Denton Guyer explodes in fourth quarter to pull away from Keller Central, improves to 4-0
Denton Guyer quarterback Eli Stowers doesn’t make many mistakes.
It’s one reason he’s committed to Texas A&M and one of the top players in the 2021 class.
But when the junior play-maker threw two straight interceptions in a tight ball game during Thursday night’s District 5-6A opener, he knew the mood had to change.
Stowers went on to complete five of his final six passes with three touchdowns following his second pick as Guyer scored 26 points in the fourth quarter to beat Keller Central 49-10 at C.H. Collins Complex.
“Main thing for a quarterback is when you’re facing adversity, you have to forget about it. I know what I can do,” Stowers said. “I can’t put those turnovers on anybody else but myself. We got our offense going in the second half and I have to thank my teammates for giving me time.”
Guyer, No. 7 in the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Class 6A state rankings, improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2009.
“It’s key to start district with a win. You don’t want to fall behind with Southlake Carroll coming up next week,” said Guyer coach John Walsh, who will face the Dragons on Oct. 4 in Denton.
Guyer came into the night averaging over 50 points per game, but the Wildcats started slow, leading 15-3 at halftime and with 153 yards of total offense.
Central (3-1, 0-1), which was looking for its first 4-0 start since 2011, scored on an Andrew Paul 1-yard TD run with five minutes left in the third to cut the Guyer lead to 15-10. Paul’s TD came on the drive following an interception from Merric Taylor, who returned it to the Guyer 12.
“We played really good defense and we just didn’t execute on offense, but there was no panic,” Walsh said.
The Wildcats took it to another gear, starting with their ensuing play from scrimmage, a 75-yard TD run from Stowers.
“That big run did refocus everyone,” Walsh said.
After a Central punt, Guyer went seven plays and capped off another scoring drive with a 26-yard TD pass from Stowers to Air Force commit Seth Meador just six seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats used another 1-play drive after a Jordan Eubanks interception when Stowers hit Travis Romar on the first of two TD passes, from 23 yards, with 11:38 left to play.
Romar caught a 28-yard TD pass to give Guyer a 42-10 lead with 7:23 to go and Grant O’Bara ran in a 71-yard score with under five minutes remaining.
“Once we get the offense going, it’s hard to stop us. We’re really talented,” Stowers said. “Travis is running great routes and creating space, and the offensive line did a great job giving me time to throw.”
Stowers finished 10 of 17 passing with 169 yards and four TDs, his first coming in the first quarter to Cam Thrailkill from 19 yards. Running back Kaedric Cobbs rushed for a game-high 150 yards on 15 carries. He scored from 24 yards to give the Wildcats a 15-0 advantage in the second quarter.
The Chargers, who also scored on a Braden Roof 27-yard field goal, were led by Oklahoma commit DJ Graham, who made 11 catches for 77 yards. They will play Byron Nelson on Oct. 4 at Northwest ISD Stadium.
This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 10:30 PM.
