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11-18-2006, 02:29 AM
Channell kicks Wylie to win in final minute
By Nathan Sanders / sandersn@reporternews.com
November 17, 2006
SOUTHLAKE — The Wylie Bulldogs were due for a fortunate bounce.
Bryce Channell was desperate for redemption.
Both happened in the final 33 seconds.
Cameron Rogers recovered an on-side kick, then Channell booted a career-long 39-yard field goal with one second remaining to give Wylie an unforgettable 36-35 victory over sixth-ranked Decatur in a Class 3A Division I bi-district playoff game for the ages.
After Wednesday’s practice, Channell kicked a make-believe game-winner from 30 yards out. This one was very real.
"I’m at a loss for words," Channell said amid a steady stream of congratulatory hugs and handshakes. "I owed it to the seniors. I knew I had to do it. Not for me, but for them."
Wylie (9-2) will play the winner of Friday’s game between Canyon and Wichita Falls Hirschi at a time, date and place to be determined. But that game can wait. This one deserves some attention.
The Bulldogs’ hopes seemed slim when Decatur (10-1) batted away a potential game-tying two-point conversion pass from Gary Edwards to Matt Smith, keeping the score at 35-33 with 33 seconds to go. But Rogers snagged Channell’s on-side kick, and Wylie had the ball at the Decatur 46.
After three runs by Edwards and an incomplete pass, the stage was set for Channell, a junior who had missed an extra point in the third quarter. After a Wylie time out, the right-footed Channell kicked from the left hash and slipped the ball just inside the right upright. Channell then jubilantly sprinted to his sideline, where he was promptly dogpiled.
Was he certain it was good as soon as he kicked it? Hardly.
"I didn’t even know," said Channell, whose previous season-long was from 35 yards. "I just tried to kick it, and I didn’t know what happened after that. I figured out I made it when everyone started yelling."
When Decatur’s Joseph Staley fielded the ensuing squib kick with his knee down, the Wylie celebration began.
"What a finish," Sandifer said. "I’m so proud of the way we kept battling. To recover the on-side kick, then the drive to go score ? they’re just a bunch of clutch guys that believe in themselves and believe in this team."
Channell’s kick was just the capper for an evenly-played game between two teams with dangerous quarterbacks. Decatur senior Brandon Cobb bowled his way for 154 yards rushing and led the Eagles to touchdowns on all three of their second-half possessions. Edwards was the Ferrari to Cobb’s Hummer, zipping for 184 yards on 25 carries, including a 64-yard scoring sprint in the second half.
Each signal-caller rushed for three scores. Cobb put Decatur ahead 35-27 with a 14-yard run with 3:43 to go, then Edwards countered with a 1-yard sneak to pull Wylie within 35-33.
The Bulldogs controlled the first half, but one wacky deflection took a serious chunk out of Wylie’s momentum.
Wylie led 21-7 seven seconds before halftime when Decatur quarterback Cobb took the snap at the Bulldog 41 and hurled a Hail Mary down the left sideline. Three Wylie defenders were there, but the ball bounced off a Bulldog’s hands and into the grasp of Eagles receiver Chad Harrison at the 5. Harrison dragged a Wylie defender into the end zone and reduced Decatur’s deficit to 21-14 with 0:00 on the clock.
Wylie was virtually flawless at the start, engineering touchdown drives of 80 and 82 yards on its first two possessions with an Eagle three-and-out sandwiched in the middle.
First came a slashing 26-yard scoring run up the middle by Edwards, who juked two would-be tacklers along the way. Then when Bailey McGee barreled in from 2 yards out, the Bulldogs had a 14-0 lead with 3:04 left in the first quarter and had outgained Decatur 162 yards to seven.
The Eagles came to life after that, grinding out a touchdown drive of 63 yards – all of which came on the ground. Cobb completed it with a 10-yard keeper to the right 70 seconds into the second quarter.
After four consecutive punts, Wylie seemed to regain command when Case Wilson put the Bulldogs in Decatur territory with a 21-yard punt return. Wylie then went 46 yards in six plays, culminating with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Casey on third-and-goal. With that, the Bulldog lead was 21-7.
