WALLER, Texas — The buildup of a top 10 matchup in the third round didn’t quite live up to the billing Friday. Manvel’s 56-17 thrashing of Cedar Park was literally all Manvel.
The AP Class 5A No. 2 Manvel (12-0), had its way over No. 6 Cedar Park in a game dominated by the Manvel defense and special teams.
Cedar Park (11-2), the 2015 Class 5A Div. II state champs, have lost three times in the last two years. Two of those times are to Manvel itself.
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The Timberwolves couldn’t have scripted a better start as they recovered a muffed kickoff return by Manvel. But little did they know, it would be the best starting field position they would have all night.
Manvel forced a three-and-out for the first of many times, and the Mavericks parlayed it into a seven-play, 79-yard scoring drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass from Kason Martin to Warren Laster.
The 7-0 score held until early in the second quarter when Manvel forced another Cedar Park punt that left the Mavericks in short field position. Ladarius Owens scampered six yards to put the Mavericks ahead, 14-0.
The Manvel offense — particularly Kam Scott — opened it up with a pair of plays that exceeded 80 yards to extend the lead to 28-7. Scott scored on an 81-yard reverse when he darted up the sideline, through tackles and maintained his footing as he raced to the end zone.
After a 40-yard interception return for a score by Cedar Park’s Tammer Alzer, Scott returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to send it to the half.
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Manvel used a bevy of misdirection plays, wasted no time getting on the board in the second half. After holding Cedar Park to another of its three-and-outs all night, Texas A&M commit Deneric Prince bolted away for a 53-yard touchdown run. Manvel had three touchdowns called back for holding penalties with no cap on those drives, and then Brian Johnson intercepted a pass to set up a 54-yard run by Garrison Johnson to extend the lead to 42-10.
Brian Johnson got in on the scoring frenzy next. On the next drive he intercepted a Cedar Park pass and returned it 60 yards for a score.
Cedar Park scored its only offensive touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks added a punctuation mark touchdown late to cap all of the scoring.
Mirror On The Wall
This postseason has already mirrored the 2016 playoffs. With a third-round match against Cedar Park, looming is a state quarterfinal appearance against Temple.
Temple defeated Manvel, 24-23, in the regional final last year at AT&T Stadium as the Wildcats rolled on to the state championship game where they finished runner-up to Highland Park. Temple on Friday night overcame a deficit to defeat Port Arthur Memorial, 33-29.
The Mavericks will face their 2016 nemesis Temple in the Class 5A Division I state quarterfinal Friday at a time and place to be determined. The site will most likely be Prairie View A&M or back here at Waller ISD.
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