WICHITA FALLS — A disastrous end to the first half put the Wylie Bulldogs in a 17-point hole entering the second, but coach Clay Martin’s squad made the plays it needed to down the stretch Friday to complete a thrilling comeback in a 39-38 win over District 2-5A Division II favorite Wichita Falls Rider at Memorial Stadium.

Trailing 27-10 after a series of unfortunate events turned a potential tie game into a three-score deficit, Wylie outscored the Raiders 7-0 in the third quarter and 22-11 in the fourth to improve to 4-3 overall and 2-0 in league action.

The Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes and got a two-point conversion run from Malachi Daniels with 1:03 remaining for what proved to be the game-winning points. Braden Regala ensured that moments later, intercepting a deep ball on the Raiders’ final possession to seal the upset victory.