By TAYLOR BECK, Sports Editor
SARDIS CITY — The Douglas Eagles saved their best football for the second half Friday night, storming back from a halftime deficit to defeat Sardis 35-21 and capture their first Class 5A, Region 8 victory of the season.
Trailing 13-7 at the break, the Eagles (4-3, 1-3) erupted for 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take command and spoil the Lions’ homecoming at Lions Stadium.
“Just keep fighting,” Eagles head coach Brandon Lyles said of his message at the break. “We lost some points right there before halftime that we should’ve got, but our kids just kept playing. We had a lot of mistakes — a ton of mistakes on both sides of the ball — and our kids just kept fighting. We busted little momentum right there in the third quarter and just kept riding on it. I’m super proud of my coaching staff, super proud of my kids, and they just kept fighting.”
Douglas’ offense was explosive and balanced, piling up 488 total yards, including 269 rushing and 219 passing. Quarterback Baker Lyles accounted for three touchdowns — one on the ground and two through the air — while Keilan Green was nearly unstoppable, rushing for 175 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
After Sardis grabbed a 13-7 halftime lead, Douglas came out firing in the third quarter. The Lions opened the half with a three-and-out, and the Eagles immediately capitalized on a short field. Green sliced through the defense for a 44-yard touchdown run to give Douglas its first lead at 14-13 with 4:30 remaining in the quarter.
Moments later, Grant Coe’s pass was intercepted by Isaiah Glidewell and returned to the Sardis 33-yard line. On the next play, Baker Lyles found Treiy Crenshaw for a 33-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 21-13.
The Eagles weren’t done. After forcing another punt, Baker Lyles hit Judson Murray on a 64-yard touchdown strike, stretching the margin to 28-13 with 1:53 left in the quarter.
Sardis fought back early in the fourth, as Coe led an 80-yard drive capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass to Cole Lankford, cutting the deficit to 28-21 with 10:29 to play. But Douglas’ defense came up with timely stops down the stretch.
After turning the ball over on downs, the Eagles’ defense took it right back when Carson Dowdey intercepted Coe with 4:22 remaining. Douglas then chewed up clock on a 73-yard drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from Dowdey, sealing the 35-21 win with just 45 seconds left.
Coe was intercepted three times in the second half (four total), including one by Layton Culbert in the final seconds to put the game away.
Baker Lyles finished the night 6-of-11 passing for 152 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 95 rushing yards and a score. Murray caught two passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, Landon Stewart had two for 96 yards, and Crenshaw’s lone catch went for 33 yards and a score.
Defensively, Culbert led Douglas with eight tackles and an interception, followed by Maddox Duvall (7 tackles), Dowdey (6 tackles, 1 INT), Baker Lyles (6 tackles, 1 INT), and Stewart, Murray, and Noah Williamson, who each contributed key stops.
The win marked Douglas’ first region victory of 2025 — and one Coach Lyles said his players had earned.
“It feels great to get that first one,” Lyles said. “Our kids never quit. They’ve continued to improve throughout the year, especially these last three games. We lost a tough one last week to Arab, but they battled.
“They show up every Monday ready to work. And they got a short memory,” he added. “Sometimes we feel sorry for ourselves. Those kids show up ready to work and I’m so proud of them. and I’m so proud of them.”
Next week, Douglas returns home to host Brewer for another Region 8 battle, and Sardis hosts Fairview for a non-region matchup.
The Eagles Keilan Green (11) hits the hole against Sardis Friday night. Photo by TAYLOR BECK l The Leader
