Mustang's Next Opponet, Abilene Wylie

By Lew
October 2, 2004

Well, it's time for district play now. As they say in the pros, "It's money time."
The following story is from the Abilene Reporter News, after Decatur beat Wylie last night. If you notice the last sentence of what the coach said, I bet Wylie will be ready for Sweetwater.

Lew

Decatur hammers Wylie; Bulldogs suffer 2nd loss
By Troy Shockley / Reporter-News Staff Writer
October 1, 2004

DECATUR — Chandler Dane and the Decatur High School football team have lit up teams all season.

Unfortunately for Wylie High School, Friday night was no different.

Behind an impressive aerial assault and a stifling defensive effort, No. 2 Decatur blew past Wylie, 44-7 at Eagle Stadium, handing the Bulldogs only their second loss of the season.

Things started off looking good for Wylie, which started the game with a drive spanning 15 plays and eating just over eight minutes off the clock. Driving from their own 35-yard line to the Eagles’ 6, however, the Bulldogs lost five yards on a delay of game penalty and another two on a fumble. A 30-yard field goal attempt then went wide left, leaving the Bulldogs with nothing to show for their extended effort.

That, Wylie coach Hugh Sandifer said, immediately put the Bulldogs in trouble.

"We really started off the game the way we wanted to," he said. "But to go all the way down there and then not score? If we put points on the board it’s a different situation entirely. But we didn’t, and they went on to dictate the rest of the game."

After that initial drive, Wylie couldn’t manage much of anything in the first half, going three-and-out on the next four possessions — the first of those ending in a blocked punt recovered on the Wylie 4-yard line. The Eagles, on the other hand, had no problem getting started.

Decatur opened the scoring just more than a minute after Wylie’s missed field goal on a 69-yard strike from Dane to Brian Christian. Then, one play after the blocked punt, Dane punched it in from four yards out to put his team up 14-0.

The senior QB went on to toss two more scores before the break — one from three yards out and another from 35 — sending Wylie into the locker room down 28-0.

A short screen pass turned into a 32-yard score by Devin Godbolt before Case Keenum managed to cap off a seven-play drive with a 2-yard diving score. The Bulldogs’ lone touchdown came with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.

Keenum finished the game going 11-of-22 for 98 yards and one interception. Wylie’s other mainstay, tailback Michael Kiger, was corralled the entire game. He finished well below his average, carrying the ball 11 times for a total of just 22 yards. Keenum led the team in rushing with 67.

Dane, meanwhile, showed why he is considered one of the best the state has to offer. He finished the first half with 209 yards in the air and ended the night with 336 yards through the air and five touchdowns. The team’s only other touchdown came on his short 4-yard run. Devin Godbolt led the Eagles (5-0) in rushing with 97 yards.

Sandifer said while Decatur succeeded in exploiting his team’s mistakes, he was proud of Wylie’s effort throughout - especially when it was so far down in the second half.

"We played a strong second half, but we just got whupped, plain and simple," he said. "They just big-played us to death, and there’s no excuse for that."

The good news for Wylie is now the season starts anew. The Bulldogs will open district play next week when they host Sweetwater at Bulldog Stadium.

"Really, we are 0-0 now, so that’s good," Sandifer said. "I think the guys will bounce back from this and we’ll be ready."

GoFridayNight Team Pages