One of his teammates called him &8220;the toughest kid I know.&8221; That statement all but sums up Tiger first baseman Larry Dunn under ordinary circumstances. However, what the sophomore displayed during the weekend playoff series against Eufaula showed more of his heart and strength of character than most followers of DHS baseball had previously been privileged to see.

During a Saturday, April 12 at-bat against Paul Bryant High, Dunn took a fastball to the side of his face, breaking his jaw. After discovering it was broken, the left-handed slugger&8217;s jaw was wired shut. Unable to maintain a normal diet, he began losing weight.

Dunn defied common reasoning, opting to not only play, but produce in his team&8217;s playoff series. His personal highlight reel included an RBI double in Friday&8217;s contest, a play in which he dove hea first into the second base bag. Saturday, he showed an uncanny willingness to adapt, bunting his way on to ignite a two-out rally.

That kind of tenacity is more than enough to make the young man they call &8220;Mongo&8221; the Player of the Week.