BOONEVILLE — Last summer, Tiberias Lampkin’s life took a turn for the worst.
It was July 25. The Northeast Community College running back had returned home to Sturgis after football practice and picked up his four-wheeler from a repair shop. He was driving down Maben-Sturgis Road when two men in a pickup began trailing him. They followed him until he reached a friend’s residence on New Light Road. One of the men, who thought the four-wheeler was stolen, confronted Lampkin.
Then, he shot Lampkin with a small-caliber handgun in his right leg.
Wayne Monts was arrested at the scene and was charged with aggravated assault. His court date is set for Oct. 26. Monts’ attorney, Rodney A. Ray of Columbus, could not be reached for comment.
The incident put Lampkin’s football career on hold.
“It was scary,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play football again.”
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In high school, Lampkin was a standout for the West Oktibbeha High School football team. He had a good senior season in 2012, and was named the Commercial Dispatch’s Small Schools Offensive Player of the Year. He was also named the Mississippi High School Activities Association Division 3, Class 1A Offensive Player of the Year that season. During his four-year varsity career, he totaled 4,404 all-purpose yards and over 300 tackles as a dual player.
Lampkin started his junior college career at Coahoma Community College in the fall of 2013, but transferred to Northeast after only one season and went through spring practice with the Tigers in 2014. He was on track to make the 55-man roster for the 2014 season.
Then July 25 came.
Lampkin’s mother, Ann, said when she got the news that he had been shot, her heart dropped. She didn’t have a lot of time to process the news.
“I had so many mixed emotions,” she said. “I was scared. I didn’t have time to breakdown because I had to get myself together to just make sure that he was OK.”
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Lampkin sat out last season. He said he went into a depression, but his mother tried to keep his spirits high.
“My mom used to say, ‘Tiberias, just keep working. It’s going to be OK.’ Everything felt different. I was known for football,” Tiberias said.
Current Northeast coach Greg Davis spent the last three seasons as the Tiger offensive coordinator before being promoted to his new position in December. He remembers talking to both Lampkin and his mother in November about the prospect of coming back.
When Davis was promoted, he felt he needed Tiberias on his team.
“The only thing that we said was, ‘We’re behind you, we support you,'” Davis said. “He was over that physically and mentally when he came in here in January. He proved every day that he can do the job. It was a setback, it was an unfortunate incident and he’s psychologically has gotten over himself.”
Both Tiberias and his mother were relieved when they got the call from Davis offering him a chance to make the roster. Tiberias said it was “almost like a miracle.”
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Lampkin began the rehabilitation process in the fall of last year. It wasn’t easy. He was doing squats and leg presses and taking a lot of protein to get the tissue and ligaments built back in his knee.
He worked on getting his cutting ability back, and he said it was gruesome to the point where it hurt. He kept himself motivated throughout, but said there were some outside factors that kept him pushing as well.
“I remember somebody telling me, ‘Go to school and just get you a job,'” Tiberias said. “Every day I went into the weight room I was telling myself I’m not just going to go to school. I’m going to play football and when I come back I’m going to be successful at it.”
Lampkin impressed his coaches during the spring and Davis had a feeling Tiberias was going to be the starting running back coming into the fall. The 5-foot-8, 210-pound sophomore earned the starting job.
But that’s not the thing that impresses Davis and his coaching staff the most.
“We’re surprised with his overall motor and determination,” Davis said. “We saw a little bit in the spring, but his relentless attitude every single day and his passion toward the game has just been phenomenal.”
Through six games this season, Lampkin leads the team with 426 rushing yards. He also has two rushing touchdowns and four catches for 34 yards.
“It’s a blessed opportunity for all the stuff I’ve been through to get here,” Tiberias said. “I really love the organization, I really love the coaching staff, and most of all, I love this opportunity that they gave me to come here and play. It’s a blessing and I don’t take a day for granted.”
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Lampkin’s on track to graduate in December and plans to be on a Division I campus next spring going through drills.
He had always hoped of playing Division I football, but he didn’t think it was going to happen after last summer.
“It was a shocker to be playing and it was even a shocker to get calls from big schools,” Tiberias said. “It’s humbling and it’s a blessing.”
As Ann looks back on the past year, she is proud of how her son has overcome the worst tragedy in his life. She is also proud that he never gave up, even when people around Tiberias told him the work he was putting in wasn’t worth it.
“He never stopped,” Ann said. “He did exactly what he needed to do to get back on the football field.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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