The Denair Coyotes held down their home turf at Jack W. Lytton Stadium Friday night when they defeated the visiting Argonaut High Mustangs, 18-14, in an all-out defensive battle.

Even though Denair’s Austin Hughes managed to rush the team’s first touchdown in the opening seconds of the game, putting the Coyotes at a 6-0 lead, the majority of the game was played on the defensive end.

By the end of the first quarter the Argonaut Mustangs had tied the game 6-6, preparing Denair for a lengthy and exhausting second and third quarter. And while Hughes managed to score another touchdown by the end of the second quarter, the Coyotes were still down by two points going into the fourth.

With the score 12-14 favoring the Mustangs going into the final quarter, Denair had to buckle down and hold their defense while still looking to open up for more offensive drives.

Seniors Dominyc Silva and Trevor Colvin helped gain yards for the Coyotes in the final minutes of the game, which led to Hughes’ third and final touchdown and the final score of 18-14.

 “They had great discipline,” Denair head coach Ted Howze said. “They got off the ball hard and they just pushed the other team… backwards. Simple football.”

Playing strategically and using all of their available time-outs, the Coyotes held their defense when the pressure set in and led the team to victory.

Argonaut fumbled the ball on their final play giving Denair possession in the concluding moments of the game.

 “Our whole team played excellent football tonight,” Howze said.         

Denair will take to their home field again next Friday against Delhi at 7:30 p.m.