Photo by Shiela K. Haynes
Raiders quarterback Jesse Brubaker sheds a would-be tackler to pick up a couple more yards. The sophomore signalcaller completed 9-of-17 passes for 108 yards and rushed for another 123 yards on 18 carries.

By Shiela K. Haynes

Wylie East had Rockwall on the ropes late with Dylan Cook’s 28-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 38-35 lead with under three minutes remaining. But the Yellowjackets quick response put them back in control 42-38. On their final drive, the Raiders moved the ball to midfield but an interception ended the rally.

Raiders quarterback Jesse Brubaker completed 9-of-17 passes for 108 yards. He rushed for another 123 yards on 18 carries; he scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion. Jabari Anderson added 119 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Brandon Young recorded 112 all-purpose yards. In addition to the 28 yarder late, Cook kicked field goals of 40 and 26 and connected on three point-after attempts.

The Raiders defense forced the Yellowjackets to turn the ball over on downs twice, one of those on a fourth and goal from the 2-yard line. Tre Eggins came up with a huge fumble recovery at the Rockwall 33 and set the stage for East’s score that tied the contest at 35-all.

The Pirates took care of business when they knocked off Rockwall Heath 35-21 Friday at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium. They eclipsed the Hawks in every statistical category.

Pirates quarterback Nico Ramirez connected on 13-of-24 passes for 167 yards. He rushed for another 153 yards and four touchdowns. Jermaine Merdock put up 93 all-purpose yards.

Wylie controlled the game throughout, but a couple of special teams miscues left the door open for the Hawks who scored on a 79-yard punt return. They also gave up an 85-yard interception return for touchdown.

The Hawks had their share of mishaps with two interceptions and two lost fumbles. Their only offensive score came on a 4-yard pass with just seconds remaining on the contest. Otherwise, a stingy Pirates defense held the opponent to 256 total yards, 210 rushing and just 46 yards receiving.

Relus Harris and Andre Moseley each tallied an interception; Beau Cobb and Tyler Mathers recovered a fumble each.

In other District 10-4A action, Highland Park rolled to a 5-0 district record with a 49-0 crushing at McKinney North. J.J. Pearce topped McKinney 38-28.

With two games remaining on the district schedule, perfect Highland Park has clinched a postseason berth. North, Wylie, Rockwall, and Pearce are locked up at 3-2. McKinney is hanging on with a 2-3 district record. Heath has fallen out of playoff contention with a 1-4 record. Wylie East is 0-5.

East pays a visit to McKinney for a Thursday night matchup. Take special note of the early kickoff at 7 p.m. at Ron Poe Stadium. Wylie brings in Pearce for Friday’s homecoming contest. Rockwall hosts North and Heath is at Highland Park.