Rider escapes Decatur with 30-24 win in OT
DECATUR – It took nearly an entire game for the Rider offense to find a spark Friday night. But once it did, a fire was lit under the Raiders that Decatur couldn’t extinguish.
The Raiders overcame a 15-point deficit in the final 4:37 of regulation and escaped Eagle Stadium with a 30-24 overtime victory, improving their record to 2-0. Decatur falls to 0-2 following the heartbreaking loss.
“We didn’t play very well offensively, and we’ve got a lot to fix,” Rider coach Marc Bindel said. “But I think we learned a lot about our team tonight. That’s a very adverse situation to be in – down 15 with less than five minutes to go. We didn’t fold, didn’t give up. Win or lose, we didn’t quit and kept battling, and that’s why we won.”
Decatur pushed its lead to 24-9 when star running back Nate Palmer scored on a 33-yard run with 4:37 remaining in the game. It seemed like the final nail in Rider’s coffin.
But 18 seconds later, Rider quarterback Jack Pitts found Baylor Wilson for an 82-yard touchdown, and then connected with Tobias Oliver on the two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 24-17.
The Raiders held Decatur to a three-and-out and quickly moved down the field. Pitts found Tyrone Morgan for a 16-yard score, but a personal foul penalty turned the chip-shot extra point into a 35-yard attempt by sophomore Kenji Johnson.
Johnson’s leg was true, and the Raiders pulled even at 24-all.
Decatur pushed deep into Rider territory on its final drive, setting up a 23-yard field goal by Elezar Aldape, who had already hit from 20 yards in the second quarter. But Aldape’s kick was no good, sending the game into overtime.
Rider had the first overtime possession, scoring on a 1-yard run by Anquan Willis. Johnson missed the extra point, though, putting pressure on Rider’s defense to keep Decatur out of the end zone.
The Eagles had a fourth-and-long, opting to hand the ball off to Palmer on a counter, and the OU commit broke a 14-yard TD run. However, the Eagles were called for holding at the 2-yard line, backing them up to the 12.
Decatur quarterback Preston Escobar rolled out to his right on the game’s final play, throwing a jump ball into the end zone that Morgan intercepted for the Raiders to seal the win.
Rider 30, Decatur 24 (OT)
Rider 7 0 2 15 6 -30
Decatur 0 12 0 12 0 -24
FIRST QUARTER
R – Jack Pitts 1 run (Kenji Johnson kick), :39
SECOND QUARTER
D – Nate Palmer 19 pass from Preston Escobar (Elezar Aldape kick), 11:33
D – Safety, 2:04
D – FG, Aldape 20, :09
THIRD QUARTER
R – Safety, 6:28
FOURTH QUARTER
D – Escobar 1 run (kick blocked), 10:17
D – Palmer 33 run (run failed), 4:37
R – Baylor Wilson 82 pass from Pitts (Tobias Oliver pass from Pitts), 4:19
R – Tyrone Morgan 16 pass from Pitts (Johnson kick), 2:25
OVERTIME
R – Anquan Willis 1 run (kick blocked)
TEAM STATS
First downs: (R ) 11; (D) 14
Rushing: (R ) 36-122; (D) 44-126
Passing: (R ) 8-26-1—198; (D) 17-26-1—125
Punting: (R ) 5-40.6; (D) 9-37.3
Fumbles: (R ) 1-1; (D) 1-0
Penalties: (R ) 13-101; (D) 10-70
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: (R ) Anquan Willis 22-101; (D) Nate Palmer 21-84, Preston Escobar 22-44.
PASSING: (R ) Jack Pitts 8-26-1—198; (D) Escobar 17-26-1—125.
RECEIVING: (R ) Baylor Wilson 2-107, Xavier Banks 1-51; (D) Landon Felts 9-85, Palmer 3-16. RECORDS: Rider 2-0; Decatur 0-2.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Rider Raiders at Decatur Eagles 2022 high school football score 30-24
