Denton Guyer rolls by Arlington to advance to quarterfinals for first time since 2015
It wasn’t Arlington’s best performance of the season, but this year’s senior class definitely left its mark.
On Saturday, behind Seth Meador’s three touchdown catches, Denton Guyer defeated Arlington 42-21 in a Class 6A Division 2 regional-round game at Ford Center.
Guyer (12-1), ranked No. 14 in the final Dave Campbell’s 6A state rankings, advances to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2015 to take on Amarillo Tascosa at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Ford Center.
“We did a great job executing the game plan this week,” said Meador, an Air Force commit. “We talk about getting better ever week and we have Tascosa next. We have to play better with them than we did against Arlington.”
Meador’s three touchdowns came on three straight catches for the senior receiver.
His first came on a 13-yard pass from Texas A&M commit Eli Stowers that capped off an 8-play, 63-yard drive to push Guyer’s lead to 14-0 with 8:45 left in the second quarter.
Stowers gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead late in the first with a 37-yard scoring run. He added a 61-yard TD run with 3:43 left in the first half to make it 21-0 Guyer.
Arlington (9-4), which made the regional round for the second time in three years, got within 21-7 in the third quarter when Charles Brown caught a 30-yard pass from 4-star prospect Jahari Rogers.
Rogers, a senior, came in for an injured Kris Sims in the second quarter. Rogers was an all-state QB last season, but is going to Florida as one of the top cornerbacks in the nation.
Then Stowers and Meador connected for two TDs in seven seconds.
Meador, who finished with 83 yards on six catches, caught an 18-yard TD pass to give Guyer a 28-7 lead with 5:40 to go in the third. Guyer recovered the ensuing kickoff and Stowers hit Meador on the next play from 22 yards.
“We were on a great slate tonight,” Meador said. “I had dropped a pass earlier, but came back and told Eli to hit me again and that’s where we started rolling in passing game.”
Guyer running back Kaedric Cobbs would score on a 37-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter to make it 42-7.
The Colts added the final two TDs on a Brown 1-yard run and 17-yard TD pass from Rogers to Rodney Luckey.
“It came down to the first half. We got stuck in a few fourth-and-1s and while the decision to punt was the right decision, we have to be able to convert those third downs in a ball game like this,” Arlington coach Scott Peach said. “It put us behind the 8-ball offensively and defensively, it came down to a couple explosive plays.
“If we’re able to get closer, 10 or 14 points, we have a chance, but at the end of the day, Guyer is a great football team. We knew that coming in. They were extremely physical upfront.”
Stowers threw for 112 yards and ran for 121. Cobbs rushed for 137 yards on 17 carries.
The Colts outgained Guyer 315-282. Rogers threw for 243 yards on 19 of 32 passes in his final game. Brown, a senior, led Arlington with 78 yards receiving.
“This senior class made it so easy to coach. They’re great kids and very reliable and committed to the program,” Peach said. “Very appreciative of these young men. They handled adversity well. It was special group.”
Peach said his seniors that played on varsity for three years compiled a 30-8 record, second most in program history, only trailing the 1951 class that went on to win a state title.
This story was originally published November 30, 2019 at 6:35 PM.
