When Guyer defeated Ryan last year in the regular-season finale, it signaled a coming of age for Guyer’s fledgling program.

It gave the Wildcats their first win over Ryan, the town’s football measuring stick, and it gave them the top seed in the Class 4A Division I playoffs, which propelled them to a state semifinal berth.

DRC file photos

LEFT: Guyer quarterback J.W. Walsh runs the ball against Lake Dallas on Oct. 16 at Falcon Stadium. RIGHT: Ryan quarterback Scotty Young runs the ball against Wichita Falls on Oct. 22 at C.H. Collins.

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For Guyer this season, there’s more than pride and seeding on the line, as the Associated Press’ second-ranked Class 4A team will be aiming for its first district title and a perfect regular season.

“This game last year, we were definitely getting prepared for the playoffs, but this year we’re wanting to go 10-0 and we want that gold ball for the district championship,” Guyer senior tight end Austin Otto said. “It’s a different feeling, wanting to go 10-0 as opposed to just getting a good win before the playoffs.” 

For Ryan, the game is no more important than any other the Raiders have played this year. Head coach Joey Florence said playoff momentum and seeding are the most important aspects of tonight’s showdown at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex, which will be televised live at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest. The winner of the game will play Saginaw (4-5) and the loser draws Saginaw Boswell (6-3).

“The district title is not a big objective of ours,” said Florence, who’s won three — along with two state championships — in his nine previous seasons at Ryan. “I think when the UIL starts taking so many teams to the playoffs, the district title isn’t big anymore, it’s not one of our goals anymore.

“Playing a rivalry game is always big. Guyer to us is not a big rival. It’s another rivalry game. We’d like to win. All that is not important, though. What we told our kids is we want to have momentum going into playoffs and it certainly helps your seeding. That’s what we’re playing for. That’s great to win that [district title], but we didn’t win it our first year and we still went to the state title game.”

Guyer head coach John Walsh said the district title isn’t as important to him as it was previously, mainly because of how close the Wildcats (9-0, 6-0) got last year to the ultimate goal of a state title.

“Those [perfect regular season and district title] are all important,” Walsh said. “We definitely want to beat both Denton schools and on the flip side we want to be district champs year in and year out, but the biggest thing is this is a good way to propel us into the playoffs like it was last year. It helped us being on the winning side last year and using that momentum.” 

If Ryan (8-1, 5-1) wins the game, and Lake Dallas defeats The Colony, there will be a three-way tie for the district championship, and Ryan would earn the top seed in Division I. Lake Dallas has already locked down the top seed in Division II. If Lake Dallas loses and Ryan wins, the Raiders would be the district champions based on head-to-head results.

For both teams, their season finale will be one of the tougher games they’ve played all season. Neither team has faced a team with a winning record in district play aside from Lake Dallas, which lost to Guyer 28-21 and defeated Ryan 35-31. Each team had one close call in nondistrict play. But this will likely be one of few times the teams have played a full four quarters this season, and the two coaches have differing feelings about that prospect with the playoffs looming next week.

“I don’t want to play a state-ranked team in Week 10 and go to playoffs next week,” Florence said. “It’s my experience that you get injuries because you can’t rest your kids, but at the same time if you fight for 48 minutes you can sometimes play flat the next week. It’s a tough thing to do to play a rivalry game in Week 10 and play the playoffs the next week. I’d love to see it go four quarters because that means we’re in it. Those guys can blow you out if you’re not careful.” 

Added Walsh: “It’s [not having many close games] a concern of mine and it’s also a luxury because we’ve kept people healthy. I did see us a little gassed in that Lake Dallas game in the fourth quarter. We’re practicing at a high level right now to ward against that. It’s good to know we’re in a big game and we’ll be playing four quarters before we get to the playoffs.”

The game will feature two explosive offenses with different styles.

Ryan is led by quarterback Scotty Young, who’s thrown for 2,900 yards with 39 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He has two big weapons outside in receivers Bud Sasser and Antonio Anderson and an under-the-radar running game led by Kaylon Alexander.

“He [Young] just understands their offense and he throws a very catchable ball,” Walsh said. “His mechanics are exceptional. Whoever coaches him deserves a lot of credit. I coached QBs for a long time, and watching him, he’s a very fluid passer. His brain works at a high pace, too.” 

Guyer’s defense has forced 50 three-and-outs this year in fewer than 100 total possessions, led by its formidable defensive line, which has Ryan offensive tackle Garrett Gramling excited for a challenge.

“We’ve got to get in there and protect Scotty so he has enough time to make the throws,” Gramling said. “No doubt they’re a good defensive line, but we’re going to get out there and block as hard as we can.”

Guyer, which statistically is the most productive offense in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, goes with quarterback J.W. Walsh, who has thrown for 1,623 yards with 20 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has rushed for 890 yards and 16 scores with a 10.9 yards per carry average. Running back Jaimaine Wilhite has racked up 1,047 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“We think it starts with J.W.,” Florence said. “Their quarterback is a big part of what they do. But you also have to respect Wilhite and [receiver Luke] Russell. They have a bunch of weapons but there’s no doubt the quarterback has a lot to do with what they do. You’re not gonna stop J.W., you’re just gonna try to slow him down a little. He’s a great player.” 

ADAM BOEDEKER can be reached at 940-566-6872. His e-mail address is aboedeker@dentonrc.com .