Denton Guyer rallies in second half to defeat Prosper, advance to third consecutive state semifinal

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ALLEN – The Denton Guyer Wildcats knew they had a collective goal behind them. They knew Prosper was targeting them after beating their rivals in District 5-6A three times in two years.

Guyer had to rally by 11 points at halftime, but eliminated Prosper again in the quarterfinals of class 6A-2 with a 25:22 win on Saturday afternoon at Eagle Stadium. Guyer hadn’t secured victory until Landon Sides took an inside kick 50 seconds before the end of the game.

Guyer, 13-1, makes it to the Class 6A semi-finals for the third year in a row and will play Tomball at McLane Stadium in Waco on Saturday night. The timing of the game is not yet set, but Guyer’s rally in the second half keeps the school’s dream of the school’s first national championship alive since back-to-back titles in 2012-13.

“It’s a testament to the power of endurance,” said Guyer coach Rodney Webb. “We made her best shot – we were eleven behind at halftime – and we didn’t flinch. Nobody panicked. We took care of business in the second half. “

Guyer defeated Prosper twice last year, including 30-24 in overtime in the state quarter-finals and 35-7 in their district match on October 1 of that season.

“As a team, we love to put all the pressure on us,” said Guyers defender Marquan Pope. “We always go into it. We knew they were after us. We hit her three times, we knew we had a target in the back, but we loved it. “

Guyer quarterback Jackson Arnold faced a violent pass rush from Prosper all afternoon, but was able to get the offense going in the second half. He was 9-for-12 for 219 yards and two touchdowns after halftime.

“It was frustrating, but we had to keep our heads and keep playing, not give in,” said Arnold. “It wasn’t just me, we started blocking better, we started playing better, we started catching passes with our receivers. It was a team effort in the second half. “

Prosper, who finished the season 9-5, only had three first downs in the first half. But Kaleb Miles kicked off 92 yards for a touchdown and Tyler Bailey had a 28-yard touchdown run after Guyer fumbled the ball away in the second quarter.

Guyer got the ball to start the second half, and Arnold hit Jace Wilson with a 2nd-and-7 out of the 27 on a 41-yard route to get his offense going. Then, on a 3rd-and-12-play, Arnold Grayson hit O’Bara with a 23-yard touchdown pass.

Later in the third quarter, Prosper quarterback Harrison Rosar tried to go low on 1st-and-10 of Guyer 45 and was intercepted by Ryan Yaites at 19 briefly by Arnold and broke loose on a 70-yard touchdown reception.

“I told our kids at half time that someone was going to make a big game and it happened,” said Webb. “That’s what it was about.”

Arnold led Guyer on a 71-yard 16-game touchdown march in the fourth quarter, while Jackson met Foster on a 28-yard touchdown run to give his team a 25-14 lead. Prosper got no first down in the second half until her final drive, a 72-yard march that ended with Rosar hitting Houston Hawkins in a 23-yard touchdown pass. Rosar also threw Dylan Hinshaw for the two-point conversion, but Prosper couldn’t get the recoil on the side.

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