All-County Football: Arundel's versatile Lemon gets best of opposition

Lemon's dominating play at receiver and special teams, along with his postseason emergence as a shutdown defensive back, have led Arundel to the Class 4A state semifinals and earned him a new title: Capital-Gazette Communications' Football Player of the Year.

"He's spectacular," Wildcats quarterback Billy Cosh said. "He's the best player in Maryland, honestly. He's amazing, a great player. I'm glad to play with him."

No player on Arundel (11-1) is more grateful to have Lemon lined up at his right than Cosh. In his first season as a varsity starter, Cosh has smashed former teammate Nick Elko's state touchdown record (43) with 51, and Lemon has caught 21 of them.

Lemon helped Cosh ease into the spread offense - with independent throwing sessions during the summer and extra practice reps during the season, and the Wildcats haven't missed a beat.

Through 12 games in 2008, they've connected 87 times for 1,339 yards - 15.4 a reception - and 21 touchdowns, and Lemon is two away from equaling the state record set by his friend and former teammate, Brandon Johnson-Farrell, last season.

"He's our go-to guy," Arundel coach Chuck Markiewicz said. "He's a good player, but he's a better kid. We're really happy it's turning out for him like this."

While sitting in school Friday, hours before Arundel's 42-20 victory against Severna Park to clinch its second consecutive Class 4A East Region title, Lemon exchanged text messages with Johnson-Farrell.

Before the season began, Johnson-Farrell delivered a different message to Lemon, who reminds himself of it each time he takes the field.

"Once he left, he said, 'Alec, if you don't break my record, I'll feel like I failed you,'" Lemon said. "He wanted me to break his record. He gave me a goal to break his record. He set that bar for me."

Lemon, a back-up quarterback and defensive back as a sophomore, stood in Johnson-Farrell's shadow last season, catching 70 passes for 969 yards - 13.8 a catch - and 13 touchdowns, while barely making a mark on defense or special teams.

After spending nearly the entire offseason traveling to combines, college workouts and All-Star tournaments, Lemon transformed himself into a dangerous threat on nearly every area of the field.

"He's a great leader," Cosh said. "We look up to Alec a lot. He's such a great leader and such a good vocal guy, and he does his stuff in the weight room."

In addition to his staggering numbers as a receiver, Lemon's caused chaos on special teams as a punt and kick returner. He averages returns of 20.6 yards a punt and 26.4 yards on kickoffs. Lemon began the postseason opener against North County with an 85-yard touchdown return, and the Wildcats rode him to a 49-15 win.

Against North County, Lemon scored on a pair of long passes from Cosh, that kickoff return and a 38-yard interception return - his second pick of Knights quarterback Travis Delizio - in the third quarter.

Lemon has four of his team-high six interceptions in two playoff games, and he's added four rushing touchdowns and a 25-yard fumble recovery - a pickpocket of Severna Park's Austin Lewis in last week's win - for 28 scores and 2,226 all-purpose yards this season.

Excluding Cosh, no two Arundel players have combined for as many touchdowns as Lemon has.

"That's a monster year. You don't expect anybody to have that kind of year," Markiewicz said. "But that's the kind of kid he is. He's worked hard. This was his goal. This is what he wanted to do; he wanted us to ride his back, and we've pretty much done that."

A 36-30 loss to Quince Orchard in the Class 4A state final last season left a bitter taste in Lemon's mouth. After watching his friends leave the field at M&T Bank Stadium, teammates for perhaps the last time, Lemon stepped up his workouts. He became determined to get the Wildcats back there once again in hopes of claiming their first state title since 1975.

Lemon hired a personal trainer to enhance his speed and competed across the country - making stops at San Antonio, Akron, Ohio and Dallas - in the midst of a college tour to narrow down 10 choices between Delaware and Syracuse.

"Any progression he's made between his junior year and senior year, you can really attribute it to the fact he dedicated himself to football," said Sean Asbury, Lemon's father. "The kid really hasn't had a break since last year's final game and now."

Lemon chose Syracuse at the beginning of training camp, and he's been working toward his ultimate goal ever since - a state title.

"When I saw Nick Elko, Brandon Johnson-Farrell and John MacDonald, our captains, lead our team to states, I just wanted to step right in that role and lead us into states," Lemon said.

With a win against No. 2 Linganore tomorrow, he'll have his wish.

Should he play in a 14th game, Lemon will have a strong shot at claiming several state records: He's two away from the single-season touchdown mark (23), 17 shy of breaking Johnson-Farrell's single-season (103) and career reception (174) records and 56 receiving yards (1,394) from completely wiping his friend out of the record book.

As has been the case all season, however, Lemon's individual marks are secondary.

"As long as we were going back to states," he said, "that's all that matters to me."