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Hammer Time: Sachse squeaks by Rowlett, 23-20, in rivalry game.
BY Townsend Keller, Special to the Times
In a game that was Pinked Out in the stands, Sachse and Rowlett turned each other black and blue en route to a 23-20 Mustang win that wasn't decided until the final minutes of the game.
"(Our) kids played well, (the) defense played well all night long so I was really proud of them," said Mark Behrens, Sachse head coach. "Got some breaks where we needed them."
The night began with the two teams trading three-and-outs. The first big play of the game would be provided by Rowlett's Danyea Garrett-Lawson, who picked off a pass from Sachse junior quarterback Kent Myers.
Finding senior wide receiver Chris Heath three times and hitting senior Jonathan Williams on a 31-yard bomb, Rowlett senior quarterback Carson Hyles led a 13-play, 86-yard responding drive. A 31-yard boot by junior kicker Aspen Hulme put the Eagles on the board, 7-3.
"We knew we weren't going to keep them down all night long, they've got some great athletes," Behrens said.
The next two Sachse drives would be derailed by turnovers, both of them committed by Ozigbo. The halfback coughed up the first fumble at Rowlett's 4-yard line after a short pass from Myers, preventing the Mustangs from taking a two-score lead on Rowlett. On Sachse's next drive, Rowlett got the ball back on its own 44-yard line after Ozigbo lost his handle on a 14-yard reception.
After the fumbles, the quarterbacks joined the turnover party.
After Rowlett recovered Ozigbo's fumble, Hyles threw a pick two plays later to junior Mustang defensive back Marcus Hubbard. Three plays into the following Sachse drive, a Myers pass fell into Eagle possession.
The half would end with junior kicker John Pannel giving Sachse a 10-3 lead going into the locker room. Rowlett ended the first half with four takeaways, but couldn't manage to get points out of any of them.
"We're happy with (the four turnovers)," said Kiff Hardin , Rowlett head coach. "We needed to take advantage of those takeaways. We didn't do a good job of taking advantage of the takeaways."
After a failed Eagle drive to begin the first half the defense again came through, blocking a 33-yard field goal attempt by Pannell. Another stalled Eagle drive gave Sachse the ball back, but only temporarily, as senior defensive back Nick Kirpes intercepted Myers and registered the Eagles' third interception and fifth defensive takeaway of the game.
"We hadn't turned the ball over like that all year and a lot of it had to do with they were hitting us," said Behrens. "It was a hard-hitting ballgame."
On this turnover, however, Rowlett finally managed to take advantage. Hyles hit Williams on the first play of the drive with a 40-yard strike and took care of the remaining yard himself, sneaking into the end zone to even the score at 10 apiece.
Junior kick returner Bruce Bookins jumpstarted the drive by returning the Eagle kickoff to the Rowlett 44. Myers made short work of getting his lead back, rushing six times for 28 yards and finding junior wideout Tyrique Edwards for 14 yards. Edwards rushed the final 2 yards for the score, but a botched extra point would keep the Mustang lead at 16-10.
"He is that dual threat," Behrens said of Myers. "He's that guy that can hurt you on the ground and can definitely hurt you in the air."
But for the first and only time all night, Rowlett scored a touchdown on consecutive drives as senior halfback Derrick Imade scored on a 4-yard run, capping off a 77-yard drive to give the Eagles their first lead of the night at 17-16.
"(We) just started mixing things around and the kids just started playing better," Hardin said of his improved second half offense. "(We) just told them to stay after it and they did."
After a Hulme field goal increased the Eagle lead to 20-16, the Mustangs found themselves 74 yards away from the winning touchdown.
"We've been in that situation before this year and (the players) reacted well and didn't panic, that's the main thing," said Behrens. "Went down there and scored when we needed to."
Myers would cap off the ensuing drive with a 5-yard run, putting Sachse in front, 23-20. The quarterback finished his night 18-of-28 for 190 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. He also led the Mustangs in rushing with 20 attempts for 136 yards and a score.
Four straight incomplete passes from Hyles on Rowlett's final drive sealed the Eagle's fate. The Rowlett passer was 11-of-25 for 181 yards and an interception. His top target, Williams, hauled in four catches for 98 yards.
"Proud of our guys for the way they fought and the way they played," Hardin said. "We've just got to learn, got to finish."
The Mustangs were awarded the first Hammer Time trophy for the win, a new tradition that has been started between the two schools.
Rowlett heads into a 7 p.m. Friday matchup with South Garland at Homer B. Johnson Stadium. Sachse returns to Williams Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. Friday matchup with Garland.
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