Byhalia beats Byers to open season

The Byhalia Indians opened the 2026 football season with a 28-6 victory over county rival H.W. Byers in Byhalia on Thursday, Aug. 27. The win for coach Reginald Davis’ squad came after a slow start in a contest where a single touchdown accounted for the only points on the scoreboard through 24 minutes of play.

“They started slow, but they kept punching,” Davis said. “That was awesome. They started slow, but kept punching and we got a good result at the end.”

The only scoring in the first half came on a 9-yard touchdown run by junior Michael Mays in the second quarter, followed by a 2-point conversion run by senior David Lewis for an 8-0 Byhalia lead.

The Lions came close to knotting the score as the half ended, but a last-second rush by junior Andreco O’Neal was stopped at the 2-yard line as time expired.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but Byhalia broke the game open with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away. The surge was led by Christopher Leseuer, who caught a 30-yard touchdown pass to give the Indians a 14-0 lead with eight minutes remaining, then added a 40-yard scoring run in the final minute to make it 28-0.

“He’s a 10th grader and we’re expecting some good things from him,” Davis said. “He just recently joined our team, so you know we’re trying to show him the way and make sure he buys into our program.”

Byers avoided the shutout on the ensuing kickoff when Cassell Vaughn returned the ball 95 yards for a touchdown, setting the final margin at 28-6.

Davis credited the Indians’ second-half endurance to their offseason conditioning program.

“We take a lot of pride in being in shape and being physically better than our opponents. That’s where our weight room comes in,” Davis said. “We really push and try to condition ourselves to make sure that we are where we need to be.”

Byhalia (1-0) travels to Independence on Friday, Sept. 4. Byers (0-1) hosts Holly Springs on Thursday, Sept. 3, for its home opener.