DENTON – In a game pitting two of the top defenses in Texas, Waxahachie rallied from a halftime deficit to take the lead; then iced the game with fumble return for a touchdown in the final seconds to outlast Guyer High School, 44-30, in Denton.
Down 17-14 at halftime, the Indians went in front early in the second half on a TD run from Taylen Strange, who rushed for 192 yards and three TDs. His last TD gave Waxahachie a 14-point lead, 37-23, with less than eight minutes remaining.
Guyer then scored a TD to make it a seven-point game, and later got the ball in Waxahachie territory.
Guyer drove down the field with less than two minutes to play and had the ball inside the red zone. Senior defensive back Mikel Winbush sacked Guyer quarterback Carter Morgan, the play before the critical turnover.
Then senior linebacker Renard Jennings forced the fumble and defensive end Jayvon Moore scooped it up and took it 80 yards to the house with 1:24 left to put the game away.
Waxahachie racked up 411 yards of total offense - 270 of that on the ground. Quarterback Jerry Meyer III, a South Carolina commit, was 16-of-21 passing for 141 yards.
Defensively, Waxahachie forced two turnovers that resulted in touchdowns including the fumble returned back at the end of the game.
Demico Zamora also recorded an interception off a tip in the fourth quarter to eventually set up Strange’s third touchdown of the night.
The Wildcats finished with 377 total yards - 246 of that coming through the air, all from Carter Morgan. DJ Reese caught seven passes for 147 yards.
Guyer was also hurt by penalties, committing 19 infractions for 119 yards, along with turning the ball over twice.
Waxahachie 7 7 15 15 44
Denton Guyer 14 3 6 7 30
DG – Barn Moss 37 fumble Return (Andrew Johnson kick).
WX – Micah Lewis 1 run (Kohen Manis kick).
DG – Jayden Thomas 60 run (Andrew Johnson kick).
DG – Andrew Johnson 28 field goal.
WX – Taylen Strange 1 run (Kohen Manis kick).
WX – Taylen Strange 4 run (Kohen Manis kick).
DG – Andrew Johnson 44 field goal.
WX – Jordan Smith kickoff return.
DG – Andrew Johnson 27 field goal.
WX – Taylen Strange 1 run (Jashawn Crayton pass from Jerry Meyer III).
DG – Tristan Shelton 6 fumble return (Andrew Johnson kick).
WX – Jayvon Moore 80 fumble return (Kohen Manis kick).
First Downs WX: 20 DG: 15
Rushing Yards WX: 37-270 DG: 30-131
Passing Yards WX: 141 DG: 246
Passing WX: 16-21-0 DG: 17-39-1
Punts-Avg WX: 3-32.3 DG: 5-38
Penalties WX: 11-102 DG: 19-119
Fumbles-Lost WX: 2-2 DG: 3-1
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: WX – Jordan Smith 3-33, Jerry Meyer III 4-0, Taylen Strange 24-192, Kentorion King 1-49, Micah Lewis 2-2, Josh Wade1-1. DG – Carter Morgan 17-25, Jayden Thomas 3-69, Kash Villegas 10-37.
Passing: WX – Jerry Meyer III 16-21-0-141. DG – Carter Morgan 17-39-1-246.
Receiving: WX – Jordan Smith 2-3, Taylen Strange 2-24, Jordan Thompson-Woods 6-58, Kentorion King 2-13, Jashawn Crayton 4-43. DG – Zane Rowe 1-8, DJ Reese 7-147, Tristan Shelton 5-76, Graham Nixon 1-5, Jayden Thomas 1-1, Kash Villegas 1-3, Cash Bird 1-6.