Khalil Lewin never believed he was playing in Curtis Samuel’s shadow at Erasmus Hall, and didn’t miss a chance to remind people of that.
The running back raced all over the field for New York City in the Empire Challenge game with the All-American Samuel, who enrolled early at Ohio State, watching from the sideline in his street clothes. Lewin’s solo act was pretty impressive — he was named the team’s most valuable player after the contest.
Lewin rushed for 103 yards on 15 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. His longest run was for 32 yards and he out-rushed the entire Long Island team, which had 73 yards on the ground.
“He’s a churner and he moves the chains,” New York City and Lincoln coach Shawn O’Connor said. “He pounds on you. He wears on you.”
Despite Lewin’s best efforts, New York City fell 24–18 to Long Island in the 19th-annual Empire Challenge senior football all-star game on June 25 at Hofstra.
“This felt like a freshman college football game, may the best running back play,” Lewin said. “I felt I did my job.”
Lewin, who will attend Nassau Community College in the fall, believed he and Samuel complemented each other at Erasmus. Their competition was friendly and free of jealously. He was the small, powerful runner that pounded an offensive line, and Samuel was explosive to the outside and could break a 70-yard touchdown run each time the ball was in his hands. For Lewin it was all just positive motivation that helped the duo bring a city title to Erasmus as juniors.
“When somebody is on top of you, it just motivates me to be strong, to compete and makes my game better,” Lewin said.
Lewin put all his skills on display at the Empire Challenge. He quickly became New York City’s workhorse. He exploded through holes, made defenders miss and dragged a few down with him along the way.
Samuel, who returned to New York as a spectator for the contest said Lewin was never second-fiddle to him in his eyes.
“We both worked at a high level,” Samuel said. “Khalil was a great player. We both tried to make each other better.”
Lewin proved he could carry a team against the best players in the area, even with the defense not concerned with the best player maker in the state lining up next to him. He graciously shared the spotlight with Samuel through his career. For a night, all the attention was deservedly on him.
