Lewis helps Gratz beat Central

Simon Gratz junior running back Amir Lewis carried his prize with him as he walked back to the sideline Friday afternoon after rushing for a 27-yard touchdown.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder had just powered over, around, and through the Central defense during the second quarter of the Bulldogs' 34-6 takedown of the host Lancers.

His reward for the hard-nosed run, however, wasn't the game ball. It was his cleat, which had been ripped off near the 18-yard line.

"I had a hole but the defender had my leg," Lewis said. "He grabbed me and my shoe came off. I was like, 'Well, I can't stop running, because I had a clear lane to the touchdown,' so I just went and scored."

Lewis finished with 103 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in the Public League AAAA Liberty division contest. He also added three catches for 99 yards and another touchdown.

Gratz (6-2, 6-0) sits comfortably atop the division after knocking off the second-place Lancers (4-4, 4-2).

"It was important," Lewis said. "They're in our division. They were in second place and we were in first. We had a lot of people not playing so we knew this game was important and we had to put them away."

Injuries and academic issues sidelined a few players for Gratz. The result was a disjointed performance fraught with sloppy play and turnovers by both teams.

Central lost all three of its fumbles in the second quarter. Gratz finished the game with a pair of fumbles.

Despite the miscues, Lewis remained focused. His 55-yard receiving touchdown in the third quarter came after sophomore quarterback Amir Gillis first dropped the snap.

Gillis scooped the ball, scrambled left and hit a wide open Lewis, who blazed down the left sideline this time with both size-11s on his feet.

"I just couldn't give up on plays," Lewis said. "I just had to keep my mind in it because I knew how important this game was."

Simon Gratz 7 21 6 0 - 34

Central 0 0 0 6 - 6

G: Luke White 22 pass from Amir Gillis (Amir Gillis kick)

G: Kenneth Bennett 27 pass from Gillis (Gillis kick)

G: Amir Lewis 27 run (Gillis kick)

G: White 28 run (Gillis kick)

G Lewis 55 pass from Gillis (kick failed)

C: Blake Schwartz 4 run (kick failed)