Little Man Is Big-League

Jermaine Lewis’ numbers speak for themselves.

In three seasons as starting tailback at Antelope Valley High, Lewis rushed for 5,490 yards and scored 76 touchdowns, including 2,511 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior.

He led the Antelopes to the Southern Section Division II title in 1994, the Division II title game in 1995 and the Division I semifinals in 1993.

But when it came to college recruiters, there were two numbers that Lewis had to overcome.

Five-foot-six.

Always one of the smallest players on the field, Lewis beat the odds to become one of the biggest stars ever at Antelope Valley.

Lewis has faced a similar challenge this week as the smallest player--by three inches--on the California roster for the Shrine all-star game Saturday at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton.

For the second consecutive year, the game pits a group of all-stars from California against a similar group from Texas.

Lewis might as well get accustomed to being dwarfed on the field. He starts fall workouts next month at UCLA, where he is the shortest player on the fall roster.

At least in high school, Lewis could look some of his teammates, even the linemen, in the eye.

“Last year, we had guys on the line who weren’t any taller than I was,” Lewis said. “At least I’ll be running behind guys who are much bigger. It will be easier for me to hide behind them.”

Lewis said he copies high-profile small running backs such as Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas, relying on elusiveness as his most powerful weapon.

Taking advantage of his low center of gravity, Lewis ducked around, through and between defenders of all shapes and sizes, even as a 5-3 sophomore, then used his speed to outrace defensive backs in the open field.

“I would watch him in freshman games and I kept asking myself if this guy can dominate,” said Brent Newcomb, Antelope Valley’s coach. “I realized he could, no matter [his size]. The defense couldn’t hit him.”

Convincing college recruiters was another matter. Despite the success enjoyed by similar small-stature running backs across the country, such as Iowa State’s Troy Davis (5-8, 190 pounds), the first sophomore in Division I history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, the attention paid to Lewis was far from overwhelming.

Most Pacific 10 Conference teams expressed some interest in Lewis, but several backed off when they compared his size to bigger backs.

“Some of the schools, like California and Washington, were interested but they were just looking for only one small running back,” Lewis said. “Other guys committed and they would back off. USC simply said I was too small for them to recruit.”

Other schools, like Arizona, were interested in Lewis, but only as a defensive back, a position he played sparingly the past two seasons.

It just made the decision easier for Lewis. UCLA had always shown interest and didn’t have a problem with his size. However, even UCLA became an iffy proposition once Terry Donahue resigned as coach following the 1995 season.

But after UCLA hired Bob Toledo and when star tailback Karim Abdul-Jabbar declared for the National Football League draft, the Bruins increased their interest in Lewis. Abdul-Jabbar signed Thursday with the Miami Dolphins.

“[The Bruins] were one of the first to show interest and they were steadily interested,” Lewis said. “I liked what Coach Toledo and [recruiting coordinator] Gary Bernardi had to say.”

Lewis was the first major recruit from the region to make a decision, committing to UCLA three weeks before the national signing day.

He even helped the Bruins in the recruiting process for other running backs. He talked to Sylmar running back Durell Price the day Price sent his letter of intent to Ohio State. Price faxed the wrong side of the letter to the school, changed his mind later that day about becoming a Buckeye and faxed a signed letter to UCLA.

Price, 6-1, 220 pounds, will compete with Lewis for playing time but he brings a different set of abilities to the field.

“I don’t think we’ll really be going against each other,” Lewis said. “We complement each other more. We can work well together in the same backfield.”

Lewis has a reasonable chance at playing time as a freshman. Skip Hicks, starting tailback heading into fall practice, has a history of knee problems and the Bruins are short on experience. Lewis will get a chance to show off a bulked-up physique.

An avid weightlifter throughout high school, Lewis has gained 15 pounds of muscle since his senior season ended, and weighs 185 pounds.

“I want to get about 15 more pounds by the end of my college career,” Lewis said. “That will put me right about with Barry [Sanders].”

If Lewis succeeds, he’ll make the path easier for small backs, and he might just help his brother.

Andy Lewis will be a freshman at Antelope Valley this fall. While taller than Jermaine was as a freshman, he weighs barely more than 100 pounds.

“He’s got some time to grow, so he might wind up taller,” Jermaine Lewis said. “But he will be something special. He’ll put up some numbers, too.”

Just like his brother.