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Denton Guyer plays through wet, cold conditions ousting Waco 42-13

MANSFIELD — Denton Guyer running back D.J. Breedlove wasn’t perfect Friday night.

But on a night when the weather and wet footballs caused headaches for both teams, Breedlove did plenty right in helping Guyer to a 42-13 win over Waco in the area round of the Class 4A Division I playoffs at Vernon Newsom Stadium.

Breedlove rushed for 150 yards on 17 carries and scored a touchdown to lead Guyer’s rushing attack. But he might have won the game with his punt returns, scoring from 28 and 97 yards — the shortest and longest punt return touchdowns in school history.

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“We knew all week long that if we got our hands on it, we had a good chance of scoring on those returns,” Guyer coach John Walsh said. “They keep their offensive linemen in on punt coverage, and we feel good about D.J. in space.”

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Guyer (10-2) will play the winner of Saturday’s El Paso Chapin vs. Amarillo game in the regional semifinals at 1 p.m. Nov. 30 at Lubbock’s Lowrey Field.

After a scoreless first quarter, Guyer quickly tied the score at 7 with a 7-yard run by quarterback Jerrod Heard. Then after the Guyer defense forced a three-and-out on Waco’s next possession, Breedlove went to work.

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Waco (8-4) was forced to punt into a stiff 20-mph wind from its 4-yard line, and Breedlove went untouched to score on the return from 28 yards out, giving Guyer its first lead with just less than 10 minutes to play in the first half.

Guyer struggled offensively the remainder of the half and overcame a Breedlove fumble deep in its own territory to hold Waco off the scoreboard aside from a 102-yard kickoff return from Tyler Taylor.

Waco had a chance to reclaim the lead on the first drive of the second half, but Guyer’s defense forced a three-and-out to start the half, and Breedlove redeemed himself for two fumbles.

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With the wind at his back, Waco quarterback Traynham Moore punted the ball over Breedlove’s head as the senior running back retreated 30 yards to his own 3-yard line before picking the ball up and taking off.

He hit a pile of players at the Guyer 25-yard line and emerged to scamper for a 97-yard touchdown. Walsh said he was yelling at Breedlove to not field the punt inside his own 5-yard line, but his concern quickly changed to joy.

“I was going to do it regardless,” Breedlove said. “I wanted to make a play for my team because I knew I messed up earlier on that fumble. I just wanted to do whatever I could to help my team out, and I knew if I just got past their gunners — their fast guys — I could make a big play.”

Waco stayed in the game in the first half with the help of two Guyer turnovers and the big kickoff return for Taylor — his fifth of the season. Guyer held Waco to 40 total yards in the second half.