Behind the legs of its running game, Denton Ryan has life again.
After starting the year 0-2 against Class 5A powers, Ryan yanked a victory from South Oak Cliff at John E. Kincaide Stadium. The Raiders trailed 14-0 at halftime, only to score 21 unanswered points in a dramatic second-half turnaround behind a punishing running attack and stifling defense.
"We were shell-shocked early, I don't mind telling you," Ryan head coach Joey Florence said. "We just felt like they had a couple of big plays that shocked us a little bit. A lot of teams would have folded at halftime. I just told the kids to stay together at halftime and, man, they did.
"It takes a lot of character to come back and do that."
Ryan (1-2) was barely in the game after another mistake-filled first half and a couple of big plays from South Oak Cliff (2-2) quarterback Garry Jefferson. But Ryan abandoned a passing game that produced just 46 first-half yards in favor of the running game.
The tide turned from there. The Raiders threw the ball only twice after their first second-half drive ended with an interception.
After the interception, Ryan used good field position to score on three straight drives. Running back Major Herron, who had a career day with 67 yards on nine carries, punched the first Ryan score in from 15 yards out in the third quarter.
Quarterback Jay Catlin then scored from a yard out and Tremaine Millender put the Raiders in front for good by capping another short drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
The Raider defense was also critical in the comeback, forcing four straight three-and-outs to open the half. Defensive end Josh Williams, a Nebraska commitment, took over the line of scrimmage and registered two sacks and two tackles for losses after the break.
"I just felt like I had to come in and take over for the team so we could get a victory," Williams said.
South Oak Cliff jumped out fast to open the game, stunning Ryan on its first possession.
On the Golden Bears' third offensive play from scrimmage, quarterback Garry Jefferson hit Jeremy Fry on a slant route, and Fry took it 57 yards for a touchdown.
After South Oak Cliffforced Ryan quarterback Austin Axtell into an interception, Jefferson struck again, this time to Michael Newhouse for a 21-yard score that put the Golden Bears up 14-0 halfway through the first quarter.
It took Ryan a half to get going, but its strong response after the intermission came just in time.
"This is a big win for us after the rough start," Williams said "It gives us motivation going into next week because Abilene is going to be a tough one. It's a momentum change for us since we went 0-2 and got a big victory in a big game like this."
