FLOWER MOUND — Argyle did not let an ill-timed eligibility ruling keep it from securing the program’s 18th district title Friday night.
The state’s third-ranked 5A Division II program survived Colleyville Heritage 45-35 at Argyle ISD Stadium without star junior quarterback Hayes Hackney, who was ruled ineligible this week by the District 3-5AII executive committee due to a residency dispute.
Argyle (8-1, 5-0), a state title contender this season, didn’t have to forfeit any games because the same DEC had ruled Hackney eligible in May after he transferred from Prosper Walnut Grove. Hackney's father says the family plans to appeal the ruling to the UIL’s state executive committee.
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In the meantime, Argyle will have to manage without the quarterback who passed for 2,570 yards and 32 touchdowns and threw only two interceptions through eight games.
Argyle did more than manage on offense, recording 481 yards behind backup quarterback Cobe Wilson. The sophomore was 16-of-22 for 219 yards and three touchdowns in his first start.
“I think it’s a next-man-up mentality for our football team,” Argyle coach Todd Rodgers said. “Our messaging this week was ‘Everybody’s got to give one more percent.’ ”
Rodgers said Wilson has trained as a quarterback his whole life and played the position in seventh, eighth and ninth grade. Argyle’s circumstance allowed him to showcase his ability during the last home game of the season.
“We have athletes everywhere and we can get it done, with or without starters,” said Wilson, who admitted he felt nervous before the game.
Senior running back Logan Rexroat rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns, and four-star Texas Tech pledge Julian Caldwell had six catches for 108 yards and two scores. Argyle won its eighth straight game, secured its fifth straight district title and locked up the district’s No. 1 seed on senior night.
But Colleyville Heritage (4-4, 2-2) challenged Argyle's defense in the second half. The team trailed 35-14 at halftime and scored 21 second-half points, coming within one score early in the fourth quarter. A decisive 22-yard field goal from Preston Edwards with 6:47 remaining in the game ended up being Argyle’s last points of the contest.
Colleyville Heritage, which recorded 553 yards of offense Friday and went down 10 points after the Edwards field goal, had the chance to score again. But Argyle’s Walker Bruce came up with an end zone interception with 5:15 remaining.
“That’s a great football team,” Rodgers said of Colleyville Heritage. “They have good players. They’re tough, they’re physical. They’re built a lot like our team. … We’ve had some really big-time shootouts with them.”
Rexroat opened the game’s scoring on a 27-yard rushing touchdown with 9:23 left in the first quarter. Argyle scored again 10 seconds later on a 26-yard touchdown from Wilson to Ake O’Neal, capitalizing off Colleyville Heritage’s fumbled kickoff return.
Caldwell hauled in a 59-yard touchdown from Wilson to give Argyle a 21-0 advantage with 5:51 remaining in the first quarter. Colleyville Heritage started to shave away at the deficit a couple minutes later after Lane Vargas found Lucas Sunwall for a 13-yard score.
Rexroat gave Argyle another three-score lead on a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:13 left in the first quarter. Colleyville Heritage came within two scores with 7:37 remaining in the second quarter after Sameer Johnson caught an 18-yard touchdown from Vargas. A 54-yard touchdown run from Rexroat put Argyle up 35-14 with 5:37 left in the first half.
Colleyville Heritage scored two touchdowns in the third quarter — a 10-yard pass from Vargas to Trevi Preische and another 10-yard throw from Vargas to Sameer Johnson. Argyle scored once in the third quarter on a 23-yard pass from Wilson to Caldwell.
Colleyville Heritage trailed Argyle 42-35 after a 2-yard touchdown run from Vargas with 10:37 left in the fourth.
Argyle wraps its season next week at Nevada Community.
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