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Records Broken in Banner Season for Lee Football
December 6, 2019 — The 59th season of Midland Lee Rebels football may have ended on Saturday, but the season was definitely one for the record books. The team started fast, winning its first nine games in convincing fashion, finishing the season with a 9-1 record as district co-champion. It was the second consecutive year that Lee has shared the title with Odessa Permian. The regular season set the stage for an impressive playoff run.
Lee earned a home game for the first round of the playoffs against El Paso Montwood, a team the Rebels beat 72-7 in the regular season. The playoff game wasn’t much different, as Lee claimed the bi-district title 69-32.
The area round of the playoffs pitted Lee against a DFW-area team, and the Rebels had to go on the road to face Arlington Lamar. Arlington Lamar came into the game with a 10-1 record, having just upset perennial powerhouse Euless Trinity. That didn’t scare the determined Lee squad, as they raced to a 35-7 halftime lead. Arlington Lamar would rally in the second half, but the Rebels held them off, winning in a 55-49 thriller.
The regional semifinals came next against nationally ranked Southlake Carroll. The Rebels and Southlake Carroll met at a neutral site in Abilene. This time, it was Southlake Carroll that had the hot start, but Lee kept fighting until the end, and fell by a respectable 49-27 score. It was the second time in three years that the Rebels had advanced to the third round of the playoffs, something they hadn’t accomplished since the team’s triple state championships from 1998-2000.
The 2019 squad set multiple team records:
- 7,296 Total offensive yards (regular season and playoffs)
- 3,846 Total passing yards (regular season and playoffs)
- 554 Total points scored in a regular season
- 722 Total points scored (regular season and playoffs)
- 56 Most points scored in a half (first half in first EP Montwood game)
Only a junior, quarterback Mike Serrano has already broken several career passing records. This season, he threw for 3,735 yards and completed 214 passes on 329 attempts, including 48 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. When combining his statistics from his sophomore year, where he saw limited playing time, Serrano has 4,394 yards on 247/396 with 57 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Texas Tech-bound receiver Loic Fouonji finished his career with multiple pass-catching records. In three seasons on varsity, Fouonji caught 142 passes for 2,778 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Junior Gunner Meade set two single season records in the kicking game. Meade successfully converted on 81 of 87 extra point attempts and also made two field goals, scoring a total of 87 points on the season.
"Even though we fell short of a state championship, we are still proud of our guys," said Head Coach Clint Hartman. "We look forward to building our program from here for continued success."