Urquidi Guides Decatur Past Johnson County Westside

By Paul Nielsen

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DECATUR — Victor Urquidi didn’t look like a sophomore Friday night against Johnson County Westside.

Urquidi rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns and he passed for 87 yards and another touchdown to lead Decatur to a 41-28 victory over the Rebels.

GameBreaker

Why The Bulldogs Won

Quarterback Victor Urquidi rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 87 yards and another score. Decatur finished with 431 yards of offense.

Why The Rebels Lost

Westside was driving deep into Decatur territory on the first possession of the game but fumbled for the first of three costly turnovers.

The win puts Decatur (2-3, 2-2 2A-4 Conference) in position to compete for playoff berth for the first time since 1997 at the midway point of the season.

“Huge win, huge win,” Decatur coach Shane Holland said.

Urquidi had 145 yards rushing at halftime, and he led the Bulldogs on a quick 91-yard drive right before halftime that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good at 21-14. Decatur then took command with a 51-yard drive to open the second half for a touchdown and a 28-14 lead.

Decatur finished with 344 yards rushing, and Urquidi was 6-of-12 passing for 87 yards.

“Victor had a great night, he is a good player,” Holland said. “He is a heck of a sophomore.”

Urquidi gave credit to the offensive line for his big night. He had six runs of 10 or more yards.

“Our line does a great job of blocking,” Urquidi said. “I had plenty of time to pass it. This is the first step in trying to get to the playoffs.”

The Rebels (2-3, 2-2) scored on two of their first three possessions of the game, but they managed just one offensive touchdown the rest of the way.

“I was proud of our guys, they bowed up and played some defense,” Holland said.

Decatur took a 21-14 lead at half thanks to a defensive stand by the Bulldogs. Evan Owens stopped Rebels quarterback Chris McCormick for a one yard gain on fourth-and 5 at the Decatur 10 with 2 minutes, 42 seconds left in the first half.

Urquidi then guided the Bulldogs 91 yards in nine plays for a momentum building touchdown. Urquidi rambled 20 yards on fourth-and-1 from the Westside 34 before hitting Andrew Harris for a 14-yard touchdown on the final play of the first half.

“On the fourth-down play, they were trying to strip the ball and I just kept on running,” Urquidi said. “I saw Harris was open, and as soon as I passed it, I was hit. I didn’t see it, but I knew it was a touchdown when the crowd went wild.”

Urquidi gave the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead when he scrambled 38 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter. He then tied the game midway through the second quarter with a seven yard touchdown run.

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