That’s what people say when they want to convey something is easy. It also is a term used often by  Lufkin defensive lineman Demontrai Lewis.

After Demontrai sacks the opposing team’s quarterback, he signals with his hands as though slicing through cake. In fact, Demontrai signs other things to the coaches, as well as anyone else and has been doing so since learning sign language after being hearing impaired at an early age.

Another reason for the “slicing of cake” is directed toward defensive line coach Brooke Stafford whose wife will bake the sophomore a cake following a good performance on the field.

And Demontrai has had a cake 10 of the 11 games played this year which doesn’t effect his performance, even at practices.

“Demontrai always comes to practice with a good attitude,” Stafford said. “I am very proud on how he has been playing, the boy loves football.”

According to Stafford, Demontrai has improved a lot this year, but there is still some stuff that he can work on.

“He has been doing really good,” Stafford said. “There is always something you can work on, but he has turned out to be a really good football player.”

According to Coach Stafford, it is not hard to coach a hearing impaired football player. The only time it is a problem is when he is trying to yell at him across the field.

Stafford sometimes forgets Demontrai is hearing impaired, but it is only when he is yelling at him or trying to speak to him.

“Whenever he is out on the field and you’re trying to yell and tell him something, you sometimes forget he can’t hear.” Stafford said.

Head Coach John Outlaw also said he enjoys having Demontrai on his team and as a part of his life.

“It is an absolute joy everyday to have him on my team and to see him with a smile on his face,” Outlaw said.

According to Outlaw, he and Demontrai are very close and feels no different than he does for any other kid and notes the only difference being Demontrai’s smiles.

“The feeling is no different when the boy succeeds as it is for any other child out there on that field,” Outlaw said. “Demontrai at least smiles, the others just talk.”

When Demontrai graduates and leaves, it is going to be different for Outlaw, but he will always have those great memories with Demontrai.

“It will be different when he leaves, but one thing is you will always have someone to replace him,” Outlaw said. “I will always have our great memories that we made.”

Just like everyone else, Outlaw learns from Demontrai who has shown not to find excuses.

“Everybody can learn something from Demontrai,” Outlaw said. “He proves that you can overcome any obsticle in life if you choose to and he chooses to.”

Demontrai said he does anything he wants without limits, and that includes playing football and other sports, but added that it is football that he most loves.

“I always played football, basketball and baseball growing up,” Demontrai said. “Any sport I wanted to play I could because I had no limits.”

D-1 colleges have started to look at Demontrai, but said he is focused on the attention.

“It does not scare me,” he said. “I’m not worried about that right now. All I want to be is successful for the team and with the team at high school.”

The fans go crazy on Friday nights when Demontrai sacks the quarterback or does something good. It makes Demontrai feel like a star on the field when he knows all of the attention he gets from students, faculty, and residents is all for him.

“It feels good that they are all paying attention to me, it makes me feel as if I am the star person,” Demontrai said.

According to Demontrai, he takes his grades, class, and the work he does on the field very seriously.

Demontrai knows that he will go to college like the rest of his family because he cannot let them down and wants to follow their examples of chasing a dream, and his dream is to play in the NFL.

“Well when I was six,all of my family had gone to college so I knew I would go as well,” Demontrai said. “One day my dream to play in the NFL will come true.”

René Heintschel, Demontrai’s interputer, wishes that after Lewis graduates that somewhere down the road she will be able to sign for him again, but if not, she really hopes they will never lose touch.

“The boy is like my own child to me,” she admits, “and when he succeeds, my heart burst and I get so excited. I will be very devastated and so lost after Demontrai leaves. I will sign for someone else, but it will never be the same.”

René Heintschel has been with Demontrai since he was 3 years old. She did not start signing for him until he was at Brookhollow Elementary School.

She said the deaf ed music class had just came in from music time and she just started signing with Demontrai. The inturpeter at the time Shela Stoddard told her they were looking for a new inturpeter and they wanted her for the job. René turned down the job three times until she finally took it.

“I managed restaurants before, the money was good, but it felt like something was missing,” Heintschel said. “I sarted to substitute at Brookhollow one day when I was the deaf ed music class came in and I started signing for Demontrai. Mrs.Stoddard told me they were looking for a new interputer, and she wanted me for the job. I turned the job down three times because I never thought I could do it. Soon it felt like God was throwing this at me to do it so I took the job.”

When Heintschel was little she would pray at night and ask God why he made her mom deaf. She soon realized it was because she would soon help out with deaf kids in her future.

Heintschel loves to watch Demontrai play because she can learn from Demontrai and it is absolutley amazing to her when he makes an outstanding tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

“Seeing Demontrai out on the field playing is an amazing experience because I can learn so much from him and pick up everything, it is awesome.” Heintschel said.

Heintschel believes that in the future Demontrai will be able to play for the NFL.

“The boy has no limits, he has the drive and determination and wheel power to go as far as he wants to go,” Heintschel said. “I have faith in him that he will be in the NFL.”

One of  Demontrai’s defensive lineman friends is Corey Clark.

“I have been friends with Demontrai for a little over two years,” Clark said. “It is great and fun to watch Demontrai play and to be out there on the field with him.”

Clark said he learns a lot from Demontrai during practices and during games.

“It is great and fun to watch him make plays and breath taking to see some of the stuff he does out there on the field,” Clark said.

Clark said the two have learned to grown close enough to understand what each one is saying, sometimes with a little help.

