Posted 8:20 am Tuesday, October 21, 2008
John Tyler Lions Looking More Like the Real Deal
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Evander Holyfield holds the distinction as the "Real Deal" for his endurance and warrior-like mentality that resulted in the living legend becoming the first and only four-time heavyweight champion.
Along the way to winning a third football championship in the state's highest classification in 1994, John Tyler's football team came across a nickname that stuck in "Cujo," which many take to mean 'never quit, never die.'
JT displayed that telling trait yet again Friday, rallying for its third win this season in the closing seconds to complete a 17-14 overtime victory over Mesquite.
Mesquite jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but JT rallied behind Kedrick Chancellor's 100-yard kickoff return late in the first half and his 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that helped the Lions pull even.
Dominic Ward blocked two kicks -- the first late in the fourth quarter and second in overtime to ice the win after JT's Jesse Diaz kicked a 45-yard go-ahead field goal on the previous possession.
The Lions deserve a high-five, if for nothing else, for winning five straight games -- an all-time high since the 2000 season. The five wins match JT's total the previous two seasons, and comes barely a month after the program reached a new-low with a school-record 10th consecutive loss.
With a strong force possibly brewing, the big question looms -- are the 2008 Lions the real deal?
Staying with the boxing theme, JT appears to be a strong contender -- at the least -- for a District 11-5A football title.
JT (5-2, 2-0) and DeSoto (3-4, 2-0) share the District 11-5A lead through two games. The teams meet in the season finale Nov. 7 in DeSoto.
The program last won a district title in 1998 with a dramatic double-overtime victory over Robert E. Lee. The Lions have played for the gold ball three times since, losing to Lee in 1999 and 2000, and to Longview in 2005.
The Lions look capable of reaching that point again if they continue finding a number of different ways to win like the last five games -- from rushing for 384 yards in a romp over Arlington Lamar (37-10); throwing a 48-yard passing TD in the final seconds to outlast Wichita Falls Rider (28-24); allowing a single TD to the district's top offense in Mesquite Horn (31-7); and riding special teams to beat Mesquite and Lewisville (27-20, OT) in the non-district finale after Ashton Dorsey blocked a field goal at the end of regulation.
To prove for real, JT needs to follow Holyfield in another way and atone for last year's loss to North Mesquite -- which was for the final playoff berth -- when the teams meet Friday at Memorial Stadium in Mesquite.
Holyfield thrived in rematches -- handing then-undisputed champion Riddick Bowe his only loss in the second match of their trilogy in 1993, and later avenging a loss to Michael Moorer in a 1997 title match.
Like Holyfield, well-noted for his training regimen, JT plans to practice, practice, and practice in lieu of claiming a title of its own.
"We've still got things to work on," JT coach Dereck Rush said. "We're still going to try and get better. You want to be better every game."
