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Someone else could have the job. He was through.

A sixth grader at the time, Lewis was under center when a snap went awry. As he went to pick up the loose football, he was quickly overwhelmed by his own protectors.

“The whole offensive line fell on me,� Lewis said. “They got blown up.�

When the bodies finally were pulled off of him, Lewis had suffered a broken leg. When he returned to the football field, it was not at quarterback.

“That was my last snap,� he said.

Instead, Lewis has parlayed his elite athleticism into becoming one of the most sought after wide receivers in the Midwest. The No. 3 prospect on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 countdown of the area’s top seniors, Lewis entered his senior season at East St. Louis with 30 NCAA Division I scholarship offers. It’s an impressive list that includes Auburn, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Missouri, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, West Virginia and Texas A&M.

None of them managed to land the 6-foot-3 and 190 pound Lewis. In July, he gave a verbal commitment to UCLA. Lewis hasn’t visited the campus yet but he got an idea of what life is like in California back in January.

He visited the Bruins' arch rival, USC.

“That life down there (in California) is pretty cool,� Lewis said. “I got to see how it was. I liked it.�

It would have been a tough call during normal times, but it was especially difficult as the coronavirus pandemic has shut down official college visits and in-person recruiting by college coaches. Lewis took the information and experience he had and used it to make his call.

“It was who was showing me the most love,� he said. “I was most comfortable with (UCLA). I fit in their offense the best.�

UCLA pitched Lewis that they could use a tall, speedy receiver to get down the field in a hurry and put pressure on opposing defenses. It’s not all that different than how he operates for the East Side Flyers.

“That’s what I do,� Lewis said. “It was perfect.�

As a junior, Lewis caught 39 passes for 826 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He had one of his most impressive performances in the Class 5A championship game against Prairie Ridge when he turned three catches into 105 yards and a touchdown despite a whipping wind and rainy conditions. Lewis said it could have been hailing and the Flyers would have found a way to get the job done.

“We blocked the weather out, we were in game mode,� he said. “We were clicking on all cylinders. After halftime it was on.�

East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett called last year’s offense the best he’d ever coached in his two decades with the program. That’s high praise but deserved. Lewis, senior quarterback Tyler Macon and senior receiver Dominic Lovett are a three-headed beast that none could slay last fall. When Illinois opens up football season in March, the trio could be even better.

“It’s amazing having guys that are going to push you every day at practice,� Lewis said. “We make each other better. We can’t be stopped.�

So much so that things can get spicy when it’s time for live drills against the Flyers defense. Lewis and Lovett take turns doing what they can to roast their teammates on the field. It’s not personal. If the Flyers are going to achieve their stated goal of defending their state championship, should conditions allow for a state playoff to happen in the spring, they’ll need their defense to be ready. No one on East Side’s schedule is going to present its defense with the problems Macon, Lewis and Lovett create.

“It’s hard for our defense,� Lewis said with a chuckle. “During practice you have to let them have it.�

If Lewis doesn’t, their opponents will in the spring.

Lewis said he’s not sure about what the spring season will look like. He wants to get to UCLA in the best shape possible to be ready for the summer offseason. But he’s also chasing immortality with the rest of the Flyers as they hope to claim another state title if conditions surrounding COVID-19 allow it.

“That would be great. That’s what we want to do,� Lewis said.