Lee Central's Belle intercepts his way to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

When Lee Central faced off with Chesterfield on Friday night, the Rams didn't put the ball in the air very often, but when they did, Tyquaze Belle was there to snatch it away.

The senior defensive back pulled down two interceptions to lead a spectacular second-half defensive effort in a tense 23-16. The victory helped LCHS snap a four-game losing streak in a brutally difficult region and led to Belle earning Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors.

"It feels good," Belle said simply of the honor.

Lee Central head coach Justin Danner was proud of the way Belle and the rest of the Stallion defense stepped up in a game they needed to win as they jockey for playoff positioning.

"The biggest thing for all of our guys, but especially our secondary guys, is when they put the ball in the air, we have an opportunity to get it as well. He has great ball skills, and that's always a really good thing for a defensive back," Danner said. "Tyquaze has been working really hard, along with the rest of the guys, to shore us up as we're trying to get into the playoffs. We understand we have to play good on defense, and I thought they did a really good job of trying to limit Chesterfield on Friday night, especially Tyquaze.

"I think they might've thrown only three or four times, so it has to be negative for them to be able to put it out there and we take advantage of it. We know we have to be in position more than anything; that's something we talk about as a defensive back on our team. It isn't about whether you made a bunch of picks or a bunch of PBUs (pass breakups), but were you in position? When you're in position, good things can happen. Tyquaze made sure he was in position and had some good things happen for him."

Belle and the Stallions were laser focused going into the game. They had no intention of going into their bye week on a five-game losing streak, and they made enough plays to make sure that happened.

"We knew we had to win. It's a big region game, so we had to come in focused, keeping the right mindset. We got the W, and the defense stepped up when it mattered," Belle said. "We knew we were down, but we came out to do the job."

Belle made two lights-out plays on the ball to come away with a pair of picks. The first one was a bit of a miscommunication with a run-first offense, and he stepped in to make a play. On the second, Chesterfield had to throw their way back into the game after Lee Central jumped in front in the second half and the senior called game.

"They threw a deep ball," Belle said. "In the fourth quarter, they were down and they needed a score, so they threw it, I looked back, and I caught it.

"It felt good knowing that it was like a game-sealing pick."

As a cherry on top, it was senior night for the Stallions, so Danner was excited to see Belle make the play despite being less experienced on the gridiron than most of his senior teammates.

"We needed that positive, and I can tell you, as a coach, when you're trying to keep them out of the end zone and a kid picks the ball off, that eases the rest of your night," Danner said. "He's a special football player. He's only played for one year; this is his first year playing football in high school. He's got a high ceiling, and maybe he'll get to play football after high school because he's done some really neat things for us."

Belle's performance shows the importance of having all 11 guys on defense locked in from the opening snap. Against a run-first team, it can be easy for cornerbacks to get a little disinterested when the football is rarely going in the air. Everyone had to be on the same page all night long, and it turned into a win as a result.

"A lot of people don't realize that 1A football is definitely going to be more 'grind it out' than not," Danner said. "As a secondary guy, you can easily fall asleep, but our guys have done a really great job of staying alert and understanding that every play can be their play if somebody tries to go down the field on them. We try to get our guys to really hone into that and always believe they're coming after me on this next play, so I have to play my best play."

After a night off on Friday, the Stallions close the regular season against 1-7 McBee next week before turning their attention to the postseason. Belle and company plan to keep the good times rolling into the playoffs.

"We just have to keep our minds on the right track and stay focused," Belle said. "That's all we have to do."