Argyle won against rival Abilene Wylie tonight, recovering a late onside kick to seal the victory 34-28, and will face Denison next Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in the Southwest Showcase at 2 PM.

Abilene Wylie started off hot, with running back Trey Kleffner leading the way to put a usually stout Argyle defense on it’s heels.

“I think it just took a little while for some of the younger kids to adjust to the speed of the game,” Coach Daniel Lundy said. “We got a lot of young kids out there, but once they understood how fast they needed to play we didn’t have any problems.”

The defense wasn’t the only usually dependable part of the team that had some struggles, as draws and handoffs to the team’s running backs didn’t get yardage on a consistent basis early on.

“It was our first game of the season,” RB and DE Nick Ralston said. “We don’t really have anything broken in yet, and the coaching staff will get us ready for the next game.”

While they gave up 28 points, Argyle’s defense was still the driving force for the team by recovering 4 fumbles and an interception, bringing two of the fumbles back for scores.

“Our defense won the game for us right there,” Ralston said, referencing the recoveries. “We got a lot of turnovers, and we picked up a lot of them for touchdowns.”

A lot of the credit has to go not only to Nick Ralston, but also DE Hudson Speed, who led the team in sacks, and safety Taylor Sweatt, who led the team in tackles.

“It felt good, was a little rocky in the start, just nervous in the start with it being the first game of the year,” DE Hudson Speed said. “But I got myself together, like those plays I made, the sack, then I made a touchdown later in the game. I feel like we just came together as a team to get it done.”

In the fourth quarter, Abilene Wylie rallied to make it 34-28 with less then a minute left and then finished their drive with an onside kick that appeared at first glance as if they might get the recovery, but it was quickly recovered by Nick Ralston.

“To be put in that situation in the end of the game and put the hands team out there for the onside kick,” Coach Lundy said. “Those are things that are gonna pay off on down the road.”

But even after a hard fought battle to start the season off 1-0, the team isn’t close to being satisfied yet, with another big game coming next week, and the Eagles feel that they can benefit from this close contest.

“I’m excited,” DE Hudson Speed said. “We’re gonna play hard against Denison, and I think we can go out and get another victory.”