‘Keep doing your job’: Mansfield Timberview overcomes slow start, defeats Birdville

MANSFIELD – It was a tale of two halves.

Mansfield Timberview spotted Birdville’s 21-14 halftime lead and proceeded to the score four touchdowns and the remaining 26 points to win 40-21 on Friday night at Vernon Newsom Stadium while celebrating homecoming.

Three skill players finished in double digits to lead the charge for unbeaten Timberview (6-0, 4-0) and ranked second in Class 5A area schools by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Running back DeMaury Moore had 148 yards and a touchdown in 17 carries, RB Jaylon Woods finished with 126 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and wide receiver Cameron Bates gained 125 yards on seven catches.

All three of the scores by Woods and Moore came in the second half. While Timberview’s offense ramped it up after intermission, the Wolves’ defense similarly clamped down.

After allowing nine first downs in the first half, Timberview allowed only two in the second half and both of those were by penalty. Birdville quarterback Noah Normand, who completed eight of 13 passes for 83 yards in