at the helm of the Lions. “He helped us in all three phases. An interception early is always big. That was the first of his career.”

Southwest controlled the time of possession — 28:32 to Lockhart’s 19:28 – and ran 50 offensive plays to the Lions’ 37. But it’s Power I formation, while controlling the clock, hardly controlled Reese, and the Dragons had little answer for Lockhart’s own ground game with junior quarterback Ashton Dickens (104 yards) and senior Sean McKinney (89 yards).

The victory sends 1-0 Lockhart to its second non-district game next Friday in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at The Pfield. Connally was crushed, 52-7, by Marble Falls last week. The last time the Lions and Cougars met in football was 2017 with the Connally squeaking out a 25-23 victory at Lions Stadium.

Reese’s interception ended Southwest’s second drive, and neither team managed to reach paydirt in the first period.

However, the Dragon capped off a 52-yard, six-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run by Brayan Lizama. Angel Hernandez kicked the PAT for a 7-0 Southwest advantage with 10:52 left in the second quarter.

The visitors’ lead didn’t last long.

On the ensuing kickoff, Reese grabbed it at the 16, made it through the first wave of defenders, then turned on the afterburners as he out-raced the remaining Dragons down the Southwest sideline to coast in for the TD. Junior Omar Ocampo kicked the PAT to tie the game at 7-7 with 10:38 left in the half.

Lockhart forced a fumble on the next Southwest series and Zakaya Gathings recovered for the ions.

An 11-play drive stalled at the Southwest 9, and Ocampo was true from 26 yards out foe the field goal and a 10-7 LHS lead with 3:57 left in the half.

Neither team, threatened through the end of the half.

Lizama had racked up 85 yards by halftime for Southwest, but he would manage just 33 in the final two quarters on nine carries.

The Lions again used Campos’ leg to score when he capped a 12-play drive to open the third quarter with a 24-yard field goal with 8:35 left in the frame, giving LHS a 13-7 lead.

Southwest, in its only possession of the third quarter, drove 63 yards 11 plays and taking 7:38 to do so. Lizama scored on a three-yard run with 50 seconds left in the period. Hernandez’s PAT gave the Dragons a 14-13 lead.

An extremely short kickoff by Southwest gave the Lions the ball at midfield and Lockhart didn’t waste the opportunity. The Lions used just five plays to regain the lead when Dickens used great blocking on a keeper from six yards out. Ocampo kicked the PAT for a 20-14 lead with 10:36 remaining, but a personal foul on the Dragon left Ocampo limping after the late hit.

Nevertheless, Ocampo remained in the game and with the extra 15 yards due to the penalty, he kicked into the end zone. Southwest wasn’t fazed, driving 75 yards in seven plays, scoring on Tyson Shamsid-Dean’s four-yard run with 6:33 left to tie the game. The snap on the extra point was bobbled and Lockhart tackled the holder to leave the score at 20-20.

Reese returned the ensuing kickoff to paydirt, but the penalty on the Lions moved their starting position at their own 34. Dickens sprinted 33 yards on the first play and later converted a fourth-and-1 to reach the Southwest 18. Reese’s great cut allowed him to reach the end zone on the next play, but another penalty – Lockhart had 10 on the night – moved the ball to the Dragons’ 16. A pass interference penalty gave LHS the ball at the two, and Dicken ran it in from there with 2:34 remaining. Ocampo was again true on the PAT for a 27-20 margin.

“We’re showing signs of being a very resilient group,” Moebes said. “This bunch is very mature and a lot of fun to be around. We challenge them and when you turn on the lights on Friday night, they are ready.”

Southwest quickly moved into Lockhart territory, but on second-and-10 from the LHS 46, Reese picked off Southwest quarterback P.J. Ramos for the second time.

Facing a fourth-and-7 at the Southwest 48, the Lions elected to go for it with 35 seconds remaining. Dickens threw a screen to Diante Jackson and he picked up 13yards for the first down and end the night for Southwest.

Moebes knows one non-district game hardly makes a season, but it was certainly a good start Friday night.

“They’ve got to be able to handle success though,” Moebes said. “They came in Saturday morning and lifted weights and watched game video and saw the good things we did well and critiqued the things we need to do better.

“Southwest did what it does very well. They have that mentality to wear you down. We gave up some stuff but stuck with it and held in pretty well.”

While the Lions did commit double-digit penalties and had far fewer offensive possession than Southwest, they did not commit a turnover compared to three for the Dragons.

* * *

Southwest won the freshman game on Thursday at Lions Stadium, 26-14.

Southwest won the Junior Varsity game in San Antonio, 50-8.

5A-2, Region IV District 13

District All

Lockhart           0-0       1-0

Kerrville Tivy     0-0       1-0

S.A. Veterans Memorial 0-0       1-0

Liberty Hill        0-0       1-0

Cedar Creek      0-0       0-1

S.A. Pieper        0-0       0-1

Bastrop             0-0       0-1

Sept. 1

Lockhart 27, San Antonio Southwest 20

Kyle Lehman 40, Bastrop 34

Kerrville Tivy 28, Medina Valley 6

Leander Glenn 34, San Antonio Pieper 10

San Antonio Veterans Memorial 53, Harlandale 7

Liberty Hill 35, Wagner 21

Gonzales 34, Cedar Creek 16

Other Lockhart Opponents

Marble Falls 52, Pflugerville Connally 7

Davenport 33, Victoria West 26

Lockhart 27, Southwest 20

Score by quarters

Southwest        0          7          7          6 – 20

Lockhart           0          10        3          14 – 27

TEAM STATS                            S.A. SW    Lockhart

First Downs                                    15            14

Rushes-Yards                              40-228     31-227

Passing                                      3-10-2      6-12-0

Passing Yards                                  59           56

Total Yards                                   287           283

Punts-Avg.                                  1-20.0      2-36.5

Penalties-Yards                              9-74         10-67

Fumbles-Lost                                  1-1          0-0

Time of Possession                         28:32      19:28

INDIVIDUAL STATS

RUSHING

S.A. SOUTHWEST — Lizama 22-118, Voss 4-55, Dennie 3-12, Felan 3-11, Shamsid-Dean 3-9, Ramos 1-5, Massiate 1-5, Quintero 1-5, Pusateri 1-4, Moreira 1-4. LOCKHART — Dickens 13-104, McKinney 13-89, Jackson 1-17, Reese 2-12, Hopkins 2-5.

PASSING

S.A. SOUTHWEST — Shamsid-Dean 1-1, Ramos 2-9-2-25. LOCKHART — Dickens 6-12-0-56.

RECEIVING

S.A. SOUTHWEST — Salazar 1-34, Quintero 1-20, Gonzales 1-5. LOCKHART — Jackson 4-48, Garcia 1-10, McKinney 1-(-2).

* * *

SCORING

Second Quarter

S.A. SOUTHWEST — Lizama 4 run (Hernandez kick), 10:52

LOCKHART — Reese 84 kickoff return (Ozampo kick), 10:38

LOCKHART — Ocampo 26 field goal, 3:57

Third Quarter

LOCKHART — Ocampo 24 field goal, 8:35

S.A. SOUTHWEST — Lizama 3 run (Hernandez kick), :50

Fourth Quarter

LOCKHART — Dickens 6 run (Ocampo kick), 10:16

S.A. SOUTHWEST — Shamsid-Dean 4 run (run fail), 2:34

LOCKHART — Dickens 2 run (Ocampo kick), 2:34