Lyons beats Proviso West, earns playoff berth

THE SKINNY

Facing a must-win game to get into the state playoffs, Lyons (5-4, 4-2 West Suburban Silver) lived on the edge all night long. But Lyons rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Proviso West (2-7, 0-6) in Western Springs.

TURNING POINT

Proviso West broke a 14-14 tie when quarterback Dennis Bryant Jr. tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Denzel Tolliver with 11:09 left in the fourth. Bryant’s extra-point attempt was blocked. That wound up being the difference. Lyons quarterback Tom Fiedler scored from 5 yards out on an option play with 5:14 to play and Joe Bruni’s PAT gave Lyons the lead for good.

THE STAR

Bryant, just a sophomore, showed remarkable poise for the Panthers. He had three touchdown passes and was 16-for-29 for 173 yards.

BY THE NUMBERS

Lyons running back Leonard Ross was the leading rusher, picking up 114 yards on 21 carries. The junior also had a 10-yard TD run. Fiedler was 14-for-24 for 124 yards and a touchdown. Tolliver had six catches for 70 yards and two scores for Proviso West.

QUOTABLE

“A little too close for comfort, that’s for sure. I think after that first drive when we scored, we kind of took our foot off the gas. We thought it was over.” — Fiedler