Lyle, Raiders run to win in penalty-filled game

FORT LAUDERDALE — Jordan Lyle made the most of his homecoming game for St. Thomas, rushing for 194 yards and three touchdowns as the Raiders cruised past Monarch 37-6.

Lyle scored on runs of 91, 1 and 38 yards as the Raiders overcame 182 yards of penalties in the victory.

“I’ve been feeling this game since last night,” said Lyle. “Coming into the week, they were talking alot of mess and we knew we could dominate them up front.”

Down 3-0, Monarch went for it on fourth down at the Raiders’ 8, but Jason Hammond sacked quarterback AJ Hairston, giving the Raiders the ball inside their 10. One play later, Lyle raced 91 yards down the sideline for the first touchdown of the game.

He then added a 1-yard score that was setup by King Mack’s 57-yard punt return to give St. Thomas a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.

After going up 24-0 on Chance Robinson’s 8-yard touchdown pass from Hezekiah Harris, the Raiders got the ball back immediately when Ryan Mack intercepted the ball near midfield. Lyle then concluded his night with a highlight reel 38-yard scamper.

“That’s all my offensive line, they opened it up and I just took advantage of the opportunity,” added Lyle.

The one trouble spot in the victory was the numerous penalties as St. Thomas committed 15 penalties for 182 yards, including numerous personal foul and unsportsmanlike calls.

Monarch had 14 penalties for 100 yards. “I’m not one to argue with referees at all, but I felt like some of those were questionable,” said St. Thomas coach Roger Harriott. “We’ll take a second look, we made some mistakes as coaches and the players made some mistakes too, but we’ll move on and get better.”

Jordan Clemons added 55 yards rushing on six carries for St. Thomas, while Monarch was led by Jesse Fields, who had seven receptions for 93 yards, including a late 50-yard TD reception.

“We take these type of celebration events seriously,” added Harriott. “We understand we have a job to do and we are representing the school and the family members and we make sure we give our best effort.”