Wylie’s Historical Season Comes To an End

Through the up’s and down’s of the year, it is sad to see Wylie’s season come to an end. The team ended the year with a 10-4 record and a name for themselves. Ever since Wyllie had moved up to class 5A, it was clear that this next level completion would be a struggle for them; however, this year they were able to go on a historical playoff run, making it to round 4 of the playoffs where they would fall to #1 Argyle in a hard fought match up with a final score of 35-28.

The team ended the regular season with a 7-3 record and high hopes for the post season. Nobody had expected much out of the Bulldogs until they won a matchup against #8 WF Rider who has been a tough opponent in past years as well as their crosstown rival Abilene Cooper. With these wins under their belt, the Bulldogs and fans felt like this team would be something special in the post season.

Starting the post season off, the Bulldogs would face off against El Paso High. Wylie was favored in this matchup, and they showed everybody why. The defense in this game came out the very first play and created a take away which would lead to an offensive score within the 1st minute of the game. From here, they would not let off the brakes as they went on to win the game 52-14.
Heading into round 2, the Bulldogs looked like they had their work cut out for them. They would play against Colleyville Heritage from the metroplex who was sure to have some athletes. However, the Bulldogs started off strong and took a 17-0 lead in this game before the Panthers would end up scoring twice before the half to close the gap. The fight would continue before eventually the Panthers took a 10 point lead with less than 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. As the defense took the field, they knew they needed a stop and got just that. With a forced fumble from LB Collin Bruning which would be pick up by DB Josh Patterson, a spark of hope was brought back into the fans. The offense would then put a scoring drive together led by another huge defensive stop. This brought the Bulldogs to a 3 point deficit on Colleyville’s 10 with only 8 seconds left on the clock. QB KJ Long would then air it out to WR Harrison Heighten who would make the grab and win the game.

The Bulldogs next went on to defeat the Canutillo Eagles to earn a spot in the regional championship. In this round 4 playoff game, the Bulldogs would face off against the #1 ranked team in the state of Texas. This team would be the Argyle Eagles who had been undefeated all season. The Bulldogs got off to a slow start but were able to come back and take the lead before half. However, coming out of halftime the eagles started hot and we’re able to pull away the win 35-28.

The 2022-2023 football season was definitely one to remember as Wylie had not won any 5A playoff games prior to this year. The Bulldogs plan to continue their success for the next year and many years to come. Next season they will certainly be a team to watch.