Carson linebacker Ikela Lewis (42) brings down a Douglas ball carrier on October 29th.
Ikela Lewis knows the end is near. He knows when he takes the field Friday night against the Reno Huskies on Friday in the Division I football semifinals, it’s going to be his last game at home against a Northern Nevada opponent.
Many would be sad or melancholy. Lewis embraces the situation with both arms open.
“I got ready over the summer,” Lewis said prior to Tuesday’s practice. “I wanted to make the most of the opportunities this year.
“What I’ll miss most is the bonds you form with your teammates, the coaches, fellow students and the community. That’s what I’ll take away the most from being here.”
The popular Lewis hasn’t wasted a single moment at CHS. Since he made the varsity squad as a sophomore, he has been a hit.
Lewis has led the team in tackles the last two years, including 82 this year, along with an interception, a sack and fumble recovery. He had double-digit tackle games against North Valleys (14) and Spanish Springs (13, in regular-season game), He also had nine in the opening loss to Reed. No doubt he’s going to be a first-team selection at linebacker when the voting is released in early December. He’s everywhere, and he does it in a quiet, business-like way.
Admittedly the numbers are down from last year when he had more than 100 tackles, but that’s more because he’s played alongside the same middle linebacker, Justin Tschetter, nearly the entire season. Tschetter has 72 tackles himself this year.
“If I’m filling (a gap), I know he’ll take care of the inside,” Lewis said. “We work as a team out there, and we have confidence in each other.”
One thing that may set Lewis apart from many is he relies just as much on his knowledge of the game as he does the physical aspect. He’s literally a coach on the field.
“He’s really smart,” Carson linebacker coach Shane Quilling said. “His football IQ is huge. You tell him something and he gets it the first time. He is hard on himself. He is a student of the game. He is versatile. He could play all three linebacker positions.
“He puts himself in position to be successful. We ask the ‘will’ linebacker to do a lot of things. He is the best ‘will’ linebacker I’ve coached here.”
Head coach Blair Roman said Lewis has worked extremely hard at becoming more vocal this year. Roman said in the past Lewis led by example.
Quiet and reserved by nature, Lewis admitted it wasn’t easy.
“Colby Brown was a good leader,” Lewis said. “He led by example. Last week, against Spanish Springs I was more vocal than I’ve ever been. We fell off a little and they cut it to 21-20. I’m not loud, but I tried to get the young kids going on the sideline. I tried to get the crowd going. I tried to get the defense going.”
Carson went on to score three straight times to boost its lead to 42-20 before winning 49-34.
The only thing missing on Lewis’ resume isn’t an individual goal or stat. That isn’t Lewis’ style. The missing thing is a regional championship, something which has eluded Carson since 1960.
“We (the team) talk about that,” Lewis said. “We came so close last year (against Reed). We have to get past Reno first before we can even talk about that, and Reno will be a tough game.”
No doubt, but big-time players like Lewis always are geared up and excited to play in big games.