Photos by Carter Pirtle, PressPassSports.com

AMARILLO — Facing off with Amarillo Palo Duro with sole possession of the District 2-5A Division II lead on the line, the Wylie football team spent most of Friday’s game trying to dig out of an often two-score hole.

After finding themselves down 14-0, 21-7, 28-14 and 35-21 and trimming the deficit to a touchdown each time, the Bulldogs finally leveled the score at 35 with just under two minutes remaining in the game. But Raymond Johnson IV’s third touchdown run of the night, which came with 53 seconds to play, proved too much to overcome in a 42-35 Dons victory at Dick Bivins Stadium.

The outcome dropped Wylie (4-3 overall) to 2-1 in district play — a half-game behind Palo Duro (5-1, 2-0), the only remaining undefeated team in District 2-5A DII.

Over the past 20 years, the Wylie football program has been blessed at the outside receiver position, fielding a parade of talented wideouts with the size and speed to cause matchup problems for opponents.

After graduating Gage Heighten — and his 747 yards and 10 touchdowns — from last year, the Bulldogs were going to need a new weapon to emerge on the outside this season if they hoped to continue that tradition.

Enter junior Blaze Ruffin, who has lived up to both his first name and his last in his first year as a starter for WHS.

Blaze, the son of Wylie boys basketball coach Gregg Ruffin, from whom he inherited his height at 6-foot-3, also brings with him the speed one might expect from someone so named. The combination of those attributes, along with a tireless work ethic, have made the junior one of the area’s most explosive pass-catchers in 2025 — a most welcome development for coach Clay Martin and his offensive staff.