Harold Wilson

The wrong team on the wrong night.

In the case of John Tyler's 54-point loss Friday night - the worst in school history - it wasn't as much a case of what the Lions did wrong as it was what the DeSoto Eagles did right.

Looking like legitimate state title contenders, DeSoto defended just about everything JT threw at them and ran past what the Lions put in their way in the 66-12 victory.

DeSoto entered the game fresh off a 47-12 rout of Garland and backed up the victory over a program with four state titles with an even more convincing one over a Lion program with three championships of their own.

And the Eagles dominated the game every way imaginable.

Offensively, DeSoto displayed one of the more impressive units in recent memory, scoring five first quarter touchdowns and rolling up 448 total yards.

Cyrus Gray gave DeSoto 223 yards rushing alone on 12 attempts, which included four rushing TDs (65, 47, 26, 36) and one passing (28).

Defensively, DeSoto denied John Tyler end zone access for the game's first 34 minutes, forced five turnovers and scored once on a 20-yard fumble return.

On special teams, DeSoto boomed seven touchbacks, and added a TD on an 82-yard kickoff return.

Other than Romonte' Hampton's 149 yards rushing and two TDs, not much went right for the Lions, now 1-2 after losing to Texas High to star the season and beating Dallas Carter in overtime.

The good part: DeSoto arguably presented the toughest challenge on a schedule that still includes heavyweights like Plano East on the road next Friday and Copperas Cove at home the next week.

In district, JT faces the tough task of trying to make the top four.

And although JT struggled badly Friday, the playoffs remain a possibility; with Robert E. Lee (2-1) the lone District 12-5A team sporting a winning record after the Red Raiders needed a late field goal to beat a winless Class 4A squad in Dallas Kimball.

Following a bye, Longview enters Week 3 at 1-1, with JT, Mesquite Horn and North Mesquite all even with 1-2 records, and Mesquite still winless at 0-3.

The words first-year JT coach Dereck Rush uttered earlier in the week become even more important now, with the Lions hoping to extend their season like last year when they started off 0-4 and rebounded to go 4-3 the rest of the way.

"Right now I'm stressing us getting better," Rush said, "And taking it one game at a time."

Harold Wilson
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