A Loyd Star football player suffered a serious injury Friday night during Loyd Star’s homecoming game.

Peyton Flowers plays for the Hornets as defensive linebacker and an offensive running back. Flowers was taken to KDMC then airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson where his parents are now with him according to his aunt Jan Ratcliff. Ratcliff doesn’t know what exactly caused the injury but said she saw him sitting on the bench and then saw people holding his head up.

Loyd Star Attendance Center Principal, Robin Case, visited the family at UMMC Saturday. Case said Flowers is located in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care center at the hospital.

Coach Adam Cook also visited the family at the hospital Saturday. Cook said Peyton asked to be pulled out of the game and responded negatively when the coach asked if he wanted to go back in. Because of this, Cook’ said they couldn’t pinpoint an exact play that may have caused the injury.

Case said that doctors did perform a surgical procedure because Flowers had an issue with a brain bleed. However, there hasn’t been any more information about his state or the cause from doctors.

At 7 p.m. Saturday night family members, friends, students and teachers gathered together at Friendship Baptist Church to hold a prayer vigil for Peyton Flowers and the Flowers family.

Every pew in the church was filled, chairs lined the back wall and visitors even stood in the waiting area just outside the sanctuary doors to share their condolences and prayers.

Amidst a room full of hushed sniffles and quiet weeping, those who knew Flowers and wished to share walked to the front of the church and shared. Many shared scriptures from the Bible and a few shared stories of their interactions with Peyton. Near the end of the vigil the entire church stood and joined in a hymn.

“We would like everyone to keep the family in their thoughts and prayers. They are going through a difficult time right now,” Case said.