Decatur senior wide reciever Chase Berg elevates for a reception in the Eagles 35-24 home loss to Argyle Liberty Christian Friday. Berg led the Eagles’ receiving corps with 91 yards on five catches. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
Trailing by 14 late in the first half, the Decatur Eagles rallied to make two-time defending TAPPS Division I state champion Argyle Liberty Christian sweat it out.
Decatur (0-2) fought its way back to take a 3-point lead 4 seconds into the fourth quarter, but a pair of short yardage rushing touchdowns by Warrior quarterback Quinn Murphy sealed the contest in Liberty Christian’s favor, 35-24.
“I don’t think we kept it close — I think we were in it to take care of business, and we just didn’t get it done,” Decatur coach Steve Huff said. “You’ve got to make the big plays when the game presents them, and unfortunately, we didn’t make them tonight. I cannot deny our kids’ effort tonight. They played their tails off. We just got into some situations, and we’re still young at times. But we’re getting better, and that’s what we need to see now. This was really good competition for us.”
Murphy and wide receiver Cooper Witten — recently tapped as a 5-star 2027 recruit by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football — fueled Liberty Christian’s quick start, accounting for 148 yards and two touchdowns on three connections to put the Eagles in a 2-score hole.
Witten finished with six catches for 197 yards to lead the Warriors in both receptions and receiving yards.
Decatur senior linebacker Wesley Morton (15) celebrates after bringing down Argyle Liberty Christian running back Correll Burkhalter in the Eagles’ 35-24 Week 3 home loss Friday. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
In a span of about 10 minutes, the Eagles rolled of 17 straight points. Decatur sophomore quarterback Rhys Ragan hit junior wide receiver Kasey Boner on an 8-yard throw with 2:26 left in the first quarter, and found senior running back Jamari Fletcher open for a 15-yard toss on the team’s first offensive possession of the second frame. sophomore kicker Anthony Weeks tacked on three points with a 27-yard field goal.
“Coming back from being down 14-0, the kids showed a lot of grit, and I appreciate that,” Huff said. “We did some things tonight that were a little bit different and moved some people around. Our backs ran hard, and we got the dirty 5-yard runs that we needed to be patient enough to take. We had some shots open up because of that — we hit a few of them, and then we didn’t quite make some.”
Liberty Christian regained the lead with 2:45 left in the first half with a 56-yard touchdown bomb from Murphy to wide receiver Graham Nixon.
Murphy completed 11 of his 24 passing attempts for 282 yards and three touchdowns.
The Eagles marched all the way down to the Warriors’ 1 yard line as time expired in the third quarter. On Decatur’s first play of the final frame, junior running back Akilyz Rivera carried a 1-yard run over the goal line, giving the home team a 24-21 advantage.
Decatur could not stop the Warriors’ momentum late, as Murphy scored on consecutive Liberty Christian on carries measuring 5 and 1 yards, respectively.
Decatur senior running back Jamari Fletcher runs past Argyle Liberty Christian defensive back Chris Munster and carries in a 15-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Rhys Ragan in the Eagles’ 35-24 Week 3 home loss Friday. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
The running back combo of Fletcher and senior Jake Milligan combined for 133 of the Eagles’ 142 rushing yards. Fletcher led the team with 16 carries for 70 yards, while Milligan tacked on 63 yards on 17 carries.
Senior wide receiver Chase Berg snagged five catches for 91 yards to serve as the Eagles’ leading receiver. Fletcher also showed off his ability to be a dual-threat back, racking up 68 yards on three receptions.
Ragan threw all but one pass in the loss, finishing 17-of-35 for 234 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
Liberty Christian running back Correll Burkhalter was the Warriors bell cow back, accumulating 84 yards on 21 rushes.
Decatur sophomore quarterback Rhys Ragan completed 17 of his 36 passing attempts for 234 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-24 Week 3 loss to Argyle Liberty Christian Friday at Eagle Stadium. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
In Week 4, Decatur will play the second of its 3-game home stand. The Eagles welcome Graham for their non-district finale 7 p.m. Sept. 18.
Graham (2-1) routed Whitesboro at home in the teams’ Week 3 matchup, 35-7.
The Eagles will look to not only claim their first win of the 2025 campaign, but also use lessons learned in a 34-14 road loss to the Steers last season.
“Last year, we went [to Graham] and we got embarrassed,” Huff said. “I know our kids still remember that. You don’t go into next week’s game approaching it like you’re trying to make up for that. They’re still a good football program, and they’re going to be getting better. It’s going to be a heck of a ballgame.”
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