Meet Kaleb Evans, high school quarterback for unbeaten Lloyd Memorial. A young man with three major injuries before his senior year, including a compound fracture of his left elbow suffered in May.
Each time, doctors said they can rebuild him; they have the technology, they have the capability to make a Juggernaut the team’s fastest recovering player. Lloyd Memorial’s QB would be that player: better than he was before, stronger, faster.
“The elbow was poking through the skin. They had to cut my triceps in half to get to it,” Evans said of his second surgery in two years, the first on his twice injured collarbone. “They said it could be a quick recovery, but it could also take eight months to play again. I made it back in three.”
He did so with upgrades.
Evans isn’t quite the Six Million Dollar Man, the bionic hero played by Lee Majors in the 1970s TV series, which imagined a government-built superhuman after catastrophic injury. But Evans is the Several Thousand Dollar Man with major skills and new pieces in his body.
“I have four plates and 16 screws in my left arm,” said the right-hander. “I have one plate and four screws in my collarbone, which I injured my freshman and sophomore years. The doctors said they could rebuild my triceps and my elbow just like they did with my collarbone.”
Doctors also said there’d be no guarantees Evans would make it back in time to play his senior year.
“I told them I was going to be back by game one,” he said.
Evans returned for the Aug. 22 opener and starred. He finished 11-of-15 passing for 131 yards with two touchdowns in a 47-14 win. On the season, he’s completing nearly 70% of his passes for 1,717 yards with 23 TDs and just five interceptions.
He’s doing it with 25 orthopedic implants stitched into his frame.
“I’m going to have them in my body forever,” said Evans, a team captain. “The doctors told me I’ll have to be careful around metal detectors, especially at airports because I will set them off. I’ve flown once in my life and not since my surgeries, but I’m sure I’ll fly again at some point.”
Turns out, he didn’t need a plane.
Evans and the 9-0 Juggernauts are flying into Thursday’s 7 p.m. regular season finale against Boone County (4-5). They’re No. 5 in the statewide media poll and a program-best No. 2 in the Class 3A RPI. With a 2022 state semifinal run, a third 10-win season in four years looming and 19 seniors, they’re eyeing a state title.
“That’s the goal, state in eight,” said junior two-way standout Avery Conrad, alluding to an eight-step process including “winning the day, winning the district, region and state.”
That’s not enough for head coach Kyle Niederman, also the school’s assistant principal. He runs a tight academic ship including grade checks, attendance rewards, even home visits.
“We want to be a stronger team with better players,” said Niederman, a two-time local coach of the year. “We also want our players to be better people. I tell them to be here, be accountable and be better. I think better people help make a better team, and they leave the program better prepared for life.”
In Evans’ case, he really is better than he was — better, stronger, faster — like so many of his teammates, but with more metal inside of him.
“I was 5-7 and 135 pounds as a freshman. Now I’m 6-2, 200,” Evans said. “My 10-yard sprint is faster than last year. My grades are better.”
At Lloyd Memorial, the upgrades aren’t just structural. They’re systemic. Evans’ physical transformation mirrors the team’s rise.
“That’s what we want to teach,” Niederman said. “It’s dedication, unselfishness, how to work hard, doing little things right, going to class and getting good grades.”
Just as Evans grew, the program scaled up in every dimension. Nearly everything football-related at Lloyd Memorial is better, including Evans’ teammates, coaches, team facilities and win-loss record.
The Juggernauts were 3-7 in 2021. They turned it around in 2022, winning 10 games and reaching their first state semifinal in 19 years. They went 10-2 in 2023 and 9-3 last year, winning a playoff game each season.
During that span, the Juggernauts jumped up in Class, moving from 2A to 3A. The roster expanded from 41 last season to 81.
Talent is stacking up. Sophomores are pushing upperclassmen. Leading rusher Lincoln Tomlinson (590 yards, 13 TDs), leading receiver Colten Barger (791 yards, 11 TDs) and third-leading tackler DeMareon Peterson are great examples from the 19-player sophomore class.
“I think our team is getting better every week, on and off the field,” Barger said.
Tomlinson and Conrad rank 1-2 on the team in tackles. Conrad, a junior, ranks second in rushing but he leads the Juggernauts with 9.3 yards per carry.
“It was easy to buy into here because of the coaches,” Tomlinson said. “Everybody’s doing what they need to do.”
Key seniors include interceptions leader LJ Herron, top tacklers like Dominick Taylor, Ryan Miller and AJ Curry, and receivers Alijah Griffin and Billy Lewis.
Twelve varsity coaches, six working at the high school, bring 157 years of experience. They huddle after the season and put together reviews that include future plans for returning players.
Even the stadium got an upgrade. Cecil Dees Field now gleams with turf, new bleachers and a press box, part of a $3.3 million renovation.
Life lessons at Lloyd Memorial are taking hold. Since Niederman took over in 2019, players’ composite GPA has risen .89 points. ACT scores are up, and the team has earned two local sportsmanship awards. A total of 22 players signed for college football.
“It’s my last year. I’m putting everything out there,” said Evans, who hopes to play at the next level. “In 10 years or so, I want to be an even better person, a better man and a good father, and I’m learning that at Lloyd.”
Not a bionic man — a determined human being who epitomizes his team.