Then came the tipped-ball craziness. But the ball wasn’t done bouncing. And thanks to Channell, the Bulldogs aren’t done playing.
"I am so excited," Edwards said. "I love this game."
Wylie 14 7 6 9–36
Decatur 0 14 14 7–35
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
W – Gary Edwards 26 run (Bryce Channell kick), 9:17
W – Bailey McGee 2 run (Channell kick), 3:04
Second Quarter
D – Brandon Cobb 10 run (Jose Lira kick), 10:50
W – Trevor Casey 5 pass from Edwards (Channell kick), 0:33
D – Chad Harrison 41 pass from Cobb (Lira kick), 0:00
Third Quarter
D – Cobb 8 run (Lira kick), 9:16
W – Edwards 64 run (kick failed), 5:52
D – Josh Trant 1 run (Lira kick), 1:13
Fourth Quarter
D – Cobb 14 run (Lira kick), 3:43
W – Edwards 1 run (pass failed), 0:33
W – Channell 39 FG, 0:01
Wylie DHS
First downs 22 17
Rushes-yards 41-236 42-255
Passing yards 132 85
Comp-Att-Int 11-18-0 5-8-0
Punts 3-30.0 3-40.3
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-0
Penalties-yards 2-15 7-70
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Wylie: Gary Edwards 25-184, Cameron Rogers 7-19, Russell Felts 4-21, Bailey McGee 3-8, Trevor Casey 1-2, Justin Skinner 1-2. Decatur: Kristo Cardenas 1-0, Brandon Cobb 21-154, Josh Trant 19-98, Joseph Sanchez 1-3.
PASSING – Wylie: Edwards 11-17-0-132, Jared Wallace 0-1-0-0. Decatur: Cobb 5-8-0-85.
RECEIVING – Wylie: Matt Smith 2-46, Clay Kinney 2-16, Casey 2-18, Rogers 2-29, Felts 1-7, Skinner 2-16. Decatur: Ben Saunders 1-3, Chad Harrison 1-41, Brad Oates 1-26, Trant 1-(-3), Cardenas 1-18.
By Nathan Sanders / sandersn@reporternews.com
November 17, 2006
SOUTHLAKE — The Wylie Bulldogs were due for a fortunate bounce.
Bryce Channell was desperate for redemption.
Both happened in the final 33 seconds.
Cameron Rogers recovered an on-side kick, then Channell booted a career-long 39-yard field goal with one second remaining to give Wylie an unforgettable 36-35 victory over sixth-ranked Decatur in a Class 3A Division I bi-district playoff game for the ages.
After Wednesday’s practice, Channell kicked a make-believe game-winner from 30 yards out. This one was very real.
"I’m at a loss for words," Channell said amid a steady stream of congratulatory hugs and handshakes. "I owed it to the seniors. I knew I had to do it. Not for me, but for them."
Wylie (9-2) will play the winner of Friday’s game between Canyon and Wichita Falls Hirschi at a time, date and place to be determined. But that game can wait. This one deserves some attention.
The Bulldogs’ hopes seemed slim when Decatur (10-1) batted away a potential game-tying two-point conversion pass from Gary Edwards to Matt Smith, keeping the score at 35-33 with 33 seconds to go. But Rogers snagged Channell’s on-side kick, and Wylie had the ball at the Decatur 46.
After three runs by Edwards and an incomplete pass, the stage was set for Channell, a junior who had missed an extra point in the third quarter. After a Wylie time out, the right-footed Channell kicked from the left hash and slipped the ball just inside the right upright. Channell then jubilantly sprinted to his sideline, where he was promptly dogpiled.
Was he certain it was good as soon as he kicked it? Hardly.
"I didn’t even know," said Channell, whose previous season-long was from 35 yards. "I just tried to kick it, and I didn’t know what happened after that. I figured out I made it when everyone started yelling."
When Decatur’s Joseph Staley fielded the ensuing squib kick with his knee down, the Wylie celebration began.
"What a finish," Sandifer said. "I’m so proud of the way we kept battling. To recover the on-side kick, then the drive to go score ? they’re just a bunch of clutch guys that believe in themselves and believe in this team."
