Xavion Chambers, Ernest Smith lead Roosevelt over LEE for third straight win

Xavion Chambers and Ernest Smith each had big games as Roosevelt continued its resurgence in a 46-23 win over LEE on Thursday in a District 28-6A contest at Heroes Stadium.

Chambers threw for four touchdowns and Smith accounted for three scores as Roosevelt (3-2, 2-0) won its third game in a row after starting the season 0-2. It was also the Rough Riders’ fifth straight win in the series against LEE (3-2, 0-2).

Roosevelt coach Darnell Barnes said he was thankful his team overcame the rainy conditions and sloppy play, which included four personal foul penalties combined for both teams.

“Sloppy game like this, we just want to stay healthy,” Barnes said. “I’m glad we got off the field healthy and of course got out with another win.”
With the Rough Riders coming off their emotional 45-43 quadruple overtime win over Madison last week, Barnes said his goal was to keep his team focused against LEE.

“The message all week was that coach (Eddie) Veyran is doing a good job at LEE High School,” Barmes said. “He’s getting that program turned around. So, we couldn’t fall asleep at the wheel, especially after on this great emotional high after beating Madison in a quadruple overtime game. So, the push all week was to stay focused, stay locked in, stay fast. Still a sloppy start and I wanted to finish a little bit cleaner, but still very proud of the guys.”

Chambers threw for 234 yards on 20-of-28 passing and scoring tosses to four different receivers, and he rushed for 60 yards to finish with 294 total yards. Smith rushed for 117 yards and two scores and caught four passes for 60 yards and a receiving touchdown.

Smith was among three Rough Riders to record 60-plus receiving yards along with Dreidan Rose (6-76) and Dartanyon Brown (6-68), with each of them hauling in a touchdown reception.

It was the second game in a row Smith rushed for 100 yards and accounted for two or more scores, following up a standout performance in the win over Madison in the district opener.

Barnes said Roosevelt’s junior class, which includes Smith and Chambers, has provided a spark for the Rough Riders.

“That whole junior class is very special,” Barnes said. “When they were (on the freshman team), they won our district outright. So, Xavion (Chambers), Dartanyon Brown, Ernest Smith. There are so many players in that junior class that are absolutely special kids. Very proud of (Smith’s) progression.

Chambers is “lightning in a bottle,” Barnes said, adding that the biggest difference from last season is that he is no longer afraid to “let the ball go” to a cadre of talented receivers that includes Rose, Brown and Aurice Perry.

“He’s doing a really good job in practice of using his footwork, stepping up into the pocket and delivering good balls,” Barnes said.

Roosevelt got off to the right start on its first possession Thursday, taking advantage of a short LEE punt to start at the LEE 48-yard line. Four plays later, Chambers and Rose hooked up on a 38-yard scoring pass. The point-after kick was blocked, leaving the score at 6-0 with 8:32 left in the first quarter.

Sparked by a 30-yard run by quarterback Troy Sosa, LEE marched down the field into Roosevelt territory, settling for a 38-yard field goal from Angel Pena, that narrowed Roosevelt’s advantage to 6-3.

Roosevelt used a fake punt to set up its next score, as punter David Ochoa threw a jump pass to Smith for an 18-yard gain that put the Rough Riders at the LEE 30. Seven plays later, Smith scored his first touchdown on a 1-yard plunge to extend Roosevelt’s lead to 12-3 with 34 seconds remaining in the first, as the 2-point conversion run failed.

Roosevelt’s Xavion Chambers moves the ball down the field the first quarter of a District 28-6A game against Lee on Thursday, October 1, 2026 at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio. (Charlie Blalock/For the Express-News)

LEE took advantage of a Roosevelt miscue to score its first touchdown, as defensive back Derrek De Vaughn scooped up a Rough Rider fumble for a 16-yard score at the 9:01 mark in the second quarter to get the Volunteers within 12-9, after a botched snap ruined the PAT.

Roosevelt scored on its last two possessions of the first half to take a 24-9 advantage into halftime. The first came on a 47-yard catch from Chambers to Brown and the second on a Smith 10-yard touchdown run, which was set up by a fumble recovery from Greg Green.

The Rough Riders extended their lead to 31-9 in the second half, as Smith took a short pass from Chambers and made a nifty cutback on his way to a 36-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Chambers got his final touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, on a 2-yard shuffle pass to Perry.

Tahrie Chandler, who finished with 104 yards rushing, scored two touchdowns for LEE in the second half on runs of 15 and 2 yards.

Riding the momentum of its three-game winning streak, Roosevelt next faces Johnson (3-0, 1-0), No. 1 in the Express-News rankings, next Thursday at Heroes Stadium.

Barnes said for Roosevelt to have a chance against Johnson, it must fix some mistakes and play better than it did in the win over LEE.

“First of all, we have to practice well,” Barnes said. “Even tonight when we get back and start breaking down the film, we got to do a good job of correcting our mistakes. Because if you make the mistakes you made tonight against a team like Johnson, it’s going to hurt you. So, we got to be pretty sharp, and we got to take care of the football and keep it off the ground.”