Lavadius Lyles - photo by Brandon Speck/Monroe County Journal
It was the worst of times turned almost the best of times in Forest’s 35-26 loss in the MHSAA 2A State Championship game this past Saturday.
When Lavadius Lyles dove into the end zone on a two-point conversion to cut the Baldwyn Bearcats’ lead to 28-20 early in the fourth quarter someone on pressrow asked, “If Forest wins, how is it going to look when we name this kid player of the game?”
In the first half Lyles rushed for 75 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 carries while passing for 47 yards on 3-of-12 passing, but also threw five interceptions.
“We got (Lyles) to throwing the football because I thought he was more dangerous running the football than throwing it… when we were able to pick off some of them it helped us a whole lot as far as dictating a few things in the first half,” Coach Jimmy Dillinger of Baldwyn.
Forest, also known as the Bearcats, turned the ball over six times in the first half including a 42-yard fumble returned for a touchdown by Junior Beene, but that did not deter Lyles from making a game of it.
In the second Lyles put the team on his shoulders has he rushed for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns on 13 carries while passing for 68 yards and another touchdown on 5-of-12 passing with only one interception.
“In the second (half) he settled down and we tried to make him throw it, but he just kept on running and we weren’t able to tackle him,” Dillinger.
Baldwyn put together a drive that ran nearly ten minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter that saw Tanner Gaines score on a one-yard run to put the game away for good, but Lyles had one last impressive moment left in the tank as he quickly led his team down the field to score one last touchdown to make it a 35-26 final.
Lyles finished the game with 243 yards and 3 scores on 23 carries along with 115 yards and 1 touchdown on 8-of-24 passing with 6 picks to nearly put together one of the greatest worse performances of all time.
One thing was certain at the end of the game… never question the heart of Lavadius Lyles!
