New Mexico Lobos Football
Up Next: 3:30 p.m., — Saturday (Nov. 1) at UNLV — Las Vegas, Nevada
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
Life is a series of paths, a chain of options, always influenced by decisions. The decisions can be good or bad. The choices and the results can be life altering.
After his sophomore year at George Washington High in Denver, Lobo Romell Jordan had a decision to make. He could walk further down a slippery slope in inner-city Denver, or seek out a smoother road that offered better options and probably a better future.
But the smoother road was a path distance from his blood family in Denver.
“I was hanging out with the wrong crowd in Denver and I was starting to go down the wrong path,” said the New Mexico redshirt freshman running back. “My older brother, Raymon, knew that path and he didn’t want me to do the same thing he did.
“He told me I probably should go back to Rio Rancho. I took a step back and took a look at myself and knew what he was telling me was the right thing. George Washington is an inner-city school and there were a lot of different influences and Raymon wanted me to get away from those elements.
“If he hadn’t pushed me a bit, I probably wouldn’t be here (at UNM) right now.”
The push brought Romell back to Sue Cleveland High on the western edge of Rio Rancho. He had been a Storm as a freshman and he had some roots there, but he did not have a home.
Well, he didn’t have one until a long-time friend, Kacie Swihart, asked her parents – Carla and Arlan – if they would open their home to Romell. They said, “Yes.”
However, Romell still had a few rough edges that needed to be polished away.
“At first, I still wasn’t making good grades and I was still skipping class,” said Romell. “Pops (Arlan) and Momma Carla gave me some rules. They weren’t real strict. It was more, ‘You do the right things and you can have all the freedom you want. But do the right things.’ They basically got my head on straight. They whipped me into shape.
“I thank them so much. When I was in need, they were there for me. My football coach at Cleveland, Coach Heath Ridenour, is another big reason I’m here at UNM today.”
At Cleveland, Romell did well: All-State, All-District, 1,649 yards and 25 TDs as a senior averaging 203.7 all-purpose yards. As a junior, the Storm led by Jordan, Cole Gautsche and Reece White went 15-0 and won the Class 5A title. Jordan had 1,131 rushing yards and 649 receiving yards as a junior.
He said the jump to become a Lobo was an easy and natural move.
“Cole and Reece were good friends and I had a lot of chemistry with Cole in high school and I’m hoping we can pick it back up here,” said Jordan. “I also feel like this is home. I just enjoy this environment. It feels right for me.”
Romell looked like the ball felt right to him in his first carries as a Lobo at Air Force. Romell sat out his freshman season and had played in three games prior to UNM’s visit with the Falcons. But at Air Force, Romell finally heard his number called. He was going to carry the football.
“It wasn’t an option play,” said Jordan. “The ball was going to me, so I knew it while I was in the huddle. I got a little nervous. I was an overwhelming feeling. When you haven’t carried the ball, you worry that you might mess up, not make the right read, and then might not get to play anymore.
“When I got the ball, the defense came right at me and after the first hit, I thought, ‘OK, this isn’t so bad.”
Romell had 45 yards on six carries vs. Air Force with a long run of 29 yards. He almost broke it for a score.
“If I hadn’t hesitated when I hit the hole, I think I would have scored,” he said. “If I had trusted my instincts, I think I would have gone all the way. The good thing is I feel a lot more relaxed now. I’m not too comfortable with everything yet, but I no longer feel jittery.”
Romell’s instinct in the Lobos’ pistol offense will improve with time and carries. He already has proven his instincts to be outstanding – life altering, even.
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former national award-winning Sports Columnist and Associate Sports Editor at The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.