Ray Brewer
Canyon Springs High School football player Armando Lewis Jr., a wide receiver and defensive back, tries on a University of Hawaii hat with his mother Tennille Davis and Canyon Springs football head coach Quincy Burts during signing day at the school Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Lewis signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Hawaii.
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023 | 1:09 p.m.
Canyon Springs High’s Armando Lewis Jr. was sporting a University of Hawaii hoodie and hat for his national signing day ceremony in the high school auditorium.
Even the rubber bands on his braces were Hawaii green.
Then there was a pendant displaying a portrait of his deceased brothers hanging from the football player’s neck.
“They are everything,” he said of his siblings.
Brother Antoine Cooley, 21, was shot and killed while sitting on the family porch in their native Chicago in March 2015, according to the Chicago Tribune. Lewis, then a toddler, was nearby to witness the horror.
The following spring, brother Bryan Cooley, 19, was shot in a car, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The first killing had the family discussing their future in Chicago. The second accelerated their move to Southern Nevada, mother Tennille Davis said.
Davis said she took her son to therapy sessions after his brothers were killed. He tends to keep his emotions bottled up, but the mental health professionals insisted he was doing fine, mom said.
But when he was competing for Canyon Springs, it was a different story, she said. If he was storing any emotions, “you’re seeing that on the field,” Davis said.
It was at Canyon Springs where Lewis, a wide receiver, caught the eye of Hawaii’s coaches, who offered him a full scholarship.
Lewis is a two-time state track champion in the 110 meter hurdles and also plays basketball.
At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds and with plenty of room to add bulk to his frame, he could be the steal of the 2024 recruiting class for Hawaii, Canyon Springs coach Quincy Burts said.
The coaches at Hawaii aren’t sure what position Lewis will line up at in college, but there’s talk of letting him play both wide receiver and safety in the same game.
“He’s been through a lot and has had a long journey,” Burts said. “But the road is still going. He’s so talented.”
Having a player receive a college scholarship is a program accomplishment that takes a lot of people pulling in the same direction, Burts said.
He called that support system a “village,” and said the village at Canyon Springs is strong — for all students.
Teammates, coaches from other sports and supporters packed the auditorium — all in Hawaii green — to celebrate the achievement.
Lewis was so appreciative of the showing of love he couldn’t stop smiling.
“Wow, I am so blessed,” he said.
Lewis mostly played basketball like his brothers and ran track until joining the football team last year as a junior.
By his fifth game, he had earned a scholarship offer.
Hawaii’s coaching staff was at the Canyon Springs game to scout a four-star recruit from the opposing team. Lewis had a one-handed catch for a touchdown and later soared above three defenders — including the prospect — for a catch, Lewis said.
“He’s just a kid. He’s just 17-years old,” Burts said. “He’s earned this. He’s got a great future.”
Lewis said he also had scholarship offers from Florida Atlantic, Utah Tech and Colorado State. But he took a trip to Hawaii and instantly felt part of the program’s family, he said.
The trip included plenty of time with the coaches and their families, demonstrating a family-first atmosphere Lewis couldn’t resist. He’s been in touch with fellow recruits, including Bishop Gorman quarterback Micah Alejado, who also signed Wednesday with Hawaii.
“There is so much love in the program. I can’t wait to get there,” Lewis said.
