By Moses Leos III
For the third straight week, the Hays Rebels’ inability to halt a high-powered offense put their postseason hopes on the ropes.
Five touchdowns from quarterback Preston Wheeler lifted the Bowie Bulldogs past Hays in a 41-7 romp Thursday at Shelton Stadium.
Thursday’s defeat marks the third straight loss for Hays (3-6, 3-4), which will finish with more than five losses for the second time since 1985. The loss drops Hays to sixth in 14-6A with one game remaining.
The Rebels’ final hope lies in their game against Akins on Friday. For Hays quarterback Braeden Kent, going back to his early success is the key to possibly earning a playoff berth.
“We have to play the way we were playing at the start of the year,” Kent said. “Ever since we lost to Austin, we’ve been in this downhill thing. We’re a good team but we haven’t shown it lately.”
Hays’ defense struggled to suppress Wheeler, who threw for 216 yards and five scores. Wheeler gained 201 passing yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone.
Bowie’s dominance began with a 76-yard strike from Wheeler to wide receiver Josh Wainwright. Bowie led 7-0 with 6:36 left in the first quarter and proceeded to pad their lead.
Led by Wheeler, Bowie tallied 20 points in the final 12:17 of the first half; Bowie held a 27-0 lead at intermission.
The consistent theme for the Bulldogs was attacking the middle of the field through the air. Four of Wheeler’s five touchdown passes were thrown over the middle of the field.
While the Bulldog offensive held success, Hays’ offense couldn’t get off the ground. Stymied by a powerful Bowie defensive front, Hays’ offensive line struggled to generate forward movement. It led to the team amassing less than 100 yards rushing on the night.
Adding to Hays’ issues were miscues, primarily penalties. The Rebels amassed over 50 yards in penalties on the night.
Losing leading rusher Cody Gandy to injury was the primary factor in their struggles. Gandy was lost for the season against Westlake on Oct. 17.
Kent said losing Gandy’s explosiveness on offense limited their capabilities, both on the ground and through the air.
Taking away Gandy allowed the Bowie defense to limit the Rebel pass attack.
Running back Tyrese Atwood, who filled in for Gandy, led the Rebels with 43 yards on 15 carries. Kent passed for 75 yards and a touchdown.
“We had to change the way we played our game,” Kent said. “We had to put the ball in the air more it led to smaller [throwing] windows.”
Bowie tallied a score in the third quarter before Hays responded.
Atwood and Kent led Hays on a nine play, 77-yard drive, capped off with a three yard touchdown run from Kent. Bowie added one final score in the third to cap the scoring.
Kent said limiting miscues allowed Hays to break up the shutout.
“We realized there was nothing we could do about what happened in the past,” Kent said. “We acted like it was a zero-zero game. We could move the ball, do what we needed to do and not make those errors.”
With one game left, Hays must defeat Akins to have a chance at a postseason berth. They also must have Austin High lose their final two games, and have Del Valle lose at least one of their two games.
But with the loss to Austin still lingering, Kent said the team must focus on Akins.
“It hurt our morale because it was homecoming and a team we should have beaten,” Kent said. “But it’s over now, and we’re now focused on Akins.”
