DENTON – Denton Ryan has figured out the first half, but playing well in the second half continues to elude the team.
For the second straight week, Ryan lost control of the game after the opening half, getting outscored by Arlington Bowie 20-7 in the second half en route to a 27-7 loss on Friday at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.
The wheels came off for Ryan in the fourth quarter. Already up 14-7, Bowie took advantage of two fourth quarter Ryan turnovers to score 13 points and ice the game. Bowie fullback Javayle Fields scored on a 17-yard run on a fake when the entire Raider defense couldn't find who had the ball. Fields walked into the end zone untouched.
A Ryan fumble gave Bowie the ball back shortly after the score, and Bowie capitalized with a 3-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Thomas.
Bowie quarterback Christian Matthews led the surge in the second half. He ran for 94 yards and threw for 89, most of which came after halftime.
After a lackluster first half by both teams, Bowie wasted no time getting its offense going. Bowie used good opening field position on its first drive to take a 14-0 lead thanks to a 1-yard run by Marcus McGraw.
Ryan answered on the next drive however to keep the score within reach. Quarterback Jay Catlin, back on the field after missing the second half of Ryan's loss to Colleyville Heritage last week, sparked a 75-yard scoring drive with a 33-yard run to open the drive. He tossed a beautiful 30-yard pass to receiver Taylor Lokey, who ripped the ball from the Bowie defensive back on the way to the ground.
Catlin threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to James Johnson to cut the Raider deficit to 14-7.
Neither team could get much going in the first half. Ryan dominated much of the first quarter, starting with good field position but was unable to capitalize on it. That was largely because Ryan was whistled for six penalties for 50 yards in the opening frame.
The most damaging penalty came when Ryan recovered a fumbled punt. Ryan would have started well inside Bowie's 20-yard line, but a penalty gave the ball back to Bowie.
Ryan reached Bowie territory on three drives in the first half, the most productive ending at the Bowie 24-yard line when Ryan failed on a fourth down conversion early in the second quarter.
Ryan playmakers Catlin and Taylor Lokey were mostly silent in the first half. Lokey had only one reception and Catlin was held to 21 yards on 10 carries.
Bowie couldn't get much going either. The Volunteers hardly had the ball in the first quarter because of a fumble by quarterback Christian Matthews on Bowie's first offensive play. A Matthews interception ended Bowie's last drive of the half.
Bowie orchestrated the only scoring drive of the first half when Matthews took his team 76 yards. The quarterback accounted for 44 yards on the drive before Keidrick Jackson punched it in from four yards out.
