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THUNDER ROAD
Thunder vs. Iron
Video
af2 teams Mahoning Valley Thunder and Milwaukee Iron compete Saturday, April 4 at the Chevrolet Centre. The Thunder lost, 59-39. Both teams moved to 1-1 on the season. Wide Receiver CJ Brewer caught 10 passes for 101 yards in front of 3,465 fans in attendance.
Lineman Jason Lewis at a loss, but not all is lost
Jason Lewis has seen the ups and downs of football, with the emphasis on ups.
The former Mount Union College lineman is now a first-year af2 player with the Mahoning Valley Thunder, which are 1-1.
The Thunder’s one loss is 50 percent of the number that Lewis’ college team had during his playing days for the abnormally successful Alliance-based Purple Raiders.
“As seldom as I’ve had them, you build on losses,” Lewis said of the Thunder’s 20-point defeat to Milwaukee last Saturday. “You see what things you did wrong [on film], work on them and it makes you better.”
Lewis was an offensive tackle for Mount Union, which won NCAA Division III national championships his junior and senior (2005-06) seasons.
Of the 43 games in which he was in uniform and played, two were losses: a semifinal playoff against Mary Hardin-Baylor of Texas his sophomore year and a regular-season loss to Ohio Northern his junior year.
Lewis came down to earth, however, while playing indoors with the Canton Legends of the AIFL in 2008.
“It was kind of different because we didn’t have a very good record and it was frustrating,” Lewis said of his first pro experience.
“But having that under my belt, it’s easier to come back from a loss. It’s easier to bounce back and realize what you have to do week in and week out.”
That benefit will come in handy this week as the Thunder attempt to rebound from their first loss, 59-39, to the Milwaukee Iron.
Before graduating in 2003, Lewis played in high school at Sylvania Northview.
When Lewis was a junior at Mount Union, Nate Kmic was a freshman running back who made his first start in MUC’s first playoff game of the 2005 postseason.
By the time the Raiders capped that five-game postseason with a national title victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater, Kmic had over 1,000 yards.
“It was a great accomplishment,” Lewis said of Kmic’s five-game output that Lewis, as right tackle, helped achieve.
Mount Union beat Whitewater the following year, too.
At first, the 6-foot-5, 350-pound Lewis was a student coach at Mount Union, then became a paid intern coach for the Raiders last fall when his old team beat — who else? — Whitewater, for its 10th title in the past 16 seasons.
While playing for the Legends from March to July a year ago, Lewis completed his last semester and graduated as a business major with a concentration in health systems administration.
He joined the Thunder during training camp and is impressed with the professional environment, both team personnel and the af2.
Like most players, Lewis has thoughts of using it as a stepping-stone to another level.
Against Albany, Lewis was the starting tight end, then moved to fullback in the second half when Brenton Brady broke his hand.
Against the Iron, Lewis played tight end again, but also filled in at noseguard for a few plays after Wally Sonnie got banged up after filling in for Carlos Spinner, who broke his leg.
Lewis said he faced Milwaukee for a spell in the second half when the Iron was inside the Thunder’s red zone.
Lewis said he hasn’t played defense since high school.
In the loss, Lewis said the Thunder’s offensive line improved from the season opener, but it was not the unit’s best showing.
“Most turnovers the players up front can’t control, but that’s football. We came out in the second half and scored, but then fumbled to hurt our momentum.”
He said the loss is a wake-up call for Mahoning Valley to play better this week in Tulsa.
Against Milwaukee, Lewis took personal satisfaction from his play against defensive end Brandon Kelly.
He said it was good coming from Div. III and playing against a former Div. I player from the University of Wisconsin.
“Knowing you can play with those guys gives you a good feeling,” said the 23-year-old Lewis.
While playing next to center Jerrick Jeffreys and guard Derrick Markray, Lewis has to put a hand up before each play to declare himself as tight end.
“I forget every once in awhile,” Lewis said of the af2 requirement. “The officials hold the game up until the tight end does it. The umpire yells and you put your hand up real quick. By end of game, they know who tight end is.”
Lewis said it’s something he’s had to get used to in af2.
Once the tight end is identified, the Mac [rush-eligible] linebacker on defense must line up on the side of the center opposite the tight end.
Lewis said he’d like to get into Div. I coaching.
“I’ve got some good contacts, so, hopefully, something will lead into that. Right now, coaching is the path I want to take while playing indoor football.”
bassetti@vindy.com