Decatur senior running back Jake Milligan rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries in the Eagles’ 91-8 District 5-4A Division I road win over Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis Thursday at Herman Clark Stadium. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

It only took the Decatur Eagles two quarters in their Week 7 matchup to tie the program’s point record. And for good measure, they tacked on two more scores in the second half to set a new high scoring mark. 

Decatur (4-2) improved to 3-0 in District 5-4A Division I and extended its win streak to four games following a 91-8 road rout against Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis Thursday at Herman Clark Stadium.

“Going into this game, we were really focused on our preparation,” Decatur coach Steve Huff said. “It was a short week playing on a Thursday, and it was the first time in a while that we actually had school on game day. There were some things going on that were a little bit strange, but I really appreciate the kids’ effort in terms of preparing for this week. We’re still a young team, and we keep emphasizing the maturity factor — finding out how mature we are. 

With 91 points, Decatur surpassed its previous points record set in a 77-0 home victory over Carrollton Ranchview nearly 21 years ago on Oct. 15, 2004, and ties for the fifth most points scored by a team in Class 4A. 

Decatur senior defensive lineman Garrison Fay works to chase down Diamond Hill-Jarvis quarterback Elijah Hernandez in the Eagles’ 91-8 Week 7 District 7-4A win Thursday at Herman Clark Stadium. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

Following a slow start to the game in which the Eagles were flagged for three of four holding calls in the first 3 minutes, the Eagles’ offense reeled off 42 straight points in the first quarter.

Decatur held a 56-point lead before Diamond Hill-Jarvis quarterback Elijah Hernandez helped to avoid a shutout with a 6-yard pass to wide receiver Dominic Davis, followed by a successful 2-point conversion pass to wide receiver Isaiah Lewis. 

The Eagles responded by tacking on three more scores in the first half to hold a 77-8 advantage at halftime. 

With the game clock shortened to 10-minute quarters and running in the second half, Decatur emptied the sidelines and sent in its reserves — a move that resulted in two more scores late. 

Decatur senior running back Jake Milligan (2) celebrates with junior wide receiver Kasey Boner (11) after scoring his third rushing touchdown in the Eagles’ Week 7 win over Diamond Hill-Jarvis Thursday. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

The ground game proved to be effective for the Eagles against Diamond Hill-Jarvis, as five players stepped across the goal line, combining for nine touchdowns. 

Decatur running back Jake Milligan was the most productive rusher for the Eagles, amassing 87 yards and three scores (1, 2, 24) on nine carries.

“That was my first big game of the season,” Milligan said. “I’ve been notching one or two touchdowns a game, but this is my first three-score game… I was hurt in the playoff game against Aubrey and didn’t get to suit up, so I wanted to come back this year to help lead the team and make an impact. My goal is to get over 1,000 rushing yards and just put up as many touchdowns as I can.”

Decatur senior running back Jamari Fletcher scored two of the Eagles’ nine rushing touchdowns in a 91-8 District 7-4A win over Diamond Hill-Jarvis Thursday at Herman Clark Stadium. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

Returning for his senior season after dealing with a wrist injury last year, running back Jamari Fletcher added two scores measuring 18 and 49 yards. He finished with 75 yards on three carries.

“The only thing I can say is that we practice real hard to get where we’re at, despite any external factor,” Fletcher said. “I’ve got to thank the offensive linemen because they do a lot — they get yelled at by Coach Huff, but we still love them. I had a cast on for 10 games last year, and I wanted to come out this year and prove that I’m still a top back in this district.”

Sophomore running back Cooper Duncan was second on the team in carries, running the ball five times for 75 yards. He reached the end zone on 24 and 13-yard runs.

“We don’t get the chance to play a lot, and when we do, it’s just a few plays at a time,” Duncan said. “To have two touchdowns tonight is definitely huge, and I’m excited I had the chance to help my team. I always want to get in, and I want to score and show everyone what I’m made of. The experience we get in games like this will hopefully help us make a deep playoff run this season.”

Decatur sophomore quarterback Rhys Ragan completed eight of his nine passing attempts for 140 yards and three touchdowns against Diamond Hill Jarvis in a Week 7 District 7-4A matchup Thursday at Herman Clark Stadium. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

Also in the mix of Decatur’s run game, running backs Akilyz Rivera (32) and Alex Pantoja (25) notched solo scores. 

The Eagles dominated Diamond Hill-Jarvis in total yardage, holding a 409-yard advantage — 496 to 87.

Playing exclusively in the first half, Decatur quarterback Rhys Ragan completed eight of his nine passing attempts for 140 yards and three touchdowns. 

Ragan’s top target was wide receiver Wyatt Dunn with four receptions for 51 yards and one touchdown. The Eagle signal caller also tossed scoring passes to wide receivers Chase Berg (38) and Kasey Boner (20). 

Decatur’s defense also played a big part in the victory, amassing three interceptions by defensive backs Elijah Molina and Ryder Holmes and linebacker Keaton Goode. Holmes returned his pick for a 30-yard score. 

The Eagles completely shut down the opposition’s run game, resulting in negative 4 net yards. Hernandez was 11-of-30 for 91 yards against Decatur’s defense, with three picks. 

“Defense was well-prepared, and the integrity of our pass rush was really good tonight,” Huff said. “A team like Jarvis can spread you all over the field and make you look bad in a hurry… They were in empty and quads a lot, so we were already down a pass rusher for the most part. The kids did a good job of staying in position which resulted in the picks, and we did really well chasing tonight, too. [Hernandez] is a very elusive kid, but we were able to keep pressure on him.”

Decatur senior linebacker Shane Elosegui sacks Diamond Hill-Jarvis quarterback Elijah Hernandez in the first half of the Eagles’ 91-8 win Thursday at Herman Clark Stadium. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

The Eagles return home to host Fort Worth Western Hills in Week 8 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17.

The Cougars (2-3, 1-1) are on their bye week in Week 7 following a 76-6 Week 6 win over Diamond Hill-Jarvis. 

“Coach [Blake] Moilan and his staff do a really good job at Western Hills,” Huff said. “For us, we’ve got to hunker back down and get our kids vision back straight after a game like this. They’re still in the middle of things in the district in terms of trying to get a playoff spot. We know they’ve got a very dangerous running back, so we need to work on tackling well. Their defense is along the same lines as ours, so that won’t change a whole lot of things — just a few things here and there. Like I keep saying, it’s all about us getting better every week.” 

Decatur senior running back Alex Pantoja carries in a 25-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of Decatur’s 91-8 Week 7 District 7-4A win over Diamond Hill-Jarvis Thursday at Herman Clark Stadium. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

Key takeaways

Eagles’ run game loaded with weapons

Decatur’s rushing attack tore through Diamond Hill-Jarvis’ defense, racking up 356 of the Eagles’ 496 total yards.

A total of eight players toted the rock, with Milligan (9-87), Fletcher (3-75) and Cooper (5-75) doing the most damage.

Ragan remains hot after big start

Ragan didn’t need to throw six touchdowns like he did in Week 7 against Fort Worth Eastern Hills, but he still played a pivotal part in the win.

He’s now thrown for 1,282 yards and 24 touchdowns, and has a 63.4 completion percentage (78-of-123) through six games.

Ragan remains the lone Wise County quarterback to not throw an interception this season.

Decatur continues to dominate in district games

The Eagles’ Week 7 victory over Diamond Hill-Jarvis is Decatur’s 16 in 17 league games under coach Steve Huff.  

Decatur will look to build momentum before facing Springtown in a Week 9 showdown 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at Porcupine Stadium that will likely determine the league championship. 

Free story access is brought to you by Barefoot Pools.