The Eagles scored back-to-back touchdowns with an onside kick recovery in between to turn a 7-7 tie into a 21-7 edge during the first quarter of the 5A Division II regional semifinal at Prosper ISD's Children's Health Stadium. The Wildcats cut it to 21-14 on the final play of the period before Argyle scored 21 unanswered points in the second to pull out of reach for good.
Argyle coach Todd Rodgers said building that early margin helped the Eagles work through some early defensive struggles against a Walnut Grove offense that's difficult to defend.
"They're very up-tempo and lots of energy in how they execute their offense," Rodgers said. "It stresses the defense out completely. We were able to get a breather and continue to work through our challenges defensively to make sure we could calm their brains down and get them really confident out there facing that offense."
With the win, Argyle (12-1) advances to face Lucas Lovejoy (10-3) in next week's regional championship round. The Eagles are making their fifth trip in the last eight seasons to at least Round 4 of the playoffs.
Argyle leaned on its run game to earn that opportunity, with 301 of its 500 yards and four of its six touchdowns coming on the ground.
Junior running back Watson Bell led the way with 21 carries for 108 yards and two scores, while sophomore Logan Rexroat added 14 carries for 104 yards and one score. Junior quarterback Maguire Gasperson chipped in 17 carries for 75 yards and another TD along with going 13 of 20 for 181 yards and two scores through the air.
"It feels great, but all credit to the O-line," Bell said of his contributions. "They played amazing."
Argyle got the game's first score on a 6-yard touchdown run by junior athlete Nathaniel Bruce to lead 7-0 just over four minutes into the first quarter. Walnut Grove tied it up at 7-7 less than three minutes later on a 3-yard touchdown run by Cam Newton.
The Eagles outscored Walnut Grove 35-7 over the remainder of the first half to lead 42-14 at the break.
Gasperson connected with sophomore wide receiver Julian Caldwell for a 36-yard touchdown pass, then the Eagles recovered an onside kick, and Logan Rexroat ran for a 9-yard score shortly after to make it a 21-7 late in the first period.
Walnut Grove scored on the final play of the period when Hayes Hackney hit Luke Watkins for a 15-yard TD pass, leaving it 21-14 through a quarter.
Argyle found the end zone three more times in the second quarter on a 3-yard Gasperson run along with a pair of Bell scoring runs from 9 and 21 yards out, respectively.
Walnut Grove cut it to 42-21 with 7:24 left in the third period on a 1-yard keeper by Hackney. Argyle responded on its ensuing drive as senior kicker Anthony Ruvalcaba made a 39-yard field goal, extending the edge to 45-21, which held through the end of the quarter.
Gasperson hit junior wide receiver Jaxon Greene for a 19-yard touchdown pass to make it 52-21 with 6:19 left in the final period.
Walnut Grove tacked on a pair of garbage-time TDs to set the final margin.
The Eagles have leaned on a tried-and-true formula for success through their first three playoff wins over Frisco Emerson, Wichita Falls Memorial and now Walnut Grove. They'll look to follow the same recipe against Lovejoy.
"It's the basis of a good football team — you have to be able to run the ball and have to play good defense," Rodgers said. "I think we're doing both of those right now. Our opponents h... Click here to read full article
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