Photo credit: Midland LEE Rebel Football Booster Club

What happened: Lee held off Liberty Hill 28-21 Friday night at Astound Broadband Stadium, giving the Rebels a Homecoming win after jumping out to an 18-0 first-quarter lead. Liberty Hill fought back in the second half, but a late Lee field goal and a recovered onside kick helped the Rebels secure the win.

The win capped Lee’s Homecoming, with Cash Tranum named Homecoming King and Mylie Herrera named Homecoming Queen. The win moves Lee to 3-1 overall. The Rebels are now ranked No. 99 among all Texas teams and No. 51 among UIL 6A teams.

The big picture: Lee opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive highlighted by a 41-yard pass from quarterback JP Reyes to wide receiver Jordan Shields. Santi Mendoza finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

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Liberty Hill then fumbled on its first play from scrimmage, with Lee senior Aaron Solis recovering the ball. Three plays later, Reyes connected with Hayes Hamm on a 26-yard screen pass for a touchdown. A successful fake extra-point attempt put Lee up 15-0 with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter.

Lee then recovered an onside kick, setting up a 32-yard field goal from Nico Pelcastre and extending the lead to 18-0 before Liberty Hill had run its second offensive play. Liberty Hill responded with a long drive that ended in a 2-yard touchdown and a successful 2-point conversion to make it 18-8. The Panthers attempted a field goal on their next drive, but Lee’s Ty Day blocked the kick to preserve the 18-8 lead going into halftime.

Liberty Hill opened the second half with another long drive, this time ending in a field goal to cut Lee’s lead to 18-11. Reyes and Shields responded with a 65-yard touchdown connection to extend the Rebels’ lead to 25-11. Liberty Hill scored another touchdown with about nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to pull within 25-18.

Lee responded with another Pelcastre field goal with about four minutes remaining, extending the lead to 28-18. Liberty Hill made one final push, driving into Lee territory before the Rebels recorded a 6-yard sack. The Panthers ultimately settled for a field goal with about 40 seconds left, cutting the lead to 28-21. Lee recovered Liberty Hill’s ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to secure the Homecoming win.

Go deeper: Reyes finished 7-of-15 passing for 153 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Hamm led the ground game with 85 yards on 15 carries, while Shields led Lee’s receivers with three catches for 116 yards. Defensively, D. Ihediwa led the Rebels with 17 tackles, followed by Ty Day with 16. C. Sanchez and R. Hidalgo each finished with 11 tackles.

What’s next: Lee (3-1 overall) heads to Austin to face Westlake (2-1) on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. Westlake is ranked No. 22 among all Texas teams and No. 16 among UIL 6A teams.