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Steers take down Decatur for first win of 2018

Fri, 09/21/2018 - 11:09 am
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    Wyatt Mayberry (33) runs for a first down behind the blocking of Bryce Hernandez (75), Jack Mercer (78) and Chase Gilmore (2). The Steers defeated Decatur 59-35 Thursday night. The victory was the first win of the season for Graham. Leader photo by Travis Martinez.
sports@grahamleader.com

Steers head coach Kenny Davidson admitted his team needed to win the second half to come out with a win. For the first time this season, his team did exactly that. 

Graham could very well be 2-1 heading into Thursday’s matchup at Decatur if not for poor third and fourth quarter showings. The Steers looked like a complete team for four quarters of football, leading to a 59-35 road victory, spoiling Decatur’s homecoming festivities.

In the last two weeks, Graham had been outscored by a margin of 47-6 in the last two halves against Mineral Wells and Brownwood. This time, the Steers made sure there would be no second half letdown. Graham outscored Decatur 24-7 in the final two quarters to record win No. 1. 

“Tonight we showed that we wanted to be a team that finishes a game,” Davidson said. “We talked this week about finishing a game and being able to play an entire game. There are so many highlights to take away from this game. The defensive touchdown we had, the fourth down pass plays, this will be a fun film to watch. The kids deserve this outcome because they all hung in there, even though it was three tough games. We showed how explosive we can be tonight and just what kind of potential we have the rest of the way.”

The Steers had no trouble moving the ball down the field against the Eagles on a wet field. The game was moved up a day to avoid potential inclement weather Friday. 

The Graham (1-3) offense with new offensive coordinator Logan Turner had their way all game long with the Decatur defense. Quarterback Hunter Lanham fired two first half touchdown passes alone in the first quarter. Chase Gilmore scored one of his four touchdowns on a 16-yard completion as well as Caleb Guinn hauling in a short pass from Lanham and outran the Eagle defense for a 62-yard score. 

The Steers took a 35-28 lead into the halftime break when a series of plays proved to loom large in the early stages of the third quarter.

The Eagles first possession of the second half ended in a punt. On the...

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