It took Kare’ Lyles all of one game to etch his legacy in Saguaro football history.
The junior did something Friday many talented Sabercat quarterbacks before him couldn’t beating cross-town rival Chaparral in a series which the Firebirds have dominated in recent years.
Taking over for Luke Rubenzer who is now at Cal-Berkley, the 6’1, 210-pounder completed 15-20 for 307 yards and a touchdown. He engineered an offense which dropped 41 points on Chaparral’s young defense and didn’t commit a single turnover before a near capacity crowd at Saguaro.
Lyles said one key to his successful debut was not trying to do too much.
“I just tried to stay within the system.” he humbly explained to Sports360AZ.com after the game. “The first play got the nerves out so I was excited about that.”
Nerves?
Nobody could tell, including his head coach.
“He made great plays all night long,” Jason Mohns explained. “He took what was there. He didn’t force things. He did what we asked him to do. The kid is going to be a breakout star.”
One thing he did early and often was get the ball in the hands of his stars, including senior athlete Christian Kirk who took a simple swing pass in the flat and outraced the Firebird secondary on the second offensive play of the game for an early lead they would never relinquish.
“The sky is the limit for him,” Kirk explained after beating Chap for the first time in his career.
Lyles is enjoying the ride and learning from Kirk and some of the other leaders on the team.
“Well, I’m humbled,” he told Sports360AZ.com. “I’m blessed to play with a bunch of guys like this. This is a great team. This is a special team.”
Sure looks like the Sabercats have a special quarterback, as well.
