By james art 
ABILENE — The Abilene Wylie football team won No. 1 with defense and late offense Friday.
The Bulldogs defeated Lubbock-Cooper 22-6 at Hugh Sandifer Stadium after opening a two-point game. Wylie led 8-6 late in the third quarter before a pair of touchdowns.
That was more than enough support for the way the Bulldogs defense played. The Pirates never found the end zone, settling for two field goals on long drives in the first half.
“Early on, we kind of had fire, but not a break (defense),” Wylie coach Clay Martin said. “We talked about it a lot. If we could force a field goal instead of a touchdown and not give up explosive plays, we felt like we had a chance.”
The Pirates averaged 40.4 points entering the contest, which could have earned them a share of the district championship. The running game couldn’t get going, putting the team in a precarious position after trailing in the fourth quarter.
“They took the deep stuff away from us,” Cooper coach Chip Darden said. “We made our living on deep shots and we just didn’t have a lot. I think we had a real piece of the game in the passing game. … We’re not the type of team to be in a passing situation.. So when we got into those passing situations and they could pin their ears, we had a hard time with that.”
The Pirates defense held for nearly three quarters, but Wylie continued to chip away. Bear Meng threw a 25-yard touchdown to Gage Heighten late in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs drove 79 yards on their next drive to extend the lead.
Darden said the time of possession in the second half took its toll on Cooper’s defense.
“In the third quarter, I thought they were on the field the whole time,” Darden said. “We couldn’t get a first strike … and you get tired against a good offense. That’s exactly what happened. I thought the defense was great, we just need to be better offensively.”
Playoff Outlook
Cooper has now lost two in a row. The Pirates will enter their opening date before the playoffs begin as the No. 3 seed in the scheme. That means Cooper will travel to El Paso for the cross-district game.
“We need a break and this is going to be a good break,” Darden said. “I think we’re going to refresh and refocus and hopefully come back and play a lot better.”
Wylie plays Plainview in the district final next week. Regardless of the outcome, the Bulldogs will host their first playoff game as the No. 1 seed. Friday was the team’s fifth straight win and Martin said the team continues to improve.
“Our guys go back to work every week,” Martin said. I think we’re getting better and better and that’s a sign of the maturity of our team and a sign of a good team.