Fort Worth Wyatt thoroughly defeated by Argyle Eagles in bi-district playoff game
Jake Krekeler scored four second-period rushing touchdowns as the Argyle Eagles soared past the O.D. Wyatt Chaparrals, 45-14, in a class 5A DII Region 1 bi-district contest Thursday night at Eagle Stadium.
“Our offensive line did a great job blocking,” said Krekeler, who sat out the entire second half. “They opened up the holes and made it easy for the backs.”
Argyle Head Coach Todd Rodgers said his team “added a few wrinkles offensively”.
“We made some adjustments, like a two-back set,” Rodgers commented. “And that was successful for us. The running game and our offense was clicking. Great execution by our offense. And our defense did its job as well.”
Lane Stewart got Argyle started with a three-yard TD run with 5:27 left in the opening period, capping an 11-play 61-yard drive that took 3:36 off the clock.
Then Krekeler exploded in the second stanza. A move-in from Colorado, Krekeler raced for a 74-yard TD run on the third play of an 84-yard drive.
A Bud Petter defensive stop on fourth-and-two from the Eagles 17 yard line left Wyatt one yard shy of a first down, giving Argyle possession.
“The hole just opened up on the outside,” said Krekeler. “I just took advantage of it and just outran the defense.”
Capitalizing on excellent field positions on its next three drives -- midfield, midfield, own 47 -- Krekeler added TD runs of 1, 5 and 7 yards as Argyle forged a commanding 35-0 lead with 1:30 left until halftime.
O.D. Wyatt dented the scoreboard as Jovorskie Lane Jr. directed a six-play, 70-yard drive, connecting with Jeramiah Boone on a 37-yard TD pass as time expired. D.K. Crawford caught three consecutive passes from Lane to put the Chaparrals in position for the score. The conversion try failed, leaving Argyle with a 35-6 lead at intermission.
Sophomore Maguire Gasperson connected with Will Hodson on a 41-yard TD pass with 7:52 left in the third quarter to extend Argyle’s lead, and would sit the rest of the game.
On the ensuing Wyatt series, Eagles Linebacker Hudson Emeterio came up with an interception and returned it 12 yards to the Chaparrals 21. That led to a 26-yard Anthony Ruvalcaba field goal.
O.D. Wyatt scored on a six-yard TD pass from Crawford to Boone on a fourth-and-goal play with 4:52 remaining in the game to conclude the scoring.
When Argyle began this season with blowout losses to state-ranked Melissa and Lovejoy, it was the first time during Head Coach Todd Rodgers’ long tenure and only the second time in program history that the Eagles started out 0-2.
But Rodgers and his team did not panic. And the Eagles goals remained the same. Earlier this season, Rodgers said his team “does not have undefeated as a team goal.”
“Nothing has changed,” Rodgers added. “Winning a district championship. Play in December. Win a state championship. Those are our goals and that remains the same.”
The first goal was accomplished as Argyle captured its second straight and unbeaten district title since moving up to 5A in 2022.
Reeling off seven consecutive regular-season wins since those two early season losses, Argyle is working on its second goal beginning with its rout of O.D. Wyatt, a team it defeated 63-0 in last year’s opening playoff round.
The Argyle defense has gotten stronger as the season progressed following a season-opening pair of non-district blowout defeats to state-ranked Melissa and Lovejoy. The Eagles have recorded four shutouts since, including the final three contests when it outscored its opponents 181-0.
Argyle could potentially face Melissa or Lovejoy in this year’s 5A DII state semifinals. Melissa and Lovejoy could square off against each other in the Region 2 final to advance to the state semis.
No. 7 in the current state 5A DII rankings, Argyle (8-2) advances to the area round next week.
Argyle has won two state titles -- 4A DII championship in 2020 and DII 3A in 2013.
The Eagles were the state’s top-ranked 5A DII team at the end of the 2022 regular season and were unbeaten at 14-0 when they fell 14-6 to eventual champion South Oak Cliff in the semifinal.
Standout Performances
Krekeler was a workhorse for Argyle, rushing for 159 yard on 20 carries and 4 TDs, all in the first half.
Argyle amassed 260 rushing yards on 41 attempts, with sophomore Chase Bagley and senior Lane Stewart picking up 45 and 30 yards, respectively, to augment Krekeler’s monster game.
Gasperson and backup QB Jarrett Waggoner completed eight of 14 passes for 111 yards with seven different players recording catches.
O.D. Wyatt was led by Jovorskie Lane Jr, who was 7 of 14 for 119 yards and one interception and one TD.
Jeramiah Boone had three receptions for 65 yards and both Chaparral TDs, while Crawford added five catches for a game-high 74 yards.
The 30-member senior class at O.D. Wyatt has been around since their freshman seasons, a team that went 1-9, before three consecutive playoff appearances.