WYLIE — The Wylie Pirates needed to right the ship after their first district loss and did just that with a strong second-half performance.

Trailing 10-0 midway through the second quarter, Wylie (3-1, 4-2) scored 30 unanswered points to defeat Rowlett 30-10 Friday night at Wylie ISD Stadium.

Quarterback Jagger Bale led the Pirates with four touchdowns in the game, two on the ground and two through the air. Wylie got the ball first to start the second half and managed to score on all four of their second-half possessions. Toward the end of the third quarter, Bale hit Chris Lewis for an 11-yard touchdown on third-and-goal to give the Pirates their first lead of the game.

On the ensuing drive, Wylie went 91 yards on nine plays to double their lead, as Bale threw his second touchdown to Sean Carter from four yards out. After having just three first downs and 75 yards in the first half, Wylie finished the game with 350 total yards and 16 first downs.

A large chunk of those yards and first downs came on the final possession when the Pirates ran the ball 12 times for 94 yards to take over seven minutes off the clock. Bale eventually punched it in from a few yards out and the team finished with 250 yards on the ground. Lance Crosby led the way with 90 yards, including 68 on the final drive.

The Pirates’ defense also stepped up in the second half, holding the Eagles to just 78 yards in the second half after 224 in the first. Preventing Rowlett from gaining a big lead early, Jaedon Doss intercepted quarterback Harris Boyd in the first half. Wylie held Rowlett to just 10 first-half points despite three possessions in the red zone.

Up next, Wylie faces Wylie East (4-0, 6-0) in the Crosstown Showdown next Friday night. The Pirates are currently tied for second place in 9-6A with Naaman Forest, with just four games remaining before the postseason.

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