Sir’Maje Wallace throws Mesquite past Tyler Legacy in 10-6A opener

Published 9:03 pm Friday, September 23, 2022

MESQUITE — Sophomore Sir’Maje Wallace threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns as Mesquite took a 37-14 win over Tyler Legacy in the District 10-6A opener Friday night at E.H. Hanby Stadium.

Wallace was 19 of 25 on the night.

Legacy got the ball first and was near midfield at fourth and 2. It appeared like Luke Wolf was going to get the first down with ease, but he eventually was tackled for no gain, giving the ball to the Skeeters, who were forced to a quick three and out.

On the ensuing drive, the Red Raiders had the ball at the 50 and set up to punt when a bad snap went 24 yards before Radarion Wilson recovered the ball for Mesquite at the Legacy 26-yard line. The Skeeters capitalized by picking up a fourth down before Sir’Maje Wallace connected with Jamarion Woods for a 4-yard touchdown to give Mesquite a 7-0 lead with 4:30 on the clock.

The Red Raiders got to the 14-yard line early in the second quarter and set up for a 32-yard field goal, but Christian Baxter’s attempt went off of the right upright. Mesquite needed four plays, including a 49-yard pass from Wallace to Elijah Baesa to score on a 29-yard connection from Wallace to David Robinson, taking a 14-0 lead with 8:29 left in the first half.

The Red Raiders faked a punt on fourth down at the 50, and Mesquite answered with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Wallace to Woods to go up 20-0 with 6:29 on the clock.

Legacy scored its first touchdown since there was 5:37 left in the fourth quarter against Tyler on Sept. 2 when Luke Wolf found Sterlin Burleson for a 36-yard scoring pass with 5:07 left in the second quarter to cut the score to 20-7.

Mesquite’s Brandon Coppage got an interception late in the second quarter, and the Skeeters added to their lead with a 26-yard field goal by Saul Barco as time expired to take a 23-7 lead at halftime.

After getting a defensive stop to start the third quarter, Legacy used a 65-yard pass from Wolf to Nate Crockett to set up a 13-yard touchdown run by Ladarius Yarber with 8:26 on the clock, cutting the score to 23-14.

Mesquite couldn’t handle the ensuing kickoff cleanly, setting the Skeeters up at their own 2-yard line. On the first play, Wallace launched a deep pass to Baesa that resulted in a 98-yard touchdown to make the score 30-14 with 8:06 left in the third quarter.

After Radarion Wilson intercepted Landon Miller, the Skeeters added a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wallace to Jamir Dewberry to make the score 37-14 with 6:39 to play.

The Red Raiders recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter, but were stopped on the goal line twice in the final 9:03 of the game.

Baesa had three catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns for Mesquite, and Woods had five grabs for 69 yards and two scores.

For Legacy, Wolf was 8 of 18 for 136 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for 109 yards on 16 carries. Yarber had 18 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown. Crockett had two catches for 61 yards and three carries for 27 yards. Burleson had two grabs for 42 yards and seven carries for 20 yards.

{span}Alabama defensive end commit Jordan Renaud didn’t play for a majority of the contest. He was nursing an injury during the week.{/span}

Legacy (1-4, 0-1) will have a bye before hosting Rockwall-Heath on Oct. 6. Mesquite will play at Rockwall-Heath on Sept. 30.