Friday, September 13, 1996

Wylie hosting Class 4A's Graham
By MARK WILSON
Staff Writer

While the offense was certainly pulling its share of the load, the Wylie defense proved to be a dominant force in the Bulldogs' 28-7 season-opening win over Hamlin last Friday.

While Wylie was recording a 334-184 margin in total offense, the Bulldog defense allowed only three first downs in the first half (11 in all). Defensive backs Grant Gregg and Carr Gamble each intercepted a pass, and Marc Deffenbaugh recovered a fumble. Hamlin, featuring talented quarterback Chas Shira, was unable to score until the final quarter.

"I thought it was a great team defensive effort," Wylie head coach Hugh Sandifer said. "They did a great job all night of giving the offense good field position. That was a big key in the game."

The Bulldogs face another big game tonight when they battle Class 4A Graham at 8 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.

The most surprising thing may have been how evenly the numbers of tackles were spread out among individual Bulldog defenders. The leading tacklers were Randy Chambers at tackle and Deffenbaugh at free safety, with five unassisted tackles and one assist apiece. Nose guard Justin Scott had four unassisted tackles, with one behind the line.

"The thing that impressed me was the team effort," Sandifer said. "There was a lot of gang tackling. We really didn't have many major breakdowns.

"We did a good job of putting pressure on the quarterback. We deflected a couple and intercepted a couple. When they ran the football, I thought we really did a good job of pursuing and gang tackling."

Sandifer wasn't surprised to see his Bulldogs start the season with a strong defensive effort.
"I felt like we had a real good defensive scrimmage against (San Angelo) Lake View," he said. "I saw a lot of good signs there, and it carried over."

The Wylie coach believes that the defense must continue to come through while the offense goes through the usual process of jelling and maturing early in the season.

"That will be crucial to our success," Sandifer said. "It usually takes longer for the offense to get going at the start of the season."

One of the players Sandifer cited for outstanding defensive play was junior Justin Scott, who started at both quick guard on offense and nose guard on defense.

"I thought he had a really good game," Sandifer said. "He played up and down the line well. That was something new to him, playing both ways."

Gamble's interception and 32-yard return - dimmed only slightly by an illegal block penalty at the end of it - put the Bulldogs at the Hamlin 27, setting up the second touchdown of the night by Deffenbaugh.

"Carr Gamble in the secondary (at cornerback) had several tackles and broke up a couple of passes and had an interception in his first start in the secondary," Sandifer added. "I thought he had a real good game."

Deffenbaugh, a starter at free safety and a reserve running back, sat out his junior year of football after having reconstructive shoulder surgery.

"We brought him back to the secondary, and with Todd Barnett at strong safety, that was a big addition to the secondary," Sandifer said. "That frees up the front seven when you have a little more speed back there.

"It was one of our better performances as far as team defense. Everybody did a great job of taking care of their responsibilities and they all got results. We're going to have to have that. We're going to have to have our TNTs, linebackers and secondary perform for us to be successful."