The game lived up the pregame hype. Waxahachie and Mansfield Lake Ridge played a win-and-in game and it was everything you can hope a game of this magnitude would turn out. In the end, Mansfield Lake Ridge was able to score just enough the end Waxahachie’s season with a 63-49 win and the Eagles are headed to the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
“We are used to playing in games like this, last year in the playoffs we played John Tyler and it was 77-50 and we played Mesquite Poteet it was similar,” Mansfield Lake Ridge head coach Kirk Thor said about the shootout tonight. “As a school it’s fun to be able to go back to the playoffs, only 15 kids on this team have played in a playoff game and I’m glad we can have them experience.”
District 10-5A is considered one of the toughest in the state, and going through the gauntlet, Thor expects will help his team in the playoffs.
“It should help us cause we are used to seeing competition every week and every week is a battle so it should help us, but every other team in the playoffs is good.” Thor said.
The first half was electric. In the second quarter, the teams combined for 41 points and scored on three consecutive possessions twice. Lake Ridge (6-4, 4-3) quarterback Charles Rogers rushed in from two-yards to retake the lead 14-7 after the Indians tied it on an Eris Miles 14-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Waxahachie on the ensuing kick-off returned it 73-yards via Trey Jackson to tie it up at 14. At this point, the game became officially a shootout and it was only going to get crazier.
The Indians (6-4,3-4) took a lead into halftime after CB/WR and TCU commit Kenedy Snell picked off Rogers’ pass and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 28-20 lead. The second quarter saw teams combining for 41 points.
Charles Rogers was the story tonight for the Eagles offense, he had 162 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns. The read option up the A gap, was a play that the Waxahachie defense couldn’t stop and he kept using all night.
“We called the same play more than a few times tonight,” Rogers said. “The offensive line was so good tonight, they blocked so well getting to the second level. I love those guys.”
Rogers scored the last five Lake Ridge touchdowns and four of those came in the fourth quarter, the true definition of putting the team on his back.
3rd&8 from @NDNFootball 24. @_chandlerrogers converts, oh and why not a 7th Rushing TD? Sure. @LakeRidgeFB up 63-49 1:10Q4 #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/s7NbclTBiA
— Matt Martinez (@MCTinez817) November 5, 2016
For Waxahachie a season that started 6-0 and saw them ranked 6th in our TexasHSFootball 5A poll ends with four consecutive losses and their two star TCU commits Jalen Reagor and Kenedy Snell’s careers come to an end.
Mansfield Lake Ridge will play their bi-district game Friday November 11th at 7:30 pm against Crowley at the Gopher Warrior Bowl.
“I think this is the toughest district in the state,” Jones said. “We feel we can play with anybody and I’m really looking forward to the playoffs.”
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