Joey Florence led Ryan from a 31-0 deficit to win Saturday's playoff game against Fossil Ridge.
Photo by Oladipo Awowale
Even Joey Florence, a head coach with 205 career wins under his belt, cannot remember a game to rival his
Ryan (Denton) Raiders' 42-37 victory over Fossil Ridge (Keller) on Saturday.
In a nightmare first half at Denton's Apogee Stadium, Ryan (10-2) trailed 31-0 in the Class 5A Division II regional semifinal before even making a first down.
The outcome likely would have been decided at that point for a team without the winning tradition of Ryan.
But the Raiders scored a touchdown with nine seconds remaining in the first half to cut the deficit to 31-7, added another touchdown in the third period and then broke loose with 27 points in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell Bridges, Ryan
Photo by Oladipo Awowale
Instead of checking in its gear, Ryan advances to the Region I championship game Saturday against 11-2 Cedar Hill at Apogee Stadium.
For overseeing the remarkable comeback, Florence was selected as Capital One Bank Dallas Coach of the Week.
"I've never been a part of anything like it,'' said the 47-year-old Florence. "We've never been down by 31 points in the first half.''
At halftime Florence emphasized that his players remain calm: "Effort wasn't our problem. We didn't get any breaks in the first half and Fossil Ridge just out-played and out-coached us. But the great thing about these kids at Ryan, they believe.''
That belief paid off in the second half.
"Momentum changed,'' Florence said. "I could see it and feel it.''
Ryan quarterback
Mitchell Bridges threw for three touchdowns and ran for three more, including a 2-yard go-ahead touchdown with 3:56 remaining.
"He's a competitor,'' Florence said of Bridges. "He wanted to win very badly.''
Ryan's defense kept Fossil Ridge (9-4) scoreless in the second half until the game's final play when a Panthers' touchdown had no bearing on the outcome.
In a 34-33 area playoff win over Midway (Waco) the previous week, Ryan overcame a 13-point halftime deficit.
"These kids believe they are supposed to win,'' said Florence, a University of Texas grad who guided Ryan to Class 4A state titles in 2001 (Division I) and 2002 (Division II). Ryan book-ended the championships with state runner-up finishes in 2000 and 2003. The 2010 Raiders also finished as state runner-up. Before Florence's arrival, the six-year-old football program had never had a winning season.
"We've had a tremendous amount of talent,'' said Florence, who is 152-36 in 14 seasons at Ryan. "We have great assistant coaches. And we've got the support of the administration, from our superintendent on down.''
Even though this Ryan team may lack a top national recruit like defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. (Florida State) from 2011, Florence loves the attitude of this year's team.
Florence embraces the challenge of tight games this postseason has produced.
"Every decision is a big decision. I like that,'' he said.
