Tyler Lee Sets School Record For Points In 75-27 Rout Of Naaman Forest + Awaits Playoff Fate
[Special to ETSN.fm]
GARLAND -- Tyler Lee's playoff hopes live to see another day.
Friday night, to be exact.
That's when Lee will find out its postseason fate following Thursday night's record-setting 75-27 rout of Garland Naaman Forest in a District 11-6A finale at Williams Stadium.
Lee, which set a school record for points in a game, kept its postseason chances alive thanks to 541 rushing yards and a 50-14 second-half advantage. Now the Red Raiders (5-5, 4-3) await the result of Friday night's Rowlett vs. Sachse contest, which kicks of at 7:30 p.m. from Williams Stadium.
Lee needs Rowlett to win. If that happens, the Red Raiders clinch the district's runner-up seed in the Class 6A Division II playoffs. A Sachse win against Rowlett keeps Lee out of the playoffs and sends Sachse to the postseason as the district's top Division I seed. Rowlett is in the playoffs regardless.
Lee junior quarterback Zach Hall spearheaded the Lee rushing attack, running 11 times for 246 yards and three touchdowns (75, 1, 41). Hall completed 6 of 13 passes for 88 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Junior running backs Devonte Craver and Tavon Wesley combined for 12 carries for 120 yards, including Craver's nine-yard touchdown that gave Lee a 62-27 lead with about 10 minutes remaining.
Junior Tyrec Grayson touched the ball five times -- four carries, one reception -- and yielded 70 yards and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). Junior receiver Isjuwan Barker led Lee with 68 yards on two catches, while junior Jordan Devers caught a game-high three passes for 55 yards.
Lee outgained Naaman Forest 700-358. Lee's monster rushing performance overshadowed a big night for Naaman Forest's Michael Nelson, who concluded his high school career with a 37-carry, 234-yard performance that included three touchdowns. Nelson finished his senior season with 1,901 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns, giving him career numbers of 3,868 yards and 44 touchdowns.
Junior teammate Prince Hanks carried 18 times for 97 yards and one score. Naaman Forest (1-9, 1-6) had minus-5 passing yards.
Leading 42-27 halfway through the third quarter, Lee scored the final 33 points of the game to run away with the victory. Hall's 41-yard run preceded senior Juwan Banks' six-yard run, Craver's nine-yarder, junior Mark Russell's six-yard run, and Grayson's 25-yard run to account for Lee's 33 points in the game's final 15 minutes.
Lee first pulled away with three touchdowns in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half.
Leading 14-13, the Red Raiders got an impressive 75-yard touchdown run from Hall for a 21-13 lead with 5:10 until halftime. After a defensive stop, senior Trevor Carr capped a scoring drive with his one-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 15 points with about 2 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter.
Lee squeezed in one more touchdown before halftime on Hall's 23-yard touchdown strike to Grayson, his second touchdown of the first half, to give Lee a 35-13 lead with 44 seconds until intermission.
Nelson's one-yard touchdown two minutes into the third quarter allowed Naaman Forest to cut Lee's lead to 35-21 following junior Terence Lawson's two-point run, but the Rangers never got closer.
Lee took the lead halfway through the second quarter on a 13-yard Grayson touchdown run for a 14-7 advantage. Grayson's run, which came on a jet sweep around left end, capped a Lee scoring drive aided by two Naaman Forest 15-yard penalties after positive Lee plays.
Naaman Forest would have tied the game following Nelson's 29-yard touchdown run with 5:22 left in the first half, but Lee senior Cameron Price came off the edge to block the PAT and preserve Lee's one-point lead.
The teams exchanged touchdowns on their first possessions before Price blocked a long field-goal attempt on Naaman Forest's second possession. Lee senior defensive lineman Robert Ragland picked off a second-quarter screen pass to set up one of Lee's touchdowns.
[Stats courtesy the Dallas Morning News]
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District 11-6A
Tyler Lee 75, Garland Naaman Forest 27
At Williams Stadium, Garland
Tyler Lee 7 28 14 26 -- 75
Naaman Forest 7 6 14 0 -- 27
FIRST QUARTER
NF -- Prince Hanks 7 run (Matthew Dahlke kick) -- 6:38
TL -- Isjuwan Barker 59 pass from Trevor Carr (Matthew Hawk kick) -- 6:20
SECOND QUARTER
TL -- Tyrec Grayson 13 run (Hawk kick) -- 6:44
NF -- Michael Nelson 29 run (kick blocked) -- 5:22
TL -- Zach Hall 75 run (Hawk kick) -- 5:10
TL -- Carr 1 run (Hawk kick) -- 2:29
TL -- Grayson 23 pass from Hall (Hawk kick) -- 0:44
THIRD QUARTER
NA -- Nelson 1 run (Terence Lawson run) -- 10:08
TL -- Hall 1 run (Hawk kick) -- 9:08
NA -- Nelson 16 run (kick failed) -- 7:39
TL -- Hall 41 run (Hawk kick) -- 2:07
FOURTH QUARTER
TL -- Juwan Banks 6 run (Chris Tirado kick) -- 11:49
TL -- Devonte Craver 9 run (kick blocked) -- 9:52
TL -- Mark Russell 6 run (kick failed) -- 4:47
TL -- Grayson 25 run (Tirado kick) -- 0:48
TL NF
First downs 26 18
Total yards 700 358
Rushes-Yards 47-541 72-363
Pass yards 159 (-5)
Comp.-Att.-Int. 8-15-1 1-8-1
Penalties 11-85 12-101
Fumbles 1-1 5-3
Punts 1-15.0 7-31.9
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING -- Tyler Lee: Zach Hall 11-246, Devonte Craver 6-79, Mason Parker 3-48, Tyrec Grayson 4-47, Tavon Wesley 6-41, Mark Russell 7-38, Cameron Holmes 5-21, Jordan Devers 1-9, Juwan Banks 2-8, Trevor Carr 2-4; Naaman Forest: Michael Nelson 37-234, Prince Hanks 18-97, Terence Lawson 14-31, Aaron Rodriguez 2-1, Dandric Piolet 1-0.
PASSING -- Tyler Lee: Zach Hall 6-13-1 88, Trevor Carr 1-1-0 59, Mark Russell 1-1-0 12; Naaman Forest: Terence Lawson 1-8-1 (-5).
RECEIVING -- Tyler Lee: Jordan Devers 3-55, Isjuwan Barker 2-68, Tyrec Grayson 1-23, Juwan Banks 1-12, Trevor Carr 1-1; Naaman Forest: Alden Smith 1-(-5).
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