On the following possession, Salado had first-and-goal and once again it failed to come away with points.
“We needed to capitalize on those two early possessions,” Eagles coach Jeff Cheatham said. “We’re in the red zone and weren’t able to get those in and then the momentum turned on us.”
Things went downhill quick as the Eagles lost a fumble that ignited Rice’s offense as the Raiders blew past Salado 31-7 Friday night in a windy Class 2A Division I bi-district playoff game at Matador Stadium.
The District 25-2A runner-up Eagles finished 7-4 after reaching the Division I state semifinals last season.
Rice (10-0) advanced to the area round to play Geronimo Navarro (10-1), which ripped Comfort 41-7.
With the blustery wind at its back, Salado took control early.
The Eagles stopped Raiders running back Zacchaeus Foster - who had rushed for 1,286 yards this season but mustered just 45 on Friday - for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-2.
Using quick counts, Salado running back Tyler Wright gashed the defense for gains of 28 and 15 yards, setting up a first-and-10 at the Raiders 15. But after a Wright 1-yard run and two Garret Ward carries that netted 4 yards, Logan Foster was stopped short on fourth down.
After Rice was unable to move the ball on three straight carries to Foster, its punter was under heavy pressure and had a minus-3-yard kick, setting Salado up at the 10.
Three straight carries by Wright gained 5 yards and forced fourth down, then Jace Peralta’s 22-yard field-goal attempt was wide left.
“Not getting it in gave them some momentum and then we gave them a short field to work with,” Cheatham said.
On the Eagles’ following possession, Wright fumbled, giving the Raiders the ball at the Salado 31 and the spark their offense needed.
Receiver Mario Hull (three catches, 108 yards) outjumped defensive backs John Cruz and Trae Liller for a 30-yard grab to the 1. Quarterback Myles Dumont (11-for-19 for 186 yards and three TD) ran it in on the next play for a 6-0 lead.
Salado then went three-and-out and Rice took over at the Eagles 33.
Dumont found Matt Sosa for 15 yards, Nick Duarte for 10, Johnny Castenada for 5 and hit Marques Tolliver on a slant for a 4-yard score and a 12-0 lead with 6:22 left in the second quarter.
Another Salado three-and-out gave the Raiders the ball at the Eagles 28.
Dumont found Tolliver for an 8-yard gain and Foster ran twice for 9 yards before Dumont found JJ Reggins, who stretched the ball out for a 10-yard score and an 18-0 lead.
“We knew big plays were a possibility with their receivers,” Cheatham said. “You have to be able to stop the big play and stop Foster and, I’ll tell you, the quarterback did a great job.”
Wright’s 69-yard touchdown scamper gave Salado life heading into halftime down 18-7, but missed opportunities in the second half doomed the Eagles again.
Down 18-7, Salado had a first-and-10 at Rice’s 47, but a 5-yard loss, an illegal procedure penalty and an incompletion stalled the drive.
The Raiders wasted no time as Dumont connected with Hull on their next play for a 67-yard score and 25-7 lead with 6:25 left in the third.
Salado’s troubles continued as its snapper launched the ball over punter Ward, resulting in a 33-yard loss. Two plays later, Rice found the end zone to cap the scoring.
The Eagles, who averaged 335.6 yards of total offense per game, managed just 174 and eight first downs. Wright rushed for 134 yards.
“They’ve got some great linebackers and they were doing a great job of disrupting the line of scrimmage and weren’t able to give us some good lanes,” Cheatham said.
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
