Argyle football cruises past Prosper Walnut Grove, advances to 5A D2 regional finals

A second-quarter surge broke open a tie game at Children’s Health Stadium in a Class 5A Division Two Region I semifinal. It led to a decisive 52-35 victory by Argyle over Prosper Walnut Grove.

After a 14-14 deadlock to end the first quarter, the Eagles scored three touchdowns in the second stanza to take a commanding 35-14 lead into intermission. If one includes another touchdown on their first possession of the second half, the Eagles scored 28 unanswered points.

Even the final score was misleading. Walnut Grove, like Argyle, had suffered only one defeat this season, scored the last two touchdowns with less than four minutes remaining after some reserves by the Eagles had been sent in.

As a result, Argyle (12-1) advances to the regional final to face Lucas Lovejoy (10-3), a 52-49 winner over Anna (9-4) at a time, place, and date to be determined.

Despite the lop-sided score, Argyle head coach Todd Rodgers nevertheless emphatically denied it was an easy win.

“It was not easier than I thought,” he replied when asked. “It was a very anxious week. Our offense ran the scout team all week to prepare us for the game.”

By “scout team,” he meant the offensive unit runs plays against its’ own defense that Walnut Grove typically executes based on scouting reports by Argyle assistants watching the Wildcats’ previous game.

“We try and simulate what they do,” he explained. “They got us prepared defensively, and I’m very pleased with where we are right now.”

By “anxious week,” Rodgers was referring to Walnut Groves’ hurry-up offense, which Argyle also operated under until late in the game.

“They (Wildcats) have a very anxiety-ridden offense,” said the coach. “They play real fast and make the defense not get lined up right.”

The Eagles spread the wealth around. Six players scored touchdowns. Two running backs finished in triple digits. Watson Bell rushed 16 times for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The other half of the tandem, Logan Rexroat, ran 14 times for 104 yards and another touchdown.

Quarterback Maguire Gasperson also ran and scrambled 16 times for 82 yards and a TD. He completed 14 of 21 passes with no interceptions for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

One of those was to Julian Caldwell, who led all receivers with six receptions for 111 yards. Jaxon Greene made the other touchdown catch.

Nathaniel Bruce, listed as a team captain on defense, also scored a touchdown on the ground.

All of these players are underclassmen.

Bell sustained a foot injury two weeks ago in the first-round bi-district game and appeared only in the second half in last week’s 28-21 win over Memorial of Wichita Falls. This time he was used the whole game up to midway in the fourth quarter.

Rodgers said his condition has improved, but the junior is still not up to top form.

“He’s close,” said Rodgers. “He’s been injured most of the week. We’ve seen him a little bit. He’s done a good job of receiving treatment and getting back healthy again.”

Neither team scored on its first possession. But Walnut Grove drew first blood with an eight-play 61-yard drive ending in Cam Newton’s 3-yard scoring run.

Newton also scored the last two touchdowns, both from 2 yards. The drive started after the Eagles were stopped on fourth-and-one.

For the second week in a row, the Eagles were off to a relatively slow start. Still, they replied with a similar eight-play 68-yard drive of their own. Caldwell hauled in a 36-yard pass from Gasperson. The scoring play came on third-and-12 after the Eagles overcame back-to-back penalties for holding and illegal procedure for a combined 15 yards.

They made it 14-7 with a 9-yard run by Rexroat. It took only three plays for the Eagles to find the end zone after they recovered a fumble at the Wildcat 33-yard line on the subsequent kickoff.

Walnut Grove tied it at 14 with a 15-yard pass from Hayes Hackney, a freshman quarterback, to Luke Watkins. It culminated in a 74-yard drive also in three plays, all passes.

The big one was a 62-yard pass to Watkins on the play prior to the touchdown.

Then came the explosive second quarter that all but finished the Wildcats. First, Gasperson kept for 3 yards off right tackle to end a 62-yard scoring drive. After a fumble recovery by Argyle’s Xavier Trotter at his 24-yard line and an exchange of punts, Argyle drove 59 yards in five plays. Bell went in 9 yards off left tackle for a 28-14 lead.

Argyle scored less than a minute later with 1:18 left until halftime. They did it in three plays after Bentley Mitteis recovered the ensuing onside kick. Bell, hardly looking like the walking wounded, dashed up the middle, then eluded tacklers by flying to the left side for a 21-yard scoring run.

In the second half, after stopping the now desperate Wildcats with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-three from their own 33-yard line, the Eagles again took advantage of the short field and scored again. Bruce scored from 6 yards out on the sixth play from scrimmage to make it 42-14.

Walnut Grove replied with a 1-yard keeper by Hackney. But Argyle added a 39-yard field goal by Anthony Ruvalcaba, and Jaxon Greene was on the receiving end for 19 yards from Gasperson midway in the final quarter for an insurmountable 52-21 lead. Both Ruvalcaba and counterpart Dominic Sciano of Walnut Grove were perfect on their PATs.

Walnut Grove’s only loss during the regular season was to Anna, 55-41, on Oct. 18. Argyle’s only loss was to Lone Star in the season opener on August 30, 24-17. Hence, it was Argyle’s twelfth straight win.

Walnut Grove’s previous two playoff games were decided by a single score each. The Wildcats beat Seguin 42-35 in bi-district and Cooper, 34-28, in the area round.