Lewis Has No Small Hand in Antelope Win : High school football: Little guy makes big plays in several roles as Hart goes down, 36-15.

VALENCIA —  At 5 feet 7, Antelope Valley High’s Jermaine Lewis is always one of the smallest players on the field.

But the running back usually plays like one of the biggest.

Friday night was no exception. Lewis had perhaps his finest all-around game in the Antelopes’ 36-15 drubbing of Hart in the Southern Section Division II championship game.

First, there was the running. He slithered through the Indians’ defense for 155 yards in 23 carries. He had a 10-yard touchdown run in the first quarter on an option pitch from quarterback Trymon Redick.

He followed that with a 61-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, which gave the Antelopes a 22-0 lead.

“He’s just one of the premier players in Southern California,” Antelope Valley Coach Brent Newcomb said.

Lewis outplayed his Hart counterpart, Ted Iacenda, who entered the game with an area-record 40 touchdowns but fumbled twice in the first half.

But Lewis was not content with being one-dimensional. He also intercepted a pass by Hart quarterback Steve McKeon in the first half. He is one of the team’s best defensive backs, though he rarely plays there because Newcomb prefers to rest him.

“I don’t use him as much as I’d like,” Newcomb said. “But I put him in. That’s good coaching.”

Lewis wasn’t through. He hadn’t thrown a pass all season, but is the scout team quarterback in practice and Newcomb decided to make use of all of Lewis’ talents.

So he called 29 green pitch, which calls for Lewis to take a pitch and pass the ball to Chad Murphy.

The play worked in the third quarter for a 19-yard gain on third down. And when the play was called again late in the game, Lewis took the ball and looked to Murphy. He was covered, so Lewis tucked the ball away as if he was going to run.

When the Hart defense closed in, Lewis spotted Tony Walker open deep and heaved it just before he stepped out of bounds. It was a perfect pass, good for a 38-yard touchdown.

“We know when we give the ball to Jermaine, something’s going to happen,” Redick said. “He’s the greatest running back and the greatest friend a guy could have. He’s got a lot of heart.”

Those were the first two passes Lewis had thrown in a game since his freshman year.

Said Lewis: “Coach said he wanted me to step up big. No one thought we could hang with Hart but we proved that wrong. It’s the best feeling in the whole world.”

When it was all over, he took another step, onto the team’s bench to get a good look at the cheering Antelope Valley fans.

He held the championship plaque, kissed it, and broke into a grin of pure joy. Jermaine Lewis looked 10 feet tall.