Sameer Thomas: Overcoming Small Stature to Excel as a High School Football RB Sensation

Do not let Lehman High School (Bronx) running back Sameer Thomas‘ size fool you.

At 5-foot-7, 165 pounds, the rising senior rushed for a total of 1518 yards on 169 carries (8.95 per attempt) with 19 touchdowns in just eight games in the 2023-24 season.

Those impressive numbers led all rushers in the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) to go along with a total 120 points, which also was tops in the New York City public high school football association.

Additionally, Thomas garnered All-State and All-City honors, as well as All-Academic Conference recognition with a sparkling 4.0 GPA.

He can thank his speed, elusiveness and sheer drive and determination for his outstanding year, lack of size notwithstanding.

“I try to use my speed to my advantage,” Thomas said. “I don’t want to let that stop me. I can hit top speed pretty quick.”

Just to think that last season was his first stint on the Lions’ varsity football team after two years on JV.

Thomas’ focus now lies in getting Lehman into the PSAL 3A Conference playoffs after posting a 4-4 record and missing the postseason by one spot at No. 9.

“My main goal, going into Lehman, was to help make it into a top program. I played on JV my first two years,” he said. “We didn’t do so great, but we were 4-4 last year. Some people can say it’s a bad record. But it’s a big improvement from where we started when I was a freshman.”

Now with a full season of varsity football under his belt, he eyes an important self-aspiration: playing at the next level in college.

“Of course, I like to consider all levels, but I am thinking D-1 or D-2,” Thomas said. “I have been playing football since I was seven, for the Bronx Giants. Then I played flag football in middle school. I’ve always dreamed about playing at the next level.”

With the success he enjoyed last campaign, Thomas has not let it swell his head. He gave a lot of credit to his offensive line for opening up holes that allowed him to roll up copious amounts of yardage.

“I don’t know if teams ever keyed on me, but I had a great offensive line,” he humbly answered when asked if thinks opposing teams’ defensive game planned against him last season. “So, it never came up, as they did their job to help me look good.”

However, Thomas did say he had to work a little harder in the Lions’ 40-26 loss to Boys & Girls. To that end, he ran for 170 yards on 22 touches with two TDs despite “their strong run defense,” he noted.

With the summer just beginning, Thomas has secured a part-time weekend job through the Summer Youth Employment program, in which he will assist in carry out youth basketball camps.

Thomas said the money that he earns from his job will go toward more football camps in order to increase his college exposure since the funds for activities such as gridiron action has to take a back seat for family-first responsibilities.

This type of maturity and unbridled determination to make it on his own accord is not lost on his head coach, Joseph Houghton, who has been that helm since 2020.

“The thing about Sameer is his drive,” Explained Houghton, who said Thomas was benching 230 pounds in spring workouts. “I never coached a kid like him. And it not just football. He is driven in the classroom, too. In a school with over 3,000 kids, he does not let it affect him; he stays focused all the time.”

Thomas is also a solid sprinter who is working hard on improving that craft as well.

With schoolwork and athletics taking up a chunk of his time, you might think he resents it just a tad. But he said he does not at all.

“I’m making a sacrifice with my social life, video games and watching TV,” Thomas said of all the fun things kids his age partake in. “I don’t see it as a struggle. Those things aren’t as important as getting good grades and getting a college scholarship.”

When I asked his coach if he thinks he can grind on a college gridiron, Houghton said. “Absolutely. He has the chance to play at the next level. He has the speed and focus.”

While Lehman continues to build up its program, and some may question his lack of girth, Thomas does not see those things as obstacles to success in anyway whatsoever.

“It doesn’t matter your size or school that you go to”, he noted. “You can still make a name for yourself if you perform well wherever you are.”

Hey, you cannot measure heart, that is for sure.

Please click on the link to watch Sameer Thomas’ junior season highlight reel tape.

— Jerry Del Priore

Photos: courtesy of Sammer