Nashua North senior captain Mike Lynch wore black and silver Adidas cleats, size 14, at football practice on Tuesday.

They were a summer gift from San Diego Chargers rookie Kendall Reyes, a fellow Titan, who made a successful NFL debut on Monday night in Oakland.

Who knows? Maybe those shoes will become a collector's item some day.

Reyes, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive end, made 23 rushes against the Raiders and was credited with five hurries against quarterback Carson Palmer.

He twice made contact with Palmer and nearly had a sack in the second half of San Diego's impressive 22-14 road victory.

Reyes was a lightning bolt of energy at defensive end.

“I hit (Palmer) but he managed to get the ball away. I'll get him next time,” said Reyes, reflecting on his NFL debut Tuesday night. “It was a really cool experience to be out there on Monday night, playing against a big-time rival. I was excited I got to play.”

Reyes said he was a bit worried about making a mistake in the first quarter. At one point, 15-year veteran Takeo Spikes and 10-year veteran Aubrayo Franklin gave him a much-needed pep talk in the defensive huddle.

“They kind of grabbed me and said, 'Man, we're prepared for this. Just go out there and play and don't think.' That helped me out the rest of the game. I felt like I played much better in the second half. It helped that we were ahead, and they had to keep throwing the ball,” said Reyes, who signed a four-year contract with the Chargers.

Nashua North coach Jason Robie, like many fans watching from New Hampshire, kept an eye on No. 91.

“He almost got (Palmer),” said Robie, who recorded the late game of the “MNF” doubleheader. “We're all proud of him. More than anything else, it gives a clear picture that if you work hard and want something bad enough, it's obtainable.”

The San Diego defense, which ranked last in the NFL on third-down conversations (49.2 percent) last season, got off to a great start against the Raiders thanks in part to first-round pick Melvin Ingram of South Carolina, an outside linebacker, and Reyes, listed at No. 2 on the depth chart at left defensive end. Reyes was an All-Big East Conference defensive tackle at the University of Connecticut and drafted in the second round (49th overall) by the Chargers.

“He wasn't a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but his overall desire got him to the NFL,” Robie said. “He did whatever it took: getting in the weight room, studying video, nutrition, being a leader on and off the field.”

Robie's text message to Reyes? “Just 'Congratulations. We're proud of you.' It's really the same thing we've been saying about him for a long time. He came back this summer and worked out with our guys. He met with former teachers. He's just a real down-to-earth humble young man.”

The Gate City has rooted for its own NFL players before. Kole Ayi, who played for unified Nashua High and the University of Massachusetts, played in one game for the Patriots in 2001 and a dozen more games with the Rams.

Quarterback Greg Landry of Nashua, one of the greatest athletes in New Hampshire history, spent 15 years in the NFL and threw for 98 touchdowns and 16,052 yards. The UMass alumnus played for the Lions, Colts and Bears from 1968-84. Ayi was an undrafted free agent. Landry was a first-round pick (11th overall) of the Detroit Lions in 1968.

Reyes, as a student at Nashua North, scored the first touchdown in program history on a kick return against Nashua South in 2004.

“It's crazy to think where he came from and realize he wasn't that far from the NFL when he was in high school,” said Lynch, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound defensive tackle said. “Looking back, he was doing the same things we're doing right now.”

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Kevin Gray may be reached at kgray@unionleader.com.