“It is not hard to hold a conversation with Demontrai,” Clark said. “He always figures out what we are saying even without Mrs.H. After a while, it gets easier because he reads our lips.”

Clark treats Demontrai the same as all his other friends because he is just like an ordinary person who just has hearing problem.

“I treat him just like all my other friends,” Clark said. “There is nothing wrong with him. He is an ordinary person and there is no reason to treat him any different.”

Lufkin ends the season that had the impression of greatness with a (9-2) finish and undefeated in district play (6-0) with two shutouts on the season.

The most anticipated game of the season was against The Woodland Highlanders in week seven. The Panthers had been defeated in this match up for the past two years, and this was the game to watch, which it was watched across the region on Fox Sorts Southwest. The Panthers showed everyone who they were with a 30-10 win over the defending district champs.

In the non-district traditional rivalry between Lufkin and Nacogdoches, the Pack showed out with their highest game of the season, scoring 64 points in the game the Panthers won the match up 64-14 without any trouble.

On the downside of the non-district play, the Pack lost their only game in the regular season to Longview 10-24, but the Panthers put that behind them the very next game at the Lufkin homecoming when they faced off against Conroe. Panther fans were very pleased when the Pack dominated Conroe and had a 49-6 finish.

Overall, the Panther 2011 football season shocked everyone in more ways than one. At the beginning of the season, Panther fans were doubting if Lufkin would even make the playoffs. Then after the Panthers proved themselves to everyone during the Woodlands game, they all thought Lufkin would go deep into the playoffs.

Even with all of the fan support during the end of the season, the Panthers didn’t come out on top against Spring Westfield, but winning the outright district title was more Panther fans expected they would do.

“The first thing that came to my mind was my team,” Walker said, “ Many questions came to my mind like. ‘How long would I be out? Is my ankle injury serious?’ I was afraid it was serious and the season would be over for me.”

Mike Waters, the Head Medical Trainer, better known as Doc Waters, has been helping Walker recover from his injury.

“I didn’t think it was that bad at first, but it was a little more serious than I thought it was,” Waters said. “Initially it could’ve been worse though.”

Walker has been attending rehab for his injury with Doc Waters.

“He’s been in the whirlpool, we’re getting him on the bike more often with the boot on, and letting it heal by not walking,” Waters said.

Walker has faith in his team and believes they will do fine without him.

“They pulled it off in the game against Longview so I have no doubt they can’t get past Conroe, and even though I can’t suit up full uniform and play I will still support my ‘brothers.’” Walker said.

Walker has had 31 carries,  349 rushing yards,  37 rushing yard reception, and 4 touchdowns equaling to 261 yards so far this season. Walker’s goal in football is to be Top Rusher in the state.

Walker will be re-evaluated next week but most likely will not play in the next two weeks as planned.

Awards while at Lufkin:

-14  5A 1st team All District 07-08, 08-09.
-Lufkin’s Defensive Tackle award winner 07-08, 08-09.
-All State 07-08, 08-09.
- All American 07-08, 08-09.
-Maxwell award winner 08-09.
-Parade All American 08-09.
-ESPN Top 100 07-08, 08-09.
-Rivals Top 100 07-08, 08-09.
-Lemming Top Defensive Tackle 08-09.
-Lemming Top 100
08-09.

Awards earned at Lufkin:

-14 5A 1st team All District 07-08, 08-09.
-14 5A Defensive MVP 08-09.
-Lufkin’s Defensive End award 07-08.
-Lufkin’s MVP award winner 08-09.

Because of the blood, sweat and tears he puts on the football field and the outstanding character he possesses, defensive tackle JaMarkus McFarland was selected to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The announcement came during second period on Monday in the gold gym.

“We select the top 90 players in the nation to play,” U.S. Army Staff Sergeant William Velez said, “and he is the second best national defensive player. It is a prestigious game and will bring him college opportunities by getting his name out there.”

However, before McFarland was formally told that he was selected to be a player in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, his coach informed him during the summer he had a choice rather or not to play.

“I found out during the summer that I could choose between being in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl or the Under Amour Senior Bowl from coach Brooke Stafford during practice,” McFarland said. “More professional football players have gone to the All-American Bowl, so I choose to play in it.”

According to McFarland, the chance to play with other elite high school football players and to be noticed by colleges is something he had to do.

“This is an opportunity I have to take because it is a fun and a once in a lifetime thing,” McFarland said. “Also, I want to meet other players that may go to the same school as me.”

McFarland will leave Dec. 30 for San Antonio and will be staying at a hotel for a week.

“That is when I will get to meet the other players,” McFarland said. “I do not know how they are distributing the players into teams, but hopefully I will know before I get there.”

For anyone interested in attending, the game will begin at noon and tickets cost $12.

“I will be attending but I do not have to pay because I was invited,” Stafford said. “He is the second person from LHS to get this and it is the second or third highest honor a high school football player may receive, so I will be there to support him.”

Along with Stafford, McFarland’s parents will be supporting him in the stands.

“I am excited that they will be attending,” McFarland said. “After receiving this honor, I think they realize more how well I play.”

Since he is a participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, McFarland is eligible to receive the Player of the Year Award, the Walter Payton Trophy or the Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard U.S. Army Awards.

“If I won something, it would be extra,” McFarland said. “I am not going in there expecting to win anything.”

Once the game is finished and the Panther football season is over, McFarland said he will relax a bit but still wants to continue football.

“I will go as far as football will take me,” McFarland said. “I want to play at either the University of Oklahoma or the University of Texas and receive my degree in physical therapy.”