Herman: Alamo Heights linebacker demands attention

At 6-1, 223 pounds, senior Alamo Heights linebacker Maki Carabin has already committed to play at Louisiana Tech.

Lockhart head football coach Brian Herman, holding court Thursday at his weekly lunch at Kreuz Market, said much of Friday night’s offensive strategy will focus on trying to keep Carabin, who wears No. 44, contained by any legal means necessary and limit his direct hits on the Lions’ speedy but slightly built backfield.

“He can run, he can make any tackle,” Herman said. “Our whole plan is to run as far away from him as possible. We’re going to put extra wings, tight ends, backs on him … as many bodies as possible.”

The scheme will stop short of intentional illegal chop blocks, of course.

“Although I can tell you our little guys aren’t going to be hitting him high,” Herman said.

The Lions are looking to rebound at home against Alamo Heights (7:30 p.m., Lions Stadium) but it’s not going to be an easy contest. Alamo Heights (5-1, 3-0) is undefeated in district play. Those wins have come against Memorial (which Lockhart beat 41-0 on the road), Kennedy and Uvalde, but Herman said they’d still pose a tough challenge for the Lions, who have lost two of their last three games.

“It’s been awhile since they’ve really been challenged, but those wins mean their team is feeling confident, and confidence is a big thing,” Herman said. “We could be 5-1 right now. We’ve lost three games, but only been beaten once.”

Herman, of course, is referring to last week’s contest against Boerne Champion, a 55-23 drubbing in which the Lions fell behind 25-0, closed the gap to 25-16 after beginning to click on offense, and ultimately seeing the game get out of reach after the Chargers scored on four straight possessions.

The Lions came close to beating Alamo Heights last year, falling 28-21 after seeing a late fourth quarter lead evaporate.

A win Friday night would even the Lions’ district record to 2-2 and keep them in the thick of things. It’s not outside the realm of possibility, but they’ll have to be sharp, Herman said.

To give themselves a better chance of doing that, Herman had the first-string offense and defense going against each other in practice

“We need to be sharp defensively. We can’t miss tackles,” Herman said. “We realized after Boerne Champion that we’re not going to get better playing against the JV. So we’re a little more banged up this week. But do we want to be healthy or good?”