Ryan's defense douses Guyer attack
Junior RB Kaylon Alexander rushed for a season-high 143 yards and two touchdowns
DENTON -- The missing ingredient for Denton Ryan's state championship aspirations lately has been a strong defense.
It may have found it against Denton Guyer on Thursday.
Ryan (9-1 overall, 6-1 in District 5-4A) shutdown the area's most productive offense for an entire half en route to a 50-29 upset win over the state's No. 2-ranked team at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.
Guyer (9-1, 6-1) scored eight points in the second half while Ryan ran wild. After Guyer tied the score at 29 midway through the third quarter, Ryan scored 21 unanswered points to avenge a loss from a year ago.
The win gives Ryan a share of the District 5-4A title along with Guyer and Lake Dallas -- provided they beat the Colony on Friday.
"It means a lot," Ryan quarterback Scotty Young said of the win. "We came out really excited about it. They got on us at first. We came out of halftime really focused. We knew they'd come at us again."
Closing the win included another component not often seen on Ryan's team lately -- a running game. Running back Kaylon Alexander carried the load in a fourth quarter where the Raiders threw the ball only once.
The junior rushed for a season-high 143 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, most coming in the fourth quarter.
Young and the passing game built Ryan's lead. The Texas Tech commit went 21-for-33 for 290 yards and five touchdowns. After Ryan's first two drives stalled, Young guided an offense that scored on seven of its next eight possessions, the one misfire being an interception on a bomb as the first half expired.
But the night belonged to the Raiders defense. Nursing a 36-29 lead, Ryan forced a Guyer three-and-out, an interception in the end zone and a turnover on downs at the Ryan 10-yard line.
A turning point came after Guyer's three-and-out. On Ryan's first play after the punt, Guyer intercepted Young, but a pass interference call negated the turnover. Two plays later, officials flagged Guyer defensive tackle Taylor Bible, a Texas commit, for a personal foul and ejected him.
Young hit Antonio Anderson from 17 yards out on the next play to give Ryan a 43-29 lead that allowed the team to milk the clock the rest of the way.
The win gives Ryan the top seed in Division I in 5-4A. It will face Saginaw on Nov. 12 at Justin Northwest High School to open the playoffs. Guyer plays Saginaw Boswell at 7:30 p.m. Southlake Carroll High School the same day.
