MANSFIELD — As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, as sure as a day in Texas can provide various seasons of weather, so too can it be sure that Mansfield will run and continue to run the ball as the ground game in the second half provided the edge needed for Mansfield (5-1, 3-0) to defeat Arlington Martin (5-1, 2-1) 27-16 from inside Vernon Newsom Stadium.
Mansfield finished with 296 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns provided by running backs Avery Chatman and Theo Owens. The duo combined for 200 rushing yards and were adamant in delivering punishment to the Martin defense in the second half. Owens’ two touchdowns came at crucial points in the game as it was Owens’ first touchdown of the night that gave Mansfield its first lead when he scored at the 10:14 mark in the fourth quarter to put Mansfield up 20-14. He would then deliver his second touchdown not too long after as the ensuing kickoff was fumbled on the return attempt by Martin and put the ball right back in the hands of Mansfield. 6 plays later, Owens delivered the decisive blow to Martin that gave Mansfield the 27-16 advantage with 7:11 left to play in the game.
As vital as the ground game proved to be in the second half, the defense settled in and pitched a second-half shutout to keep Arlington Martin at bay and help Mansfield rally from a 16-7 deficit and deliver a win in front of their pinked-out home crowd to have Mansfield sitting on top the current 4-6A standings.
“We have one of the best defenses in the state right now. We work our butts off in practice. Our O-line is getting there too. We just got to keep pushing in practice, keep working and we’ll succeed,” said Mansfield running back Theo Owens. “We just got to take it one game at a time and keep rolling.”
The Mansfield defense provided the initial spark and momentum swing of the night as Arlington Martin, led by quarterback Otoviano was very efficient in moving the ball downfield on their opening drive. He returned the opening kickoff for 48 yards and was conducting a masterful drive as the Martin offense imposed their will on the highly touted Mansfield defense. Martin found themselves with a 1st & goal at the Mansfield 3-yard line but would fumble it and see it recovered by the Mansfield defense with Mansfield getting their 1st of 3 takeaways on the night.
Gordon Deloach/Texas HS Football
The Martin defense would stand firm however as they forced a three and out and the offense would then craft a nine-play scoring drive that culminated in a 32-yard field goal by kicker Andres Morales to give Martin a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.
Otoviano, who finished with 158 total yards of offense including two rushing touchdowns before leaving the game due to an injury, would help Martin gain the early 16-7 lead.
His first score came after a 65-yard rush from Montrell Smith that set up the easy 1-yard touchdown and his second came as a response to Avery Chatman’s 20-yard touchdown with a 68-yard touchdown run that gave Mansfield its first score of the night.
Four-star UCLA commit Cam Jones would then deliver perhaps the biggest game-changing play of the night following Otoviano’s score. On the ensuing kickoff, TJ Owens fielded the kickoff and then pitched it to Jones who would then return it for a 98-yard score that sent the Mansfield fans and players into a frenzy as it only left Mansfield down by 2 points with a 16-14 score heading into the half.
Gordon Deloach/Texas HS Football
“Once I got that kick return I saw the whole team light up and I knew we were going to come out and win this game as we started closing out the first half. It was a big momentum change and everybody on the team and the crowd was electrified…we were ready after that,” Jones said.
“Every year we seem to start off a little slow and then we start to pick it up and the offense just seems to start the click…tonight what I was most proud of was how we came out and ran the ball like we are capable of running the ball,” Mansfield Head Coach Daniel Maberry added. “I think all of our backs have stepped in and done a great job and I’m unbelievably proud of them. “Obviously this is a huge win for us but the thing is we got to keep moving forward and everybody in our district can win any game on any night. We have to get our minds right and keep improving and getting better…we have to keep improving as we get closer to the playoffs and hopefully get that opportunity…[but] it’s always fun to win in district.”
Brought to you by:
