Basic steps up in second half to top Coronado

Basic High’s football team compiled 462 yards of offense on Friday, but defense turned out to be the key to victory.

After a sloppy defensive performance in the first half, the 10th-ranked Wolves kicked it into gear in the second and rolled to a 41-27 home victory over Coronado.

Dorian McAllister rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries to lead Basic. Teammate Paul Myro completed 19 of 30 passes for 248 yards, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for another.

A 5-yard fourth-quarter scoring run by Myro and a subsequent 31-yard touchdown pass to Brayden Mack made the difference for the Wolves (4-3, 2-1 Southeast League).

Though Basic dominated the second half, the first two quarters were another story. The Wolves gave up several big plays en route to a 27-27 halftime tie.

“They hit us with some big plays in the first half,” Wolves coach Jeff Cahill said. “I think our kids were sleeping until they began to show that they’re a good team.”

Coronado (3-5, 1-2) took an early lead on a 70-yard pass from Keegan Tharp to Semaj Bolin. Bolin also had a 73-yard touchdown run in the half. Trey Goughnour scored on a 20-yard pass from Tharp, and Andrew Montez ran for a 68-yard touchdown for the Cougars.

“We challenged the defense at halftime,” Cahill said. “We told them they needed to put some zeroes on the board in the second half, and they did that.”

The Wolves kept the score close with explosive offense in the first half. McAllister ran for two touchdowns in the second quarter, Myro carried for a touchdown, and Steven Justice scored on a 16-yard pass from Myro.

Cahill credited McAllister for keeping his team in the game.

“Dorian has been hurt,” Cahill said. “He’s just now starting to feel better. We were going to give the ball to some other backs, but when he gets hot, you’ve just got to feed it to him.”

Basic held the Cougars to 92 yards in the second half, allowing McAllister and Mack to put the Wolves ahead for good with their fourth-quarter scores.

Myro also rushed eight times for 72 yards, and teammate Michael Click had seven receptions for 93 yards.

Andrew Montez led Coronado with 106 yards on 13 carries.