Tigers take control on opening drives of each half

By Bob Kowalski

Mansfield Record

Mansfield scored on its first two possessions of each half to capture a 42-21 homecoming victory over Dallas Skyline on Friday at Vernon Newsom Stadium.

The Tigers (3-4, 1-3 District 11-6A) forced the Raiders (2-5, 0-4) to punt after three plays on the first possession of the game, then marched down the field on a nine-play drive capped by Brandon Ellis' 17-yard touchdown pass to Deuce Hutchinson for a 7-0 Mansfield lead with just under 5 minutes gone in the first quarter.

A bad snap and failed punt on Skyline's next possession was recovered by Mansfield's Colt Mycoskie to give the Tigers the ball on the 22-yard line. They cashed in quickly, scoring on Ellis' first-down pass to Jarred Pierson for a 14-0 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to play in the first quarter.

Skyline, playing at Newsom for the second consecutive week, got on the board two plays into the second quarter when Tanard Counter's 21-yard pass found Juju Killingsworth for a TD, closing the gap to 14-7.

Mansfield bolstered the lead on its next drive. Ellis led the Tigers on a 10-play drive on which six Mansfield players touched the ball. Two of Ellis' passes to Pierson went for 12 yards, Cole Williams caught a toss for 16 yards, Hutchinson had an 11-yard grab, Ellis rushed three times, and Knowledge Bluitt carried twice, including a nine-yard scoring run on a pitch for a 21-7 lead with just over 6 minutes to play in the first half.

Counter led Skyline on its own 10-play drive and scored on a six-yard run a minute before halftime to cut Mansfield's lead to 21-14.

On the first drive after the break, Raymond Weaver did the heavy lifting for Mansfield, carrying six times for 30 yards, including an 18-yard dash on third-and-three, setting up Ellis' seven-yard scoring run for a 28-14 lead.

The Tigers' defense held, and Mansfield started its next drive at the Skyline 49-yard line. Bluitt caught a pass for three yards, then tacked on 20 more rushing yards to set up Ellis' 21-yard TD pass to Hutchinson for a seemingly comfortable 35-14 lead with just under 3 minutes left in the third.

But Skyline refused to stay away, scoring on Anthony Webb's three-yard run with just over 8 minutes left in the game to trim the lead to 35-21. The following kick went out of bounds, putting Mansfield in great field position at the Skyline 37-yard line. Weaver compiled 21 yards to set up Ellis' two-yard TD run for a 42-21 lead with 6 minutes to play.

Elsewhere in the district, Legacy (1-6, 1-3 8-5A Division I) fell to Cedar Hill (2-5, 2-3), 39-23, on Thursday. Timberview (7-0, 4-0 7-5A DII), ranked fifth in state in 5A DII, defeated Joshua (3-4, 0-4), 36-26; Lake Ridge (4-3, 2-2 District 11-6A) lost to top-ranked North Crowley (7-0, 4-0), 76-35; and Summit (3-4, 2-2 8-5A DI) was blanked 54-0 by Desoto (5-2, 4-0), ranked No. 6 in Texas.

Next week, Timberview hosts Ennis at 7 p.m. Thursday at Newsom; Summit meets Cleburne at 7 p.m. Friday at Newsom; Lake Ridge faces Red Oak at 7 p.m. Friday at R.L. Anderson Stadium; Mansfield is at Crowley at 7 p.m. Friday; and Legacy meets Midlothian at 7 p.m. Friday at Midlothian ISD Stadium.