While the first half of games this season has typically been where the Wylie Pirates (0-3) have succeeded.

It was not their friend tonight. The Pirates lost to the Plano East Panthers 34-17.
Wylie tried to catch Plano East (1-2) off guard with an onside kick to open the game. East managed to recover and fall on the ball, which set up a 42-yard touchdown run from Ismail Mahdi.

He was the catalyst of the Plano East offense, scoring four times and rushing for 262 yards in the win.

After falling down 34-3 through three and a half quarters, Wylie regained the momentum behind a couple of touchdowns. Near the end of the third, Blake Fuller punched the ball in from two yards out for the Pirates’ first touchdown of the game.

Wylie scored again with 6:32 remaining in the fourth quarter to trim the lead to just a two-score game with a two-point conversion attempt. Surprisingly, Wylie elected to kick the extra point instead to keep it a three-score margin.

The Pirates turned the ball over on downs on their final two possessions to end the game. Wylie will gear up for District 9-6A competition next week when they take on Garland High School (3-0) on Sept. 17.

For the full story, see next week’s issue or subscribe online.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]