Argyle Athletics Booster Club, Argyle H.S. TX

It took only three plays and 1:02 off the game clock to erase any doubts that Argyle might have a letdown after last week's emotional win at Decatur.  Senior QB JJ Harp hit senior receiver Matt Handler for a 27 yard completion on the game's second play.  Then seniors Corey White and Matt Grounds opened up a huge hole for Kyle Frizzel who raced 27 yards for the Eagle's first touchdown with 10:58 remaining in the first quarter.

"Every one of our kids was extremely focused tonight and you could sense that even as we warmed up", said a soaking wet Coach Rodgers after the game.  "The seniors talked about the kind of legacy they want to leave and winning a district title was a strong motivator for them tonight."

On the defensive side of the ball, Argyle's senior leaders stepped up the first chance they got on the field too.  Sacks by senior defensive linemen Colin Mock and Cooper Sewell set the Sanger QB back for big losses.  on 4th down, Trevor Cantrell, senior linebacker, raced in and blocked the Indian punt.  That blocked punt set Argyle up at the 35 yard line giving Argyle great field position.

JJ Harp scrambeld for 25 yards to set up first and goal at the six yard line.  Harp then showed incredible touch on a fade route allowing junior wideout Brady Brown to make a spectactular catch for the 6-yard TD.  With Ben Parks second extra point the Eagles led 14-0 after only four minutes had been played. 

After senior safety Michael Stein's interception, his team-leading 3rd on the year, the Eagles offense wasted no time getting back in the end zone.  JJ Harp connected with Brady Brown for a 30 yard completion.  Then JJ went back to Brown who made another incredible catch as he wrestled the ball away from the Sanger defender for the 6-yard TD catch. From that point forward, the game was never in doubt as the Eagles dominated in every phase of the game.

Sanger, which came into the game with a dangerous running game, could find little room against the Eagle's defense.  And when the Indians went to the pass, the pressure by the defensive line and blitzing linebackers was at times overwhelming. Using it's speed and strength to compensate for a relative lack of size, the defensive line never let Sanger get any momentum all night .   Sanger only had 39 yards of total offense in the first half.

Cooper Sewell showed why he was 1st team all-district last year as a junior as he was all over the field and in Sanger's backfield all night.  He finished the game with 3 sacks and several tackles for lost yardage. Colin Mock finished the night with two sacks and a blocked punt that led to another Eagle's touchdown.  David Johnson added two more sacks - he has 8 in the last three games - and caused a fumble.   Senior DL Chris Thompson also got in on the action with a fumble recovery while Junior Eddie Eckert also caused a fumble and rocked several Sanger running backs for lost yardage on the night.

In the rare case where Sanger got past the defensive line, Argyle's senior linebackers stepped up with big plays all night.  Trevor Cantrell and Pat Dawkins certainly made statements on their last game at Eagle stadium with their aggressiveness.  Senior linebacker Robbie Ehlers completed controlled his side of the field and had a couple of terrific open field tackles to drop Sanger RB's for no gain or lost yardage.  In the second half, senior LB Ross Slough also made his presence known with several open field tackles to shut down any threat for Sanger to get back in the game.

The secondary played one of it's best games of the year Senior safety Gavin Pucciarello played with reckless abandon and leveled several Indian running backs and receivers with highlight reel hits.  Senior cornerback Colby Oberle shut down his side of the field all night with several big hits while breaking up every pass thrown his way it seemed. 

The Eagle's offense benefited all night from the play of the defense as they were given great field position all night.  Leading 21-0, the coaching staff decided to rest JJ Harp and give his backup, freshmen QB Chad Hedlund, some valuable varsity experience.  Hedlund showed poise and maturity beyond his years as he led the Eagles to three more touchdowns in the game.  He threw two touchdown passes - one to Brady Brown who made a head's up catch off a deflection for the score.  The other TD pass was  to senior wideout Garrett Jones who seems to show a knack for making the toughest catches over the middle while getting rocked by the defenders..

Argyle's running game was in high gear tonight as well.  Kyle Frizzell posted his 7th 100 yard rushing night on 19 carries.  Senior running back Brandon Doubek impressed again with his ability to break tackles and punish defenders who try to tackle him.  Doubek scored the Eagle' s final touchdown with an incredible 5 yard run that should have been a two yard loss if not for his ability to shake off tackles. 

The offensive line, led by seniors Matt Grounds and Corey White, opened huge running lanes and allowed only one sack on the night.  Sophomores Brandyn Hinnrichs(who started his first game tonight) and Matt Thompson played huge all night while juniors Lloyd Marshall and Chas Eads controlled their side of the field.

It was a great night for Argyle and especially the seniors who led the Eagles to their first district title.  But they clearly are not satisfied as the playoffs get started next week.

The Eagles will face off with Clyde in Aledo on Friday or Saturday.   Coach Rodgers, who has led Argyle to the playoffs for 4 consecutive years, knows a little about success in the playofffs.  While at Flower Mound Marcus he coached on teams that made it to two class 5A state championship games and also led Argyle to the class 2A state championship game in 2005.

"In the playoffs you have to take it one game and one play at a time", he said.  "Success in the playoffs requires all 11 guys to pull together on every play because it comes down to the best team winning, not the best athletes", he continued.  "It takes character and integrity to win in the playoffs as much as athleticism."

With this group of seniors showing their character and integrity to Eagle fans all season, the hopes are very high for strong playoff run.  Eagle fans will show up down in Aledo and be ready to do our part too.  Check back for details on the game vs. Clyde.