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Football: Reason for the win: West Mesquite back keys win over Creekview
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
West Mesquite's big day on the ground enabled the Wranglers to hold off a Creekview comeback attempt Thursday night and claim a 32-26 victory at Standridge Stadium in Carrollton in both teams' District 10-4A opener.
Raashaan Reason racked up 215 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while quarterback Chason Virgil chipped in 141 yards rushing to go with 121 passing and two touchdowns.
"We played really well in the first half," said Mike Overton, West head coach. "In the second half, we didn't do as good of a job, but you also have to give a lot of that credit to Creekview. They made us hang on for our dear lives and we had to make a big play or two to get the win. It was a lot like our win against Wylie where we were really scratching and clawing at the end."
"It was a formation we hadn't shown before and we got a great block on the edge from our tight end that usually plays defensive tackle (Dimarya Mixon). Raashaan made one cut, hit the seam and was gone."
But whereas the Mustangs responded to the opening strike to come back and beat Keller Timber Creek Sept. 15, this time Creekview dug too deep of a hole falling behind, 22-0, early in the second quarter.
"That was a good game against the best opponent we've seen all year," said Jay Cline, Creekview head coach. "We got way behind and we challenged the kids at halftime and they responded.
"On the opening play, we didn't line up correctly or follow their strength and they got us for a long one. That's something we have to work on: playing better on the opening drive, because we can't keep getting in these holes."
Quarterback David Blough and the Mustangs didn't go down easily, however, getting to within six late in the fourth quarter before unsuccessfully attempting an onside kick.
Blough finished with a season-high 306 yards passing with three touchdowns, including two scoring throws to Dylan Kittrell and a 60-yarder in the third quarter to Raquan Dobbs.
"David had a darn good game but you really have to credit the offensive line and receivers," Cline said. "I thought they were outstanding today. Larry Hughes and Tristan Price were great on the line and Raquan made a lot of plays."
Running back Deven Barnes also scored from 46 yards out on the ground in the third as the Mustangs pulled to within five at 25-20.
"Kudos to Deven for stepping up," Cline said. "Our starter Johnny Jones was out with an injury and Deven picked up the slack."
Creekview had a possession to take the lead but settled for a field goal that missed.
The Wranglers immediately seized the momentum as Reason moved West to the Creekview 1-yard line with a 70-yard scamper setting up a touchdown run from Jamarie Williams.
"That was a big run," Cline said. "We just couldn't allow a play like that to happen at that time and I think it was the difference."
"It really was a big turning point," Overton added. "I was really pleased to see that not only because it was a key play, but because we came into the week with the goal of running the football better and I felt like we accomplished that."
Creekview snapped West's streak of 22 consecutive points with 2:04 remaining in the second quarter when Blough found Kittrell to cap a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.
Kittrell finished with eight catches for 82 yards, while Dobbs had five receptions for a team-high 99 yards.
But again the Wranglers slowed Creekview's momentum a bit, escaping to the half with a 25-7 lead with a 23-yard field goal from Miguel Garza.
West grabbed the healthy early margin with a pair of touchdown catches by Akillian Butler, who had five catches for 47 yards.
"Akillian had a nice game and made some plays for us," Overton said. "But to be honest, I was a little disappointed in our passing attack. I thought it could have been a little better."
Creekview looks to bounce back in district at 7 p.m. Thursday against Newman Smith.
"There will be a lot of emotion for that game," Cline said. "We have to handle that and make sure we clean up our defense. We have to be aligned properly, stay in our gaps and do well in our check-offs and communications. All the big plays that are happening, we are making a mistake in of those areas.
"On offense, we're getting better. We just have to keep working. That was our best passing day and against a good opponent. I think West Mesquite will contend for the district title. But this also shows that we can be right there with them."
The Wranglers continue at 7 p.m. Thursday when they host Terrell.
"Anytime you can win, especially in district, it's a positive," Overton said. "Our emphasis for Terrell is improving ourselves. Our biggest thing is that we have to be more disciplined penalty-wise in critical situations. Against Creekview, we were in a close game and we allowed them to continue drives on third and fourth downs by making penalties. We have to eliminate that and get our defense off of the field.
"The good thing is we've shown that we can fight through adversity if we get down. Our guys have proven they can do that."
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