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11-29-2005, 11:51 AM
Wylie defended its title by playing hard
Commentary
By Jason Weddle
November 29, 2005
Wylie tried as hard as it could to keep the fat lady out of Texas Stadium on Saturday night.
And once she got into the building, the Bulldogs tried even harder to keep her from singing.
But with the clock ticking closer to triple zeros and the Gainesville defense bringing everything at Case Keenum but the kitchen sink, she couldn't help but belt out a note - something she hadn't had the chance to do at a Wylie playoff game since 2003.
Her song was a sad one. It brought tears to the eyes of Wylie fans and players alike as the Leopards posed for a team photo on the Dallas Cowboys' trademark blue star.
Just like that, Wylie's 351-day run as defending state champions was over.
The Bulldogs couldn't quite reach the bar they had raised a season ago, but that doesn't mean much to Wylie coach High Sandifer.
''Our kids played to win and that's all we could ask of them,'' Sandifer said. ''We're proud. We hadn't lost a playoff game since '03, so that hurts, but I'm very proud of these guys.''
The loss will be the last memory for a group of 29 seniors, but it won't be the overriding memory of a group that brought the first football state championship to Abilene in nearly 40 years.
The Bulldogs came into the year as everyone's target. They were reminded of that when a clearly outmatched Graham team handed Wylie its first loss of the season on Sept. 23, two weeks after the Bulldogs avenged last season's loss to 4A Aledo.
Wylie rebounded to beat Decatur, another team it lost to last season, and then cruised through its first two district contests - including a 26-3 statement win at Sweetwater that had people starting to believe the Bulldogs were destined to make it back-to-back titles.
Snyder grounded Wylie in its third district game as the Bulldogs blew a 13-3 fourth quarter lead and fell 16-13. That loss started the playoffs a week early for Wylie, which had to beat Clyde in the regular season finale to claim one of the three District 4-3A playoff spots.
Seminole's dreams of knocking off the defending state champs were interrupted when Gary Edwards took a handoff 51 yards for a touchdown on Wylie's first offensive snap in the opening round of the playoffs.
Canyon had a game's worth of first downs (22) and points (28) in the second quarter of Wylie's next game. Wylie had to put together a 17-0 run to finish the game before it clinched a win with a 22-yard Tyler Driskill field goal in the final seconds of a contest that was eerily similar to last season's championship win over Cuero.
After a game of blows and counter blows that showed what high school football is all about, Wylie - though they wouldn't tell you so - finally met a Gainesville team that was just big enough, fast enough and talented enough to overcome the Bulldogs' intangibles.
Those intangibles were the difference in just about every close game Wylie played over the last two seasons and were as evident off the field as they were on the field.
Win or lose, the Bulldogs answered every question and the way they played made them easy to root for. The Texas Stadium press box - mostly comprised of reporters with no ties to either school - couldn't help but erupt following Keenum's 38-yard leaping touchdown Saturday.
Keenum will be remembered as the cornerstone of the group, and deservedly so. He made big play after big play when it looked like Wylie was finally doomed.
Lineman Britton Barbee and Keenum will likely be the only two Bulldogs to play Division I football, but seniors like Jared Robertson, Jacob Jennings, Sam Eidson, Josh Davis and Tyler Driskill all played major roles in their team's success.
''It's special,'' Davis said of the group's accomplishments. ''The past few years brought us together more as a team.''
A team that kept people singing praises for two years.
Contact sports writer Jason Weddle at weddlej@reporternews.com or 676-6771.
Commentary
By Jason Weddle
November 29, 2005
Wylie tried as hard as it could to keep the fat lady out of Texas Stadium on Saturday night.
And once she got into the building, the Bulldogs tried even harder to keep her from singing.
But with the clock ticking closer to triple zeros and the Gainesville defense bringing everything at Case Keenum but the kitchen sink, she couldn't help but belt out a note - something she hadn't had the chance to do at a Wylie playoff game since 2003.
Her song was a sad one. It brought tears to the eyes of Wylie fans and players alike as the Leopards posed for a team photo on the Dallas Cowboys' trademark blue star.
Just like that, Wylie's 351-day run as defending state champions was over.
The Bulldogs couldn't quite reach the bar they had raised a season ago, but that doesn't mean much to Wylie coach High Sandifer.
''Our kids played to win and that's all we could ask of them,'' Sandifer said. ''We're proud. We hadn't lost a playoff game since '03, so that hurts, but I'm very proud of these guys.''
The loss will be the last memory for a group of 29 seniors, but it won't be the overriding memory of a group that brought the first football state championship to Abilene in nearly 40 years.
The Bulldogs came into the year as everyone's target. They were reminded of that when a clearly outmatched Graham team handed Wylie its first loss of the season on Sept. 23, two weeks after the Bulldogs avenged last season's loss to 4A Aledo.
Wylie rebounded to beat Decatur, another team it lost to last season, and then cruised through its first two district contests - including a 26-3 statement win at Sweetwater that had people starting to believe the Bulldogs were destined to make it back-to-back titles.
Snyder grounded Wylie in its third district game as the Bulldogs blew a 13-3 fourth quarter lead and fell 16-13. That loss started the playoffs a week early for Wylie, which had to beat Clyde in the regular season finale to claim one of the three District 4-3A playoff spots.
Seminole's dreams of knocking off the defending state champs were interrupted when Gary Edwards took a handoff 51 yards for a touchdown on Wylie's first offensive snap in the opening round of the playoffs.
Canyon had a game's worth of first downs (22) and points (28) in the second quarter of Wylie's next game. Wylie had to put together a 17-0 run to finish the game before it clinched a win with a 22-yard Tyler Driskill field goal in the final seconds of a contest that was eerily similar to last season's championship win over Cuero.
After a game of blows and counter blows that showed what high school football is all about, Wylie - though they wouldn't tell you so - finally met a Gainesville team that was just big enough, fast enough and talented enough to overcome the Bulldogs' intangibles.
Those intangibles were the difference in just about every close game Wylie played over the last two seasons and were as evident off the field as they were on the field.
Win or lose, the Bulldogs answered every question and the way they played made them easy to root for. The Texas Stadium press box - mostly comprised of reporters with no ties to either school - couldn't help but erupt following Keenum's 38-yard leaping touchdown Saturday.
Keenum will be remembered as the cornerstone of the group, and deservedly so. He made big play after big play when it looked like Wylie was finally doomed.
Lineman Britton Barbee and Keenum will likely be the only two Bulldogs to play Division I football, but seniors like Jared Robertson, Jacob Jennings, Sam Eidson, Josh Davis and Tyler Driskill all played major roles in their team's success.
''It's special,'' Davis said of the group's accomplishments. ''The past few years brought us together more as a team.''
A team that kept people singing praises for two years.
Contact sports writer Jason Weddle at weddlej@reporternews.com or 676-6771.