News-Record.com

After his team became the latest log to get fed through the Dudley woodchipper last week, I asked Grimsley head coach Mark Saunders how this version of the Panthers compares to last year's state champion edition. He said both teams were incredible - duh - but that it was hard to make a comparison because Panthers quarterback Ricky Lewis Jr. wasn't completely healthy when the two teams played last year.
"He's the difference on that team. He's where it starts," Saunders said. "He does so many things."
Smith head coach Rodney Brewington, whose team will take a crack at Dudley tomorrow night, can tell the same thing just from seeing the Panthers on film.
“You can tell he’s a senior,” Brewington said. “He’s so poised. He’s an elite athlete. The game is so slow to him.”
Agreed. Lewis controls the game on the ground, but he isn't just a glorified running back. He's shown with increasing frequency that he can put the ball on target when needed. Dudley's defense is going to keep it in every game, but sooner or later, the Panthers are going to have a night where they'll need to move the ball on someone in a pressure situation. And I'd take Lewis in that scenario as soon as I'd take any other quarterback in the area.