After Tyler Lee spent the offseason in the weight room and working hard to improve, Guilford Park High School football coach Tom Montag expected his junior running back to take a step forward. But as the regular season enters the final few weeks, it is safe to say that no one quite expected Lee to dominate the way he has.
Lee carried 27 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns this past week and scored a pair of two-point conversions as undefeated Guilford Park continued its terrific season by rallying from a 10-point deficit to beat Glenelg, 28-16.
It was Lee’s sixth 200-yard performance in seven games and the sixth time he has scored at least three touchdowns in a game.
“Nobody expects a kid to rush for 200 yards in a game, that’s wild to see,” Montag said. “I thought he was going to have a good year, but I had no idea what that meant. It’s definitely surprising to see week in and week out dominant performances.”
For his efforts, Lee was named the Military Bowl Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.
It has been a special season so far this fall at Guilford Park, which opened in August 2023, played its first varsity football game last year and now has its first senior class.
Lee, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds, attended Meade Senior High School as a freshman before transferring to Guilford Park. He rushed for 444 yards and averaged about four yards per carry last year as the Panthers went 5-5.
Lee added about 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason and he also developed into one of the team’s leaders. Without a full complement of students until this year, not only was playing time available for younger players, but there also was a need for leadership.
Enter Lee, who has rushed for 1,389 yards and 22 touchdowns already this season.
“As we’ve grown older as a program, more of our younger athletes are stepping up into leadership roles. What’s it like to be a leader on a high school football team,” Montag said. “Tyler has been consistently working hard and it shows up on Friday nights.”
This week’s D.C. Touchdown Club Honor Roll:
ANNE ARUNDEL
Crofton RB/MLB Da’Juan Kinard made 10 tackles with five tackles for loss, returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown and recovered two fumbles, returning one seven yards for a touchdown, as the Cardinals beat Severn Run, 42-12.
DC
Bell QB Will Hewitt completed 16 of 23 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns as the Griffins beat Phelps, 36-8.
FREDERICK
Linganore RB Bradly Matthews rushed 27 times for 260 yards and six touchdowns as the undefeated Lancers beat Middletown, 56-42.
LOUDOUN
Loudoun Valley WR Macklin Gaffney caught five passes for 70 yards, caught a two-point conversion, rushed for a touchdown, returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown and intercepted a pass as the Vikings beat Rock Ridge, 50-6.
MONTGOMERY
Northwest QB Jayden Vongprachanh-Nelson completed 13 of 15 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns and rushed seven times for 43 yards and two touchdowns as the Jaguars beat Walter Johnson, 41-6.
NORTHERN REGION
Falls Church QB Elijah Lewis rushed 18 times for 317 yards and five touchdowns, including a 96-yard score on the game’s first play from scrimmage, as the Jaguars beat Edison, 35-14.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Largo RB Tymond Foxx rushed 36 times for 226 yards and five touchdowns as the Lions beat Central, 62-28.
PRINCE WILLIAM
Gar-Field QB Marcus Troy Hamlin completed 14 of 22 passes for 153 yards and rushed five times for 131 yards and one touchdown as the Red Wolves beat Forest Park, 19-14.
PRIVATE
Georgetown Prep OL/DL Immanuel Iheanacho, an Oregon recruit, led the way in all phases of the game with nine pancake blocks, four tackles and blocking an extra-point attempt as the Little Hoyas beat St. Albans, 22-19.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Huntingtown RB/SS Gabriel Copeland rushed 21 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns and on defense made nine tackles as the Hurricanes beat Patuxent, 21-12.
WCAC
Archbishop Carroll QB Avery Glass completed 15 of 21 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns as the Lions beat Bishop Ireton, 30-10.
Source
Player of the Week: Guilford Park High’s Tyler Lee
