by Matt Wright
The Lakeland Lions loaded up the caravan and headed to Brownsville, TN Tuesday evening (October 16, 2019) to take on Haywood Middle School in a state playoff football game.
In a staggering achievement the Lions made the state playoffs in just their 3rd year of existence. Haywood Middle School has a lot of great athletes and Head Coach Tyler White knew this would be a battle. Haywood County has produced several professional athletes over the years including Tony Delk (NBA veteran) and the all time leading shot blocker in the history of the NCAA, Jarvis Vernardo.
The Lions had a tough start on the road, finding themselves down to the Haywood Tomcats at halftime 16-0. Lakeland showed a lot of resilience and came roaring back in the second half taking the lead 24-16 with only a couple of minutes left in the game. A worn down defense gave up a last minute touchdown sending the game into overtime where the home standing Tomcats prevailed 32-30.
It’s was a disappointing way to end the season after such a dramatic comeback in the 2nd half but parents, players and coaches agree, the foundation has been laid for much success in the future.
