Denton Guyer shocks Cedar Hill with epic second-half comeback in Class 6A area round

When Cedar Hill played Denton Guyer in Week 2, the Wildcats got a late defensive stand and a 10-yard touchdown run on fourth down from Kaedric Cobbs to defeat the Longhorns in a thriller at the Cotton Bowl.

Guyer needed a little more late magic in Saturday’s rematch.

Cobbs rushed for 202 yards on 28 carries with three touchdowns including the final TD, a 2-yard run with 1:39 remaining and the ensuing 2-point conversion as the Wildcats rallied from a 41-14 third-quarter deficit for a 50-41 win in a Class 6A Division 2 area championship at AT&T Stadium.

“We’re a real close family and when we’re down like that, we don’t give up on each other,” Cobbs said. “We went in at half, and Eli (Stowers) and I challenged the guys. The offense basically said that first half was on us. That was the worst half that we’ve ever played, and we were able to bounce back from it.”

Guyer (11-1), ranked 14th in the final regular-season ranking in Class 6A by Dave Campbell’s, will play the winner of Arlington and El Paso Americas in the regional round. Cedar Hill, No. 15 in 6A, finishes the season at 9-3.

Stowers, Guyer’s junior quarterback and Texas A&M commit, played a huge part in Guyer’s comeback as he finished 15-of-25 through the air for 255 yards and four total TDs, helping the Wildcats to overcome three first-half fumbles. Brandon Deleon caught five passes for 98 yards and two scores.

“It’s not about me. It’s about trusting in the Lord,” Stowers said. “In that first half, the offense played pretty terrible. Honestly, we had three fumbles, and all of them were my fault. I knew that I had to get myself straight in the second half. We knew that as a team that we had to get ourselves straight. We talked ourselves up at halftime. We just had to come out and play with better energy.”

Guyer coach John Walsh wasn’t surprised of Stowers’ ability to overcome those kinds of mistakes as Stowers put the team on his back in the second half.

“The number one thing a quarterback has got to have is how does he act in the face of adversity,” Walsh said. “He put the ball on the ground three times in the first half. A lot of guys would crumble. Not him.”

Guyer also had to overcome the elusive play of Cedar Hill junior QB Kaidon Salter. He burned the Wildcats in the run-pass option game with 224 passing yards on 14-of-27 through the air and 157 rushing yards on 13 carries with five total TDs.

Salter was quick to diagnose when coverage broke down in the secondary, leading Cedar Hill on four first-half scoring drives, as the Longhorns built a commanding 27-7 lead at intermission.

That lead grew to as large as 41-14 on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Salter to Cameron Hutchings and the subsequent 2-point conversion run from Salter with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter.

Guyer wouldn’t let Cedar Hill defeat them for the first time this season.

The Wildcats also received a big boost from its special teams, namely kicker Colby Strange, as Guyer successfully recovered all three onside kicks in the second half, keeping the Cedar Hill offense off the field for most of the fourth quarter.

Cedar Hill threw an incomplete pass on the first play of the fourth quarter, but didn’t touch the ball until there was 1:35 remaining in regulation.

Walsh said has seen three onside kicks recovered by John Tyler in a playoff game, so he was happy to see those recoveries go his team’s way Saturday.

“Best onside kicker in the country,” Cobbs said of Strange. “He just gave us an opportunity to come back.”

Guyer went ahead for good on Cobbs’ short run with 1:39 left on the clock and the Wildcats didn’t hesitate sending its offense back on the field to go for the ensuing 2-point conversion, a successful run by Cobbs, who had touchdown runs of 2, 11 and 2 yards in the second half.

“Coach (Lee) Vallejo, he’s up in the box, and it was his plan all along,” Walsh said of the 2-point conversion. “He was talking about it when we got to the 40-yard line. It just puts the game away. When you’ve got number 1 (Cobbs), you should score from one yard out. We used that same trick play when we line up and shift, and they go offsides. We didn’t think it was going to work twice, but it did. We got it to the 1, and that’s Kaedric’s job from the 1.”