Top-ranked Argyle shakes off slow start to win Tom Landry Classic over Nolan Catholic
Argyle and Nolan Catholic both played in a Texas high school football state championship last season. Argyle went undefeated after winning the Class 4A Division 1 title.
Nolan came up short in the TAPPS D1 final.
The two schools looked shaky to start in the season opener on Saturday, but Argyle was able to click and roll as the Eagles beat the Vikings, 45-29, at Eagle Stadium as part of the Tom Landry Classic.
Allen defeated Plano East in the first game on Friday.
Argyle (1-0), which entered as the No. 1 team in both the Dave Campbell’s 4A D1 state rankings and Star-Telegram rankings in Class 4A and below, did look better of the two and led Nolan 29-6 in the first half.
However, penalties hurt both teams early.
Trailing 6-0, Nolan picked off an Argyle pass when Gerald Lacy got a hand on the ball and Alexander Terry returned it to the Argyle 45. Then the Eagles were called for a 15-yard face-mask and two plays later, the Vikings scored on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Cole Matsuda to Skyler Patterson.
Nolan (0-1), No. 2 in the Star-Telegram private school rankings, tied the game at 6-6 after both teams missed extra points. Argyle scored first with a 13-play opening drive capped off with a Jacob Robinson 12-yard pass to Grant Chaney with 8:19 left in the opening period.
But the Nolan offense stalled.
The Vikings are trying to replace quarterback Jimmy Taylor (Cornell), receiver Irene Ngabonziza (Villanova) and running backs Emeka Megwa and Sergio Snider, who transferred to Keller Timber Creek and Arlington Martin, respectively.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter, when Argyle went to the bench, that Nolan started to score.
But before that, tied at 6-6, Argyle would score 39 unanswered points fueled by its running game, mostly from Landon Farris, and an offensive line that features Texas Tech commit Sheridan Wilson. It took just one play from scrimmage to get the Eagles back in front.
After Jaamael Felton returned a kick 52 yards, Farris rushed in a 45-yard TD midway through the first quarter. Farris added a 2-yard TD run in the second that made it 19-6.
“They did amazing. I expect that every single game. Those guys know what they’re doing and by game time, they’re ready to go,” Farris said of his O-line. Farris rushed for over 150 yards in the first half.
He was voted Offensive MVP.
“We have guys that know when one guy leaves, it’s their turn. Time to step up, next man up,” he said.
The Eagles have not trailed in a game since December 2019, extending their streak to 17 games.
Junior lineman Riley Van Poppel was voted Defensive MVP.
“Defensively, we came in, held our gaps, smashed them as hard as we could,” he said. “We don’t talk with our mouths, we play with our pads. We go out there and give everything we have. I feel like we have one of the best defenses.”
Added Van Poppel about trying to repeat, “We definitely got the fight. We got the will. We want it. This group of seniors are leading us and we won’t let them down.”
Zach Ohlemeier and Ward McCollum connected for a 7-yard TD for Argyle’s final points before halftime.
McCollum added a second TD reception, from 62 yards, from Robinson that pushed the lead to 36-6 midway through the third. Argyle also got a safety and Peyton Shoemake TD in the second half.
Nolan would also get a safety and a pair of touchdown runs from TJ Williams in the fourth quarter. The Vikings became the first private school to play in the classic in its over 20-year history.
This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 11:30 PM.
