The Arlington Heights Yellowjackets are the cardiac kids of Fort Worth. They won with a walk-off touchdown against Paschal. But last night, Wyatt’s drive and hopes for an undefeated season ended with an end of regulation controversy. After scoring on a scramble by Kentrell Steward, the Chaparrals recovered an onside kick and advanced to the red zone on a deep pass. On their first play in the red zone, there was a holding call which led to a 10 second runoff. There was also a play stoppage and ball swap but once play resumed, the clock kept running and play ended.
That was it. Ball game. Heights won 27-22 in a final that was gut-wrenching and gave new life to Heights’ district title hopes. With a Wyatt win last night, they would have owned the district title outright. Heights travels to Brewer next week to settle the district title talk once and for all. With a win, they have sole possession of first place, Wyatt moves to second and Brewer third with two losses. With a Brewer win, we have a three-way tie, settled by points scored in the season.
If you’ve watched these teams all year, you knew how the game would go-lots of carries by Carson James and Kentrell Steward. The first half was a defensive clinic as Heights took an 11-7 lead into the half. In the second half, James continued carrying his team to victory, even punching in a two-point conversion after a flag on Wyatt gave Heights another chance after a missed PAT. Wyatt opened their playbook and went to the air as they had earlier in the game. Dropped passes and pressure from Heights’ defense kept Wyatt’s offense grounded until late in the fourth quarter. That’s when things began to really click for the Chaps.
The biggest win of the night was for FWISD Athletics. The stands were filled to numbers not seen at football games lately. Fans, family and friends show up when there’s something to play for and with a district title on the line, the community came out to see it! Heights moves on to face Brewer next week and Wyatt will face Poly.
From District 4-5A, Heights, Wyatt, Brewer and Paschal have clinched a playoff spot. Seeding is all that’s left to sort out after the Heights/Brewer game. Last year, Heights faced Brewer in the first round, traveled west and beat a strong Lubbock Monterey team before falling to state favorites Aledo in the regional round. The story isn’t over for Wyatt but they must move on without the district title in their hands. Heights and Brewer battle it out next week at Brewer in a game that will bring all the excitement of a championship match, as it should.
If Heights wants to make a deeper run in the playoffs, they’ll need to develop a true passing game. When teams stack the box or simply overpower their offensive line, they’ll need another option to keep defenses on their toes. Last night Wyatt couldn’t stop Carson James when it mattered and that was part of their undoing. Wyatt’s passing game came alive late in the game and the Chaps proved they could move the ball in the air. The story may have been different if not for a costly interception in the end zone by senior DB, Diesel Payne. Kentrell Steward proved that he can make great reads, but the offensive line will need to sure up their protection schemes to give him time to make more accurate throws. As great as the ground game is for these teams, higher playoff rounds will force them to go by air.
