Fort Worth Wyatt ends memorable football season in playoff opener against Randall
It was the first week of the football playoffs and both Fort Worth Wyatt and Canyon Randall came into the game with hopes to keep their season alive.
Wyatt came into the game ranked second in District 4-5A Division 2 earning the Chaparrals home field advantage. However, they were unable to hold off the Raiders, 63-21, in a bi-district game on Thursday night at Clark Stadium.
Wyatt ends the season 7-4 overall.
The Chaps played for a district championship last week and was a win away from its first title since 1998. The No. 2 playoff seed was the program’s highest since 2015.
“This is the best football team that we have had at O.D. Wyatt High School in the last 15-20 years and I am very proud of these guys,” Wyatt head coach Zachary Criss said.
Randall (6-5) made the long drive east to Fort Worth.
“We had to leave at 6:30 in the morning to get here to play the game,” Randall head coach Gaylon Selman said. “They were able to stay focused and play well so I am proud of that.”
Braxton Burd scored the first touchdown for Randall with 2:26 left in the first. The Raiders found their stride in the second quarter, scoring four more touchdowns before the half. This made the score 35-0.
The Chaparrals didn’t want to see their season end as they answered back after intermission with touchdowns for by Dartagnan Crawford and later Amari Moore with 3:59 left in the third.
“They came out tonight and didn’t quit,” Criss said.
However, it wasn’t enough. The Chaparrals last score of the night was made by N’kem Ware with 6:57 left in the game, which made it 63-21.
“They put out great effort,” Criss said. “It didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to but still the kids came out and represented O.D. Wyatt High School in a great manner.”
For Randall, the Raiders still have football to play this season.
“We are fixing to be 11 weeks into the season, and we’ve still got to work hard because competition just gets tougher and tougher every week.” Selman said.
Randall will play the winner of the El Paso Jefferson and Canutillo game in the next round of the playoffs.
This story was originally published November 11, 2021 at 9:33 PM.