A heavy dose of Decatur’s run game led the Eagles to their third area title in four seasons under coach Steve Huff. Led by the Eagles’ senior running back duo of Jake Milligan and Jamari Fletcher, Decatur (8-3) rushed for 388 yards and six touchdowns en route to a 49-21 win over Paris in the 4A Division I second-round bout Saturday at Denison High School’s Munson Stadium. Despite postponing the contest two days due to weather, Huff said he was proud of his team for rising to the occasion and executing the game plan to earn the victory. “It was great to get this win, despite the distractions with the storms this week,” Huff said. “A lot of our kids went to the state championship volleyball game Friday, and it was awesome for them to go and be able to celebrate with their classmates. We had a 1 p. m. kickoff, and so the kids did a really good job of being in the right mind frame and preparing for this game.” Milligan found the end zone in the first 90 seconds of the game against Paris, breaking through the Wildcats’ defense for a 51-yard touchdown run on the Eagles’ first possession. Quarterback Rhys Ragan added a 29-yard scoring scamper to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead. After a 20-yard scoring run by Paris quarterback Tyler Heath, the Eagles used a bit of trickery with a reserve to wide receiver Kenny Boner, resulting in a 28-yard rushing score. A Wildcat punt resulted in a short field for Decatur, which allowed Milligan to tack on a 31-yard touchdown carry to boost the team’s lead to 21 at halftime, 28-7. Milligan led the Eagles’ ground attack, finishing with 139 yards on 10 carries. “Our offensive line blocked their butts off today,” Milligan said. “With a 5-man front, you know there’s a lot of open space once you get past the linebackers. I just trusted my O-line, stayed patient and waited until a hole opened up. Because of them working hard in the trenches, we’ve been able to rush for over 300 yards a couple of times this year.” Fletcher took over the Eagles’ run game in the second half. He punched in a 47-yard score late in the third quarter, followed by a 39-yard run to pay dirt early in the final frame. Second on the team to Milligan in rushing yards with 122, Fletcher was the Eagles’ work horse in the backfield with 18 carries. “Honestly, we were antsy to play this game, and the coaches did a really good job of getting us prepared,” Fletcher said. “Patience was definitely the key for me today even if I had a slip-up, I did my best to have that next play mentality. Every time we come out here, we want to play our best football, and I thought we did a good job today.” The Eagles’ defense also got into the scoring mix in the second half. Senior defensive back Casen Cooper picked off Heath in the Wildcats’ end zone, and returned the ball 102 yards untouched for the score. Paris notched a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Giovanni Dawson, as well as 1-yard fumble recovery by offensive lineman Ja’Quavis Allen in the second half. Under center, Decatur quarterback Ragan completed five of his eight passing attempts for 59 yards. His top target was sophomore wide receiver Wyatt Dunn, who tallied 48 yards on four receptions. With the win, the Eagles will draw top-ranked Celina the reigning 4AI state champion in a regional semifinal next week. Game details have not been released as of story publication Saturday. The Bobcats (12-0) were the undefeated champions of District 7-4AI after a 6-0 run. Celina claimed a 70-22 area win over Fort Worth Eastern Hills, and opened the postseason by shutting out Dallas Pinkston, 77-0. “The first thing is we’ve got to take the gloss off of playing the No. 1 team in the state,” Huff said. “If you want to make a run, you’re going to have to play good people every week. Celina’s really good, and they’re a great program that’s obvious by what they’ve done throughout the years. We’ve seen them on video against Paris. It’s going to be more of a short turnaround for our coaching staff than it is for our kids. It’s a mindset thing, but we know we’ve got to go out there and play our best football against them.” Key takeaways Eagles’ run game surges with senior backs Milligan and Fletcher proved to be lethal against the Wildcats, carving Paris’ defense up for a combined 261 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries. The team’s remaining 127 rushing yards were amassed by Ragan, Boner, backup quarerback Will Chaney and running backs Cooper Duncan, Akilyz Rivera and Brandon Goyne. “Our run game is huge,” Decatur running backs coach Daniel Palmer said. “The offense has been pretty balanced all year, but we knew Paris was going to try to press us on the outside. For our O-linemen to open up the holes and our quarterbacks to make the right reads, it was a good game for us. Jake and Jamari have been sharing the ball throughout the season, and that’s what I’m most proud of them for. Their success today definitely played a big part in the win. Decatur’s defense cages Wildcats The Eagles were effective defensively against Paris’ offense a squad that’s been battle-tested against a plethora of strong programs in 7-4AI. Decatur held Paris to under 300 total yards 130 rushing and 160 passing. The Eagles limited Heath’s ability to connect with his receivers, as the Wildcat signal-caller completed 14 of his 28 passing attempts thanks to several pass breakups and heavy pressure up front.
https://www.wcmessenger.com/articles/decatur-outruns-paris-in-area-round-win/
Decatur outruns Paris in area-round win
