The senior athlete racked up 99 rushing yards and three TDs on just nine carries as the Eagles amassed 548 yards of offense in the high-scoring clash at Mustang-Panther Stadium. Bruce also ended Heritage’s comeback effort with an interception he returned 57 yards to the end zone, setting the final margin with 8:06 to play.
“The D-line got some great pressure, forced a very errant throw that went right over the receiver’s head and happened to land in my lap,” Bruce said. “I just got to be the guy to take it to the house. Credit to the D-line. It was very nice being able to seal the game that way.”
Bruce, one of Argyle’s returning team captains, does a bit of everything as a running back, safety, punter and even returner of some kicks and punts.
The senior made the most of his heavy involvement versus Heritage.
“He may be driving the bus later on,” Argyle coach Todd Rodgers joked postgame. “He’s a guy that can do it all. I’m really, really excited that he had such a good game.”
Argyle (3-1, 2-0 in District 3-5A DII) continued an impressive run of district dominance with the victory over Heritage (2-3, 1-2).
The Eagles earned their 26th consecutive district victory and improved to 87-1 across their last 88 district contests dating back to a loss in the 2008 district finale. Their lone blemish across that span was a 21-0 defeat to Melissa in the 2021 district opener, which ultimately ended a run of 12 straight district championships.
Argyle is in strong position to contend for its 16th district title in the last 17 years this fall after key wins over Heritage and Mansfield Timberview (3-2, 2-1).
Argyle and Heritage both tallied more than 500 yards of total offense as a few key stops by the Eagles in their own territory made the difference.
Argyle got a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions by Bruce and Mateus Lafayette to finish things off. The Eagles also forced two third-quarter punts, got two turnovers-on-downs in the first half and kept the Panthers two yards short of a potentially crucial touchdown on the second quarter’s final play.
“We were able to utilize some adjustments at halftime and slow them down a little bit,” Rodgers said. “We got a couple of three-and-outs that really energized the kids.
“They played 48 or 49 snaps in the first half, so they were exhausted. They were able to rest and recover, get back out there and give more energy.”
Argyle extended its lead to 51-35 with 11:05 remaining on a 50-yard touchdown pass from senior UTSA commit Maguire Gasperson to Julian Caldwell.
Gasperson finished 13 of 20 for 251 yards and two touchdowns along with one rushing score. Caldwell hauled in five passes for 98 yards and the two TDs, while Micah De Leon added five catches for 106 yards.
Heritage made it 45-35 with 11:05 left in the fourth on a Bodey Weaver 30-yard scramble. Argyle had gone up 45-28 on a Bruce 4-yard TD run less then a minute earlier.
The teams traded 9-yard touchdown passes to start the second half as Weaver connected with Connor Souphankhaisy and Gasperson found Caldwell.
Weaver went 39 of 53 on the night for 365 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Souphankhaisy caught 10 passes for 114 yards and one score.
Argyle led 31-21 at halftime after a Weaver 2-yard touchdown pass to Blake Wendler with 2:33 left in the second quarter. Bruce ran for a 4-yard TD and 19-yard score in the period to help offset a Weaver 18-yard scoring pass to Lucas Sunwell.
Argyle led 17-7 through one quarter behind 1-yard scoring runs by Gasperson and Logan Rexroat along with a Carter Stebbins 30-yard field goal. Weaver threw a 30-yard TD pass to Gabriel Bess for Heritage’s lone score of the opening period.
Rexroat had 18 carries for 158 yards and one score to pace the Eagles’ run game.
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