Treshod Lewis has shouldered heavy loads throughout life. That meant he was prepared for anything The Woodlands or North Shore intended to dish out.

A Port Arthur Memorial senior defensive left tackle, Treshod Akeem Lewis had been a momma's boy when he started playing football in the seventh grade at age 12.

"She really helped me to play," Lewis recalled proudly yet somewhat painfully on Tuesday afternoon with a touch of moistness in his eyes. "She wanted me to fight through adversity no matter what."

Lachanta Hopkins learned she had lung cancer when Lewis reached that seventh grade at Edison Middle School. She died two years later and her ninth-grade son understandably had to fight through no matter what.

Lewis' step-father, Trey Hopkins, a former football player for Lincoln, taught young Treshod how to play football. Memorial coach Dwight Scypion has been like a father to him, too. Then there's Memorial defensive line coach Nelson Barnes, who has definitely added and refined plenty of skills to the 6-2, 215-pound Lewis' package.

Yet mom is always there. Her memory never leaves. Her words rang out loud and clear when Lewis tangled head-up with two of the state's premier offensive line units.

"I know she's looking down on me," he said. "I know she wants me to do positive things. I know that's what she would want. I had to take care of her when she was real sick and she couldn't move."

Treshod Lewis had to cope with the blocks of North Shore blue-chip tackle Trey Hopkins, the state's No. 6-rated college recruit according to Rivals 100.com. The 6-4, 285-pound Hopkins has committed to the Texas Longhorns.

That obviously meant Lewis gave away at least 70 or 80 pounds in that individual matchup, an impossible request for Titans head coach Kenny Harrison to make. Not so fast, Titans' skeptics. Lewis had held his own pretty well against an even bigger 300-pound lineman from The Woodlands.

Friday's environmental conditions tended to add to Treshod's degree of difficulty, because the rain, the mud, the slop and the stink of Memorial Stadium's playing field only figured to favor a bigger player such as North Shore's blocker, rather than a smaller, quicker man such as Lewis.

"That definitely was the first time for me to be in those conditions, but it was a wonderful first time," said Lewis after he had a hand in nine tackles and Memorial halted North Shore's 52-game streak of consecutive district football wins. "That's what football's all about.... I don't let the conditions bother me. It's football, not basketball. It's a man's sport. Sometimes you just gotta get a little dirt in you and pin your ears back and just go."

That's true. But what about Treshod's size? The fact remains Hopkins and The Woodlands blocker outweighed Lewis by 70 to 90 pounds.

Does Treshod give up too much bulk and strength? Doesn't he get intimidated?

"No sir, I don't let them intimidate me," he said. "Don't let the size fool you. I can do it all. I did some powerlifting last year. If anything, the bigger blockers should be intimidated by what I'm capable of."

When Treshod walked off the field on Friday night, Lewis departed from a true mud bowl and he carried a bunch of it with him. He was a sight for sore eyes. He cleaned up his face and torso and sharpened up his messy jersey a bit for a post-game celebratory group photo with fellow seniors Corwin Keal and Ronzell King.