FOOTBALL: Midland Lee playing to the end

It was business as usual Monday for the Midland Lee football team — but it was nothing close to resembling a usual Monday for the Rebels.

Less than 72 hours earlier, Midland Lee watched as crosstown rival Midland High scored 29 points in the final nine minutes of the game, including 14 in the final minute, en route to a 45-35 victory at Grande Communications Stadium.

The final Bulldogs’ touchdown, with 35 seconds to play, officially eliminated the Rebels from playoff contention.

Still, the players were on the practice field and ready to go when Coach James Morton blew the whistle Monday afternoon.

“It was a really good testament to them,” Morton said of his players. “They never cease to amaze me with their attitude.

“Saturday, looking at video, was a real tough day. But Monday, they were back on the field and practicing like we were playing for the district championship.”

When the District 3-5A schedule started, that’s exactly what the Rebels hoped would happen, having navigated the nondistrict schedule with a perfect 5-0 mark.

Led by quarterback Talor Nunez on offense and linebacker Luke Stice on defense, Midland Lee was looking for a return to the postseason after missing out last year.

Back-to-back losses to Abilene Cooper and Abilene High, however, put the Rebels’ hopes for a postseason berth in a hole early.

A failed two-point conversion against Permian during the third week of district competition resulted in a crucial one-point loss and put Midland Lee in basically a must-win situation against Midland High.

When that failed to materialize, Morton called his team together with a final timeout Friday night to explain first, why Midland High still was trying to score with the lead, and secondly, to prepare the team to try and stop the Bulldogs, which would have given the Rebels some options heading into this week’s game against Odessa High.

Now, Morton’s goal is to get his team prepared for the Bronchos and watch his seniors come off the field the final time as winners. If they do, by more than four points, they’ll walk out of the stadium knowing that they sent Midland High to the playoffs.

“I fully expect everyone to be ready to go,” Morton said. “We’ve had great senior leadership all season and they’ve been getting after it this week.

“We’re coaching them hard this week, just like any other week, and they are responding. And there still are some playoff implications with the game.”

>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide