Abilene Wylie faces off against No. 8 Wichita Falls Rider in district football clash

Joey D. Richards, Abilene Reporter-News
·2 min read

WYLIE (3-3, 1-0) AT WICHITA FALLS RIDER (4-2, 1-0)

7 p.m. Thursday ✮ Memorial Stadium, Wichita Falls ✮ 101.7 KTJK-FM

What’s riding on the game: Wylie takes it shot at knocking off District 2-5A Division II favorite Wichita Falls Rider. The Raiders are ranked No. 8 in the state, and they’re coming off a big win over Abilene Cooper. Since making the jump to Class 5A in 2018, the Bulldogs are 0-4 against the Raiders – all district games. Rider won 34-19 last year at Sandifer Stadium. The Raiders are 2-0 against the Bulldogs in Wichita Falls – winning 34-7 in 2918 and 35-14 in 2020. Rider won 30-12 in Abilene in 2019. The game will be streamed live at wyliebulldogathletics.com.

Last week: QB Jack Pitts threw for 363 yards and five TDs, and he ran for another in a 51-21 victory over Abilene Cooper in Wichita Falls. QB K.J. Long threw for 263 yards and three TDs while running for another to lead Wylie past Plainview 38-14 in Abilene.

Scouting Rider: Rider, which has played in the region final the past four years, winning twice, is second in the district behind Wylie in offense. The Raiders are averaging 426.3 yards, including 205 passing, and 37.2 points per game. They are giving up 289.2 yards (180.1 passing) and 23.2 points per game. QB Pitts (71-146-6, 1,225 yards, 14 TDs) is third in the league in passing yardage. Jordan Gibbs (93-553, 5 TDs) is second in the league in rushing, while Tobias Oliver (24-336, 4 TDs) is fifth. Since 2018, Lubbock-Cooper is the only team that has beaten the Raiders in district. The Pirates are now in District 2-5A DI with Abilene High.

Bulldogs update: Wylie leads the district in offense (511.5 yards, including 275 passing, and 39.3 points per game). The Bulldogs are allowing (414.2 yards and 31.7 points). Long (106-149-4, 1,650 yards, 17 TDs) leads the district, while Braden Regala (44-679, 4 TDs) is the league’s top receiver. Harrison Heighten (21-445, 6 TDs) is third. RB Landry Carlton (113-626, 4 TDs) is the district’s top rusher.

What the Bulldogs need to do to win: Wylie, which leads the district with a plus-3 turnover margin, must win the turnover battle and do all the little things right to unseat the Raiders. Winning in Wichita Falls won’t be easy, and the Bulldogs will have to weather the storm if things go bad. They can’t allow Pitts to get rolling either.

Joey D. Richards’ prediction: Rider 45, Wylie 38

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Wylie plays Wichita Falls Rider in a District 2-5A DII game