Denton Ryan breaks curse as Raiders drop top-ranked Lone Star to reach state title game
Fourth time’s the charm.
Denton Ryan was playing in the state semifinals for the fourth straight season on Saturday, but the Raiders were 0-3 the past three years thanks to state champion Highland Park.
Highland Park won 43-21 in 2018; 45-35 in 2017; and 31-24 in 2016.
That’s what Ryan has had to live with the past 3 1/2 years. Three semifinal appearances and no rings to show for it.
But Ryan didn’t have to face the Scots this time, instead Frisco Lone Star, the top-ranked team in Class 5A Division I, and the Raiders were able to break the curse in a big way.
Ryan completely shut down Lone Star’s high-scoring offense, which was averaging 52.3 points per game, to clinch its first state championship berth since 2010 with a 35-7 victory at Allen’s Eagle Stadium.
The Raiders (15-0), No. 3 in the state, will play Alvin Shadow Creek in the 5A D1 title game, 7 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium. It’s the program’s sixth trip to state overall.
“Proud of our coaches and kids. We played a very good football team and the kids executed the game plan almost to perfection,” Ryan coach Dave Henigan said. “We have the opportunity to play again and we’re very excited.”
Once Ryan scored, the Raiders couldn’t be stopped and it started with the first of four takeaways.
Lone Star (14-1) was driving with the ball at the Ryan 25 midway through the opening quarter, but a pass bounced off a receiver and into the hands of Raiders’ senior linebacker Ahmad Terry.
The Raiders responded with points on the ensuing drive after eating up nearly 5 1/2 minutes.
Seth Henigan found Texas commit Billy Bowman Jr. wide open on a 20-yard touchdown pass to give Ryan a 7-0 edge with 11:56 left in the second quarter.
“It was designed to go to the left, but they double-covered Ja’Tavion Sanders,” said Henigan, who threw for 150 yards on 14 of 18 passes. “I got back, Billy was wide open and I hit him in stride. It was a good play.”
The Raiders went up 14-0 after a 10-play, 76-yard drive, capped off with a 1-yard run by Emani Bailey midway through the period.
Alabama commit Drew Sanders added a 6-yard TD run to give Ryan a 21-0 lead in the third.
Bowman also scored on the defensive end when he returned Lone Star’s second interception 19 yards for a 28-0 lead less than two minutes later.
Lone Star struggled in the first half. Its first four drives resulted in a turnover on downs, an interception and two punts. The Rangers, who made the title game in 2015, were held to 266 yards of total offense.
“We had a good plan for Marvin Mims. He’s a good player. We had hands on him all day and disrupted him a bit,” Dave Henigan said. “Our defensive line also did fantastic. Those guys put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and did a great job.”
Bailey added his second 1-yard TD run early in the fourth to give the Raiders a 35-0 lead.
Bailey rushed for a game-high 145 yards and two scores, a week after setting a program record with 275 yards against Colleyville Heritage.
“He’s a talented kid, but he’s much more than that,” Dave Henigan said. “He’s a high character, high effort guy and he gives us everything he has everyday. He leads by example. He’s a terrific kid.”
Added Seth Henigan, “Emani has been working since Day 1. He does everything right and deserves all the praise. He’s done a great job and I love him.”
Lone Star finally scored on the last drive of the game when Oklahoma commit Marvin Mims caught a 5-yard TD pass from quarterback Garret Rangel.
Mims, who broke the national record for receiving yards in a single season last week, finished with 10 catches and 127 yards in his final game. Mims ends the year with 2,629 yards.
He broke Jordan Shipley’s state record for career receiving yards of 5,424 with a 16-yard catch in the third quarter. Mims came in needing 66 yards for the record and finishes with 5,486. Shipley did it at Burnet from 2000-03.
However, Mims was the only bright spot for Lone Star, which committed four turnovers, including three interceptions from Bowman, Terry and Austin Jordan.
“Defense came into the game thinking they would make some plays on us, but our defensive line dominated and once we got pressure on the quarterback, they couldn’t do anything,” said Ryan junior defensive end and Texas commit Ja’Tavion Sanders, who registered two sacks. “We’ve been trying to do this for three years and we finally did it. It feels great and I’m proud of my teammates and coaches, and everyone who supported us throughout the whole time.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2019 at 5:50 PM.
