Dyer, defense get untracked in dominant Central victory

by Roger Underwood
Yakima Herald-Republic

Links
Email_black_18  E-mail           Print_black_18  Print            Talk_black_18  Comments
Advertisement

More 'Sports'

  1. Hotshot hoops weekend a family event
  2. Rams up to speed
  3. Star's illness doesn't stop Eisenhower
  4. Davis rallies for OT win
  5. Fajardo gets 31 points; Grandview tops Selah
  6. Wapato makes big lead stand behind Blodgett's 32-point effort
  7. Momentum swings for Yakima Valley
More Stories:   Today's News | This Week

ELLENSBURG -- During the formative stages of Saturday's important non-conference game between Central Washington and Mesa State, Ryan Dyer was ready.

As part of a Wildcats defense that had yielded 411 yards in an overtime win at Dixie State a week earlier, he was not only emotionally amped but strategically prepared for a big play.

"We thought we could get a block," Dyer said after the Wildcats' 48-14 rout, referring to a blocked punt on the Mavericks' first possession that he had returned for a touchdown.

"We'd studied it and we repped (ran repetitions in practice) it all week," he said. "It was a three-man deal with myself, Courtney Smith and Chris James. We knew one of us would get through."

The person who did was Smith, who smothered C.J. Smith's boot from near the Mesa State 25 yard line. It bounced toward the CWU end zone with several Wildcats in mad pursuit and Dyer, a former fullback, got a helmet-high bounce at the 2, grabbed it and scored the game's first touchdown.

"Right place at the right time," he smiled.

His teammates, too, had seemingly enjoyed similar good fortune against a Mavericks team that had taken ninth-ranked West Texas A&M to the wire on the same night that Central escaped Dixie.

They bottled up 5-foot-9 running back Bobby Coy, who'd darted through A&M for 201 yards, allowing him only 61 yards on 18 carries.

And once the Wildcats had built a substantial lead, Dyer and friends delighted in terrorizing Mesa quarterback Phil Vigil.

"It's a defensive end's dream when you know the other team's going to throw," Dyer said, smiling broadly. "Your know they're out of their comfort zone, and you can just pin your ears back and go after 'em.

"The way it really works is if we get sacks as a team," he said. "One guy might really beat his man and collapse the pocket and someone else will actually get the tackle. So the way we put it is it's not me who gets the sack, it's we who get the sack."

Central sacked Vigil nine times for 60 yards in losses, with the 6-foot, 230-pound Dyer credited with 1.5 such tackles for
18 yards.

Up 35-14 at halftime, the Wildcats gained 127 third-quarter yards to 15 for Mesa.

"Last week was a wake-up call, no doubt," Dyer said. "We had some things we had to clean up. This was a lot more like we're capable of playing."

 



Commentsicon2
Log in or Register to leave a comment.

Posting Guidelines - Updated Aug. 21 2009
Readers are encouraged to use these forums to discuss issues affecting the Yakima Valley. Debate the ideas presented in stories and other comments, but refrain from personal attacks and offensive remarks aimed at others; e.g., you may call an idea idiotic, but don't say the person is an idiot. The Herald-Republic reserves the right to remove any comment for any reason. Examples include material that is obscene, encourages illegal activity or stereotypes based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and other factors. Continued violation of these guidelines can lead to suspension or revocation of your ability to post comments. If you believe a comment is inappropriate, you can bring it to our attention by clicking the "report violation" link by each comment. Guidelines revised Aug. 21, 2009.

Registered User?