Fort Worth Wyatt defense thrives in critical District 4-5A D2 win over North Side
The Chaparrals’ defense had a dominant performance against the Steers.
Wyatt (5-1, 2-1 District 4-5A D2) took an early lead and held on for the rest of the way, defeating Fort Worth North Side (3-3, 1-2) 19-7 at Farrington Field on Friday.
The Chaparrals have been dealing with undisclosed injuries in their quarterback and running back rooms, but the athletes powered through.
“The kids keep coming back, keep fighting,” Wyatt head coach Zachary Criss said. “They don’t want to come out the game. They stay in the game. At the end of the day, it’s part of football. That’s why we have to just keep adapting and keep getting the kids that we have better.”
Wyatt is back in the win column after a 20-6 loss to Arlington Heights, but Criss said it wasn’t much of a bounce back win. He mentioned the teams still has a lot of kinks to work through.
“We still have to get guys to step up and play better,” Criss said. “And we’re still having too many of those mental mistakes.”
North Side head coach Joseph Turner, after the contest, also discussed mental mistakes, saying his team shot themselves in the foot. Turner said he wants to see more discipline moving forward.
“The flags that we had, it comes from losing composure because the opposing player is being a little too aggressive or he’s running his mouth or whatever it may be,” Turner said. “We’ve got to understand that this is the game of football. It’s gonna happen. Talking never hurt nobody. ... These flags are killing us. It’s not anybody else. It’s us.”
Multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties halted the Steers’ progress. North Side needed every yard they could muster against a Wyatt defense that Turner called talented.
“They have a lot of skill guys where they’re able to play cover one and cover zero,” Turner said. “If you can’t challenge them vertically, you know, they’re just gonna play up on the line. They’ve got a good defensive line.”
The win for Wyatt was a crucial one in the District 4-5A D2 race, and the loss for North Side is a huge blow to a potential playoff bid.
Wyatt gains edge in messy first half
The game started with sloppy play and muffed balls from both teams. North Side muffed the opening kick and two offside penalties and a fumbled snap halted their progress.
Wyatt also had trouble holding onto the ball, muffing the punt. They kept possession, however, and continued on to create a 10-play, 61-yard scoring drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown by quarterback Dartagnan Crawford.
After a North Side three and out, the next five plays were chaotic: a Steer punt, a fumbled handoff by Wyatt, a North Side fumble on a reverse, a Wyatt run for no gain and a Wyatt fumble on what could’ve been a small gain.
Amid the madness, North Side quarterback Kevin Ortega was hurt and removed from the game. He did not return with what Turner called a shoulder bruise.
“Kevin (Ortega) is a tough guy,” Turner said. “You know, we’ll get him in for treatment like we’re supposed to on the weekend and then throughout the week. We’ll see how it plays out.”
Backup quarterback Angel Valdez took over, changing the way the Steer offense operated with improved passing ability.
Although the team did not score with Valdez in, Turner said he did a good job. He mentioned the offensive line has to win their one on one matchups to prevent pressure.
Following Ortega’s injury, the Steers were quickly forced to punt. Wyatt put together a nine play drive but decided to punt after a sack from Dallas Austin pushed them back 10 yards.
Wyatt’s special teams made the most of the situation, pinning the Steers on their own 13-yard line. Garza faced pressure from the Chaparrals and went down; the Steers punted from their own end zone.
Wyatt took over with elite field position at the 30-yard line. Seven plays later, Crawford found the end zone for the second time in the game, giving Wyatt a 13-0 lead with 4:16 remaining in the first half. The Chaparrals went for two but couldn’t convert.
All of a sudden, North Sides’ offense came alive with the help of two Wyatt penalties. Neither team had completed a pass for more than six yards, but that was about to change. Garza took a shot downfield, and wide receiver Lorenzo Perez made a terrific catch in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown.
At the end of the first half, the Steers were back within striking distance.
Chaparrals pull away
With North Side having the momentum as the second half began, Wyatt ensured they wouldn’t have it for long. The Chaparrals put together a 10 play scoring drive powered by runs from running back Jailon Stokes-Magee, Crawford and athlete Jorvorski Lane, who finished the series with a 6-yard rushing score.
Criss said Jorvorski, a Texas A&M baseball commit, played four games on varsity last season. Now, he’s thriving in a key role for the Chaparrals, playing both quarterback and receiver.
“Prior to that he had not played football,” Criss said. “So he has a huge learning curve right now, but I like what he’s doing. He’s making mistakes. But by the same token, he’s learning from his mistakes. The kids are rallying behind him.”
For the rest of the game, the defense thrived. The Chaparrals halted the Steers’ progress with a sack from defensive lineman Ty’jere Landrum and an interception from defensive back Marcus Drake.
Next week, Wyatt will take on Fort Worth Polytechnic at Scarborough-Handley Field on Friday with a kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT. North Side will face Trimble Tech at 7 p.m. CT Friday at Farrington Field.
