Dominant showing from Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt in 49-9 win against crosstown foe Trimble Tech
By Cody Thorn
FORT WORTH - Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt showed flashes of dominance and showed things that coach Zachary Criss knows will be critical next week.
The Chaparrals dominated Fort Worth Trimble Tech, 49-9, on Saturday in a District 4-5A showdown at Herman Clark Stadium.
Next up is a showdown with Colleyville Heritage to decide who is the No. 3 seed in a district where five teams have six or more wins.
“We felt like we could win district this year but that didn’t happen, but we secured a playoff spot earlier so we are just trying to maintain health,” Criss said. “Next week, we play for clarity so that’s an important game, for sure.”
Junior quarterback Kaid Barrett accounted for six touchdowns in the victory, five of them through the air. He helped the Chaparrals (7-2, 4-2) build a 28-0 advantage against the Bulldogs.
The first two touchdowns were first-quarter passes from Barrett to senior Ahstin Watkins.
The duo connected for a third time early in the second quarter on a 33-yard pass to make it 28-0.
“We had a tough loss last week to Grapevine, so we needed to bounce back when we go into next week and play with confidence,” Barrett said. "I think we’re just trying to get everybody on the same page.”
Between those passing touchdowns, senior Quest Madkins had a 3-yard touchdown run for Wyatt.
Trimble Tech (2-7, 0-6) broke the shutout when Saul Barboza booted a 29-yard field goal with 4:09 to go in the first half. That was set up by a 59-yard run by freshman Terry Starks, getting down to the 10-yard line.
Wyatt senior defensive lineman D’Andre James later recovered a fumble, and the Chaps followed with a 14-play drive that ended in a pass from Barrett to Jeremiah Boone from 21 yards away.
However, that drive saw a touchdown called back on two penalties on the same play - holding and blocking in the back. Wyatt was also called for holding again and an illegal procedure.
“This week was all about just staying healthy,” Criss said. “Just running some offense and working on little nuances.
"We had too many penalties. ... Too many too much moving on the offensive line. So that's something we've just got to tighten down.”
Barrett’s 5-yard touchdown run with 2:13 left in the third pushed the game to turbo-clock territory, 42-3.
Amaj Mitchell, a freshman, had a 35-yard run to the Bulldogs’ 10-yard line, but twice the offensive line jumped before the snap and pushed Wyatt back prior to the touchdown run.
Trimble Tech, which has dropped six in a row, got its only touchdown early in the fourth quarter when defensive tackle Jermond Hobson recovered a fumble in the end zone.
The Bulldogs maintained possession when Adam Nunez recovered Barboza’s onside kick with 11:31 left on the clock. Trimble Tech moved to the 30 on a pass play from Trent Honeycutt to Antonio Anderson for 17 yards, but the drive ended with a turnover on downs at the Wyatt 24.
Cameron Parker hauled in an interception to end Trimble Tech’s next drive.
Up 42-9, Wyatt put an exclamation point on the win when Barrett hit Dartagnan Crawford down the home sideline, and he outran the defense for a 91-yard touchdown with 1:24 left.
Even that scoring drive had a penalty on the Wyatt offense - a hold.
“The key is coming out and working on perfection; doing the right thing and being in the right place and executing,” Criss said. "Penalties are everything; you can’t play in a playoff run and have a lot of penalties. We have to screw down on that.
"We're looking forward to next week, but we have to come out here and keep down on penalties. Make sure we execute our plays and our defense tackles. I think we will be OK.”