Channell’s kick was just the capper for an evenly-played game between two teams with dangerous quarterbacks. Decatur senior Brandon Cobb bowled his way for 154 yards rushing and led the Eagles to touchdowns on all three of their second-half possessions. Edwards was the Ferrari to Cobb’s Hummer, zipping for 184 yards on 25 carries, including a 64-yard scoring sprint in the second half.
Each signal-caller rushed for three scores. Cobb put Decatur ahead 35-27 with a 14-yard run with 3:43 to go, then Edwards countered with a 1-yard sneak to pull Wylie within 35-33.
The Bulldogs controlled the first half, but one wacky deflection took a serious chunk out of Wylie’s momentum.
Wylie led 21-7 seven seconds before halftime when Decatur quarterback Cobb took the snap at the Bulldog 41 and hurled a Hail Mary down the left sideline. Three Wylie defenders were there, but the ball bounced off a Bulldog’s hands and into the grasp of Eagles receiver Chad Harrison at the 5. Harrison dragged a Wylie defender into the end zone and reduced Decatur’s deficit to 21-14 with 0:00 on the clock.
Wylie was virtually flawless at the start, engineering touchdown drives of 80 and 82 yards on its first two possessions with an Eagle three-and-out sandwiched in the middle.
First came a slashing 26-yard scoring run up the middle by Edwards, who juked two would-be tacklers along the way. Then when Bailey McGee barreled in from 2 yards out, the Bulldogs had a 14-0 lead with 3:04 left in the first quarter and had outgained Decatur 162 yards to seven.
The Eagles came to life after that, grinding out a touchdown drive of 63 yards – all of which came on the ground. Cobb completed it with a 10-yard keeper to the right 70 seconds into the second quarter.
After four consecutive punts, Wylie seemed to regain command when Case Wilson put the Bulldogs in Decatur territory with a 21-yard punt return. Wylie then went 46 yards in six plays, culminating with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Casey on third-and-goal. With that, the Bulldog lead was 21-7.
Then came the tipped-ball craziness. But the ball wasn’t done bouncing. And thanks to Channell, the Bulldogs aren’t done playing.
"I am so excited," Edwards said. "I love this game."
Wylie 14 7 6 9–36
Decatur 0 14 14 7–35
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
W – Gary Edwards 26 run (Bryce Channell kick), 9:17
W – Bailey McGee 2 run (Channell kick), 3:04
Second Quarter
D – Brandon Cobb 10 run (Jose Lira kick), 10:50
W – Trevor Casey 5 pass from Edwards (Channell kick), 0:33
D – Chad Harrison 41 pass from Cobb (Lira kick), 0:00
Third Quarter
D – Cobb 8 run (Lira kick), 9:16
W – Edwards 64 run (kick failed), 5:52
D – Josh Trant 1 run (Lira kick), 1:13
Fourth Quarter
D – Cobb 14 run (Lira kick), 3:43
W – Edwards 1 run (pass failed), 0:33
W – Channell 39 FG, 0:01
Wylie DHS
First downs 22 17
Rushes-yards 41-236 42-255
Passing yards 132 85
Comp-Att-Int 11-18-0 5-8-0
Punts 3-30.0 3-40.3
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-0
Penalties-yards 2-15 7-70
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Wylie: Gary Edwards 25-184, Cameron Rogers 7-19, Russell Felts 4-21, Bailey McGee 3-8, Trevor Casey 1-2, Justin Skinner 1-2. Decatur: Kristo Cardenas 1-0, Brandon Cobb 21-154, Josh Trant 19-98, Joseph Sanchez 1-3.
PASSING – Wylie: Edwards 11-17-0-132, Jared Wallace 0-1-0-0. Decatur: Cobb 5-8-0-85.
RECEIVING – Wylie: Matt Smith 2-46, Clay Kinney 2-16, Casey 2-18, Rogers 2-29, Felts 1-7, Skinner 2-16. Decatur: Ben Saunders 1-3, Chad Harrison 1-41, Brad Oates 1-26, Trant 1-(-3), Cardenas 1-18.