Inside Argyle's state final loss to Wimberley

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A look back at key plays and turning points of Argyle's 21-14 loss to Wimberley in the 3A Div. II state championship game at Cowboys Stadium:

Sick Eagle?

Argyle’s pursuit of its first state football championship began with talk concerning the health of starting quarterback Austin Aune. Talk among booster club tailgaters described the senior suffering from flu-like symptoms. Aune’s absence from pregame warm-ups while backups took practice reps gave Eagles fans cause for concern. Aune took the field with his teammates prior to kickoff and played the entire first half. Whether or not he was affected by illness remained to be seen.

Wimberley just-misses big gain

During Wimberley’s second possession, quarterback Brady Lambert found a receiver deep behind Argyle’s cover only to have the wideout drop the pass at 20.

Two plays later, Argyle linebacker Jimmy Manos defended a third down pas to force the Texans to punt.

Argyle gambles early…

With 5:21 left in the first quarter, Eagles coach Todd Rodgers opted to go for it on 4^th & less than a yard at his own 41. Chadd Bossow took the handoff off left guard for an 8-yard gain.

…and it pays offs

Argyle followed the fourth-down conversion with a focus on the ground, handing the ball to running back Tyler Eveleth on six of the next eight plays. Chadd Bossow carried it down to the 4, but blitzing Wimberley defenders forced the Eagles into 3^rd & goal from the 7. Aune scrambled out of pressure, eluded a tackler, pulled up short and passed to a wide-open Adam Khan in the end zone. The pass was short, leaving Argyle kicker Cole Hedlund to add to his national field goal record, this one from 24 yards out. Argyle led 3-0.

Wimberley goes to the ground

On Wimberley’s ensuing drive, the Texans focused on the ground game. Running back Dennis Smith had first-down runs of 11 and 14 yards. Lambert took advantage of the runs, throwing play-action passes to Brennen Blakemore and Kolby Kelley to move the Texans deep into Argyle territory. Argyle linebacker Carston Bossow sniffed out the screen to Kelley, but was unable to keep him from making a first down. Smith finished the 12-play drive with a 1-yard TD run. Wimberley took the lead, 7-3.

Aune scrambles and scrambles some more

Aune felt pressure much of the first half from a Wimberley pass rush designed to prevent the Argyle quarterback from sprinting left or right. On Argyle’s first play following Wimberley’s touchdown, Aune scooped up a low snap, scrambled, broke a tackle and found Chadd Bossow downfield for a 50-ard gain to the Wimberley 45.  The Eagles converted another first and got as far s the Wimberley 34.

Back-to-back interceptions

Wimberley linebacker Trinity Wilson snuck underneath coverage and grabbed a one-handed interception to thwart Argyle’s drive. Wimberley’s Lambert returned the favor on the very next play, throwing into double coverage. Argyle’s Mano came down with the interception, though teammate Christian Pucciarello was in position to grab the ball, too.

Wimberley’s shaky punt returns

Wimberley punt return Hunter Burttschell fumbled two punt returns – recovering both – in the first half.

Halftime Stats

Wimberley’s defense held Argyle to 134 yards of total offense. Aune’s first-half stat reflected Wimberley’s pass pressure: 5-12-1, 75 yards including a 39-yard completion. Meanwhile, Wimberley rushed for 112 yards against Argyle’s defense.

Another interception

Argyle’s Carton Bossow picked off a pass tipped by teammate Tucker Ray to end Wimberley’s attempt at a last-second score before halftime.

Argyle drives for naught

Argyle took the second half kickoff and marched down the field. Aune found plenty of time in the pocket to find Chadd Bossow for two big gains. Argyle coaches appeared to solve Wimberley’s middle run blitz with off-tackle plays. Eveleth and Bossow also combined to pick up yards on the ground. On 2^nd & goal from the 1, Bossow had the ball knocked from his hands half a yard shy of the goal line. The ball kicked off his foot and bounded out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. Wimberley maintained its 7-3 lead and took over at the 20.

Wimberley strikes with big play

One play after Argyle’s Carston Bossow almost intercepted a Lambert pass, Wimberley’s Smith got a step behind Reese Thompson and completed a 66-yard TD pass. Wimberley extended its lead to 14-3 with 3:46 left in the third quarter.

Argyle answers back

Argyle got back in the game with a 16-play drive covering 64 yards. Key plays included a pas from Aune to Will DeSpain down to the Wimberley 40, a 4^tt & inches QB sneak to the 8 by Aune and his 8-yard TD draw on the next play. Trailing 14-9, Argyle elected to try a two-point conversion. Aune sprinted out of pressure to the right and passed to Chadd Bossow who managed to get one foot down with an inch to spare. Argyle cut Wimberley’s lead to 14-11 with 10:37 left in the game.

Wimberley hits another big play

Two plays after Aune’s TD, Wimberley running back Wilson got outside the Argyle defense and raced 76 yards for a TD. Wimberley gained some breathing room at 21-11 with 9:53 left.

 Argyle’s drives stalls

After forcing a Wimberley punt, Argyle and Aune went to work. The quarterback connected with Chance Bode, then found Khan for 10 and 14 yards to get inside Wimberley’s 45. A botched handoff on second down was recovered by Eveleth, but the Eagles faced 3^rd & 18. Another pass to Khan drew the Eagles into a 4^th & 4 situation. Aune had time to pass, but overthrew Khan on the sideline to turn the ball over on downs with 4:16 remaining.

Interception ends Argyle’s comeback bid

Argyle’s defense forced Wimberley to punt the ball back, setting the offense up at the 16 with 2:21 left. Two plays later, Aune scrambled to by some time in the pocket, then looked deep, but Blakemoore leaped backwards to snap a one-handed interception at the Wimberley 39 with a little more than two minutes left.

In the end…

Wimberley’s combination of big plays and pressure defense proved to be too much for an Argyle offense that made uncharacteristic mistakes. Aune rarely appeared comfortable in the pocket, finishing 22 of 39 for 240 yards and two interceptions. Wimberley’s defense and Argyle’s habit for committing penalties and turnovers in key situations stalled the Eagles’ offense one too many times.