Decatur sophomore quarterback Rhys Ragan completed 14 of his 17 passing attempts for 249 yards and six touchdowns in the Eagles’ 57-24 District 5-4A Division I road win over Fort Worth Eastern Hills Friday at Scarborough-Handley Stadium. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

Decatur sophomore quarterback Rhys Ragan fought his way through a quarterback battle during the offseason to become the Eagles’ signal caller in his first varsity season — inheriting the job from former quarterback Jed Ross. 

“There were a lot of nerves, but definitely a lot of excitement, as well,” Ragan said. “I was excited for the opportunity to show what I can do in front of a bunch of people. I’ve always played quarterback when I was a kid, and it just really felt like it was my time.”  

Ragan’s fears have seemingly subsided in the first six weeks of the season. His big performance in Week 6 helped the Eagles pick up their second District 5-4A Division I win in their first league road test.

Decatur (3-2) improved to 2-0 in league play after overpowering Fort Worth Eastern Hills 57-24 Friday at Scarborough-Handley Field.

Ragan threw for 249 yards and six touchdowns — five of which came in the first half — completing 14 of his 17 passing attempts.

“It’s pretty special to me to have a game like this,” Ragan said. “I like knowing we can come out here and play against our district opponents and put up points. What really helped me tonight was my receivers getting open and my [offensive] line doing its job. Those guys definitely deserve credit.” 

With wins in his first two district outings, Ragan wants to lead the Eagles to their first district title since 2023. 

“I do think we are good enough to win the whole thing,” Ragan said. “I really like the talent we have, especially with all of our young guys that just keep improving every week. We’ve also got a bunch of veterans who have been playing for quite some time, and they’re helping us get to where we need to be.”

Decatur coach Steven Huff likes what he’s seen from his first-year quarterback.

“During the time span through the summertime, we saw Rhys getting better and better, especially his improvement in accuracy,” Huff said. “He’s got a lot a great attributes of a quarterback, does a good job in the read game, and he’s definitely got speed when he wants to pull the ball and get out. Rhys is real businesslike because he’s working all of the time. He’s really fun to coach.” 

Decatur running back Akilyz Rivera races down the Eagles’ sideline for a big gain in a 57-24 District 5-4A Division I win over Fort Worth Eastern Hills Friday at Scarborough-Handley Field. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

Ragan gave the Eagles a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter after tossing touchdowns to sophomore wide receiver Wyatt Dunn (63) and senior running back Jake Milligan (42).

Senior running back Jamari Fletcher punched in two straight scores in second quarter — a 1-yard touchdown run and a 5-yard pass from Ragan — building up the Eagles’ advantage to 27-0 before Eastern Hills running back Prince Hill carried in a 10-yard touchdown run.

Ragan responded to the Highlanders’ score with two more of his own in the first half, connecting with junior wide receiver Kasey Boner and senior wide receiver Chase Berg from 4 and 13 yards out, respectively.

The Eagles’ defense got into the action just before halftime. Decatur senior linebacker Shane Eloseugi brought down Eastern Hills quarterback Kendrid Durst in the Highlanders’ end zone for a safety, while senior linebacker Jackson Hogan returned a 28-yard fumble to give the Eagles a 50-8 lead at the break.

“This was a good win for us, and I didn’t expect [the outcome] at all because [Eastern Hills] is a very good, dangerous football team that’s improved a lot from last year. We were fortunate to get ahead of them early and turn them over a little bit. But the aggravating part is that they turned us over twice in the first half. Adjusting to their speed is really hard to do, and their two running backs are really good. But I liked how the kids settled into the game spread the ball around to the perimeter and made them run.”

Decatur running back Jamari Fletcher (0) celebrates a 1-yard touchdown run by making snow angels in the end zone against Fort Worth Eastern Hills Friday at Scarborough-Handley Field. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

Just before sending the Eagles’ reserve players into the game, Ragan’s final touchdown pass came on a 4-yard toss to Berg.  

The Eagles will have a short week to prepare for their Week 7 5-4AI road battle against Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Herman Clark Stadium. 

Diamond Hill-Jarvis (1-4, 1-0) suffered a 76-6 road loss to Fort Worth Western Hills in its league opener Friday.

“The main message will be that this is a short turnaround,” Huff said. “So rather than trying to get a bunch of stuff made up, it’s all about us getting better at what we’re doing. We always game plan every week, but you really have to narrow it down on a short week. Hopefully, we’ll continue to get better — that’s what it boils down to. We’ve got to not leave our feet when we tackle, not fumble the ball and not do stuff that was uncharacteristic for us tonight.” 

Decatur linebacker Keaton Goode brings down Eastern Hills running back Chris Jackson for a loss in the Eagles’ 57-24 District 5-4A Division I win Friday at Scarborough-Handley Field. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER

Key takeaways

Ragan keeps fire burning under center 

It seems that Decatur sophomore quarterback Rhys Ragan continues to improve with each passing week. In five games this season, he’s thrown for 1,142 yards and 21 touchdowns with a 61.4 completion percentage (70-of-114). In the Eagles’ two league matchups, he’s completed 20 of his 24 passing attempts for 424 yards and 10 scores. 

Eagles on league hot streak under Huff

With a 2-0 start in District 5-4A Division I, Decatur has won 15 of its 16 league matchups since coach Steve Huff arrived from College Station before the start of the 2022 season. The team’s lone district defeat was a 41-38 double-overtime loss to rival Springtown Nov. 1, 2024.

Defense taking advantage of turnovers

With a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception against the Highlanders in Week 6, Decatur’s defense has grabbed five turnovers in its first two district matchups. The Eagles have returned two of them for touchdowns. 

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