Midland- The Rebs rebounded off of last week's loss and was victorious over Abilene High 31-21.
October 17, 1997
October 10, 1997
Abilene- Midland Lee traveled to Abilene and was drummed by the Cooper Cougars 24-0.
October 3, 1997
Midland- Odessa High traveled to Midland Friday Night and beat up on the Midland Lee Rebels 27-7. Because of my travels, all I can tell you is that Midland enetered the lockers at half up 7-6. It must have been one hell of a second half.
September 26, 1997
Midland- Midland almost was the scene of a major upset but Lee pulled of the win. Cross town rivalries are always anyone's game but Midland fell a little short tonight. Check back later for the details.
September 18, 1997
Waco- I was unable to go to Waco or hear the game on the radio so please understand that I am only the messenger on this one and reporting what the newspapers have said. I guess after reading the headline, you know Lee lost again this week. After reviewing the stats, it appears that Lee was only beat on the score board but unfortunately that is what counts.
During the first two minutes, Waco High was able to sustain a couple drives and went up 14-0. Lee’s first score came on a 1 yard run from Shane Fisher and the extra point kick made it a 14-7 ball game. There was no scoring in the 2nd quarter but Lee came out after the half time break and scored two Tds in the 3rd. The first of these two came through the air as Jeremy Dermus hit Matt Winston in the endzone from 8 yards out. The extra point was good and this brought the score to a 14-14 tie. The second came with Josh Norman pushing it in from the 5 yard line and the extra point was blocked. At this point in the game, the score showed Lee 20- Waco 14. Lee came down with a bad case of fumblelitis and penalitis. This was the reason a couple of Norman’s TD runs were called back. Lee finished up for the night with a 27 yard Ulmo field goal. Waco came back in the 4th quarter and added another TD and a field goal resulting in a 24-23 win.
After spending hours and hours analyzing the game and consulting with experts, I believe Lee’s loss boils down to a couple of things. They allowed a big run (80 yards) in the 4th quarter and had a few penalties that occurred at the worst possible time. It looks as though everything else worked fine. I do not know if Coach Parchman is looking at all his team and some of the less experienced players are making a few pre-season mistakes or if it is a little bad luck but I would not take this loss as an indicator of things to come. Lee must get it together this week as they open the regular season against Midland High next Friday. No games are easy but it appears that the 4-5A are a little closer in talent than they have been in the past few years. This loss, if not used as a learning tool, could be viewed as a negative if the Lee Coaching staff is not careful. It is my opinion that Lee has a great team and should only get stronger with time. If they can keep it together over the next couple of weeks, they have a good opportunity to see a play off appearance.
September 12, 1997
El Paso- After Franklin's disappointing loss, one week earlier to El Paso Bel Air, you would think that this week's 57-6 predicted loss to Lee, found in the El Paso paper's, would be reasonable. Unfortunately for the Rebels, El Paso Franklin must not have read the papers because they won 21-14.
Even though this loss must really hurt the Rebel players, Midland High's win over El Paso Belair, Friday Night, has got to add to the pain. Then again, lets be realistic since this is a pre-season game and anything can happen and usually does in pre-season.
Looking at the game statistics most always reveals the problems. Lee out performed the Cougars in first downs 16-13 and in rushing yards 252-103 but they also had more penalties 10 for 60 yards vs. 4 for 30 and fumbles lost with 1 compared to none by Franklin. Franklin's big statistical plus came in the air. They completed 8 passes with 17 attempts resulting in 175 yards. Two of El Paso's scores came with a pass from 16 yards out and a 61 yard Tim Mooney reception. Franklin's 90 yard 3rd quarter drive turned out to be all it needed to come out on top.
Josh Norman got two more Tds to put him closer to the state recorded Friday night. His first came from 12 yards out and the second from 9. For the night, Norman had 139 yards on 28 carries.
This the part of my report where I put my two cents in. With many friends pulling for the Rebs and the Cougars, I must be real middle of the road on this. OK here goes............ I am proud of the Cougar's and the discipline they showed but they cannot rely on big plays to win every game. Yes they had a great 3rd quarter drive but what else did they do. Guys, you need to have the intensity you had on that drive every time you step on the field if you want to really be a state contender. Midland Lee must look at this loss as a learning experience. If they are not on their game, every play, big plays will kill them. Lee needs to work on defending against the pass. This and the penalties is what cost them the game.
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September 5, 1997
Midland-What a defense!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lee allowed the T-Birds offense only 128 total yards and -0- points. While many people believe the Lee offense is the back bone of 1997's team, this weekend reporter knows differently. I know the truth is that any offense can score points if the team's defense kicks their opponents all over the field. This was the case in the Rebel's 49-7 victory over El Paso Coronado.
Yes, Senior running back Josh Norman generated 197 yards and 4 Tds on 24 carries. Yes, Lee had 23 first downs but the Rebel defense held Coronado to only eight.The Midland defense is the foundation that will make or break this team.
I know many people will think I am a few bubbles short of a full bottle but I like good defenses. The only thing better than a team with a great defense is when they also have a strong running game and cute cheerleaders. This is the case with Midland Lee. Even though I am big on defenses, it is important to inform my millions of daily readers that Josh Norman only needs 6 more Tds to set the all time state record. Josh, I would keep the Lee defense happy because you will set the record if they keep up the good work.
Midland Lee’s 20-14 loss to Flower Mound Marcus, during 1996’s Regional play-off game, was a surprise ending to a sensational 11-1 season that many experts believed would result in a Division II Championship.
Personally, I felt that the main reason behind the loss was because they were playing in a worn out stadium that did not deserve to be the home field of such a fine team but who am I to say. Maybe a couple of State Championships will get the citizens of Midland fired up enough to get on the band wagon and support their local teams.
Even with the Rebel’s returning 17 members from last year’s squad, these young men must come together quickly since only 3 starters are returning. Fortunately, they have tradition and an experienced Coaching Staff under the reigns of John Parchman.
RB Josh Norman, who rushed for 1,746 yards and 29 Td’s in ‘96, could possibly break all the record’s in 1997 because Lee has some major bodies on the offensive line. Combined, OL Brian Villareal (6-1, 311), OL Brad Lofton (6-5, 260) and TE Brian Boyd (6-3, 249) make up the finest line in 4-5A and possibly the State. These guys are so big, I would have to mortgage my house to take guys out for a burger.
The main concern offensively, other than WR Matt Winston’s recovery from a knee injury, is who will capture the QB position. Stewart Ledgerwood (‘96 Lee Sophmore QB) and Jeremy Deramus (‘96 JV QB), will fight it out to see who gets the call to lead Lee’s explosive offense.
Unfortunately, the publicity surrounding the QB position could be quickly forgotten if the defense fails to gain the necessary experience in the pre-season. Returning starters OL Sam Romine and LB Tim Villegas must lead by example if Lee expects to go undefeated in District 4-5A. My money says Parchman has a few tricks up his sleeves and the defense will kick butt again this year.
Even though Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine ranked Lee ranked 21st in the state and has them as the early favorite to win District 4-5A., I am playing the middle of the road on this one since I live in Midland High’s District, my wife and several sister-in-laws went to Permian High, the top boss at the company my wife work’s for has a son starting for Lee and all my immediate family went to Odessa High. You are welcome to share your predictions by signing my guestbook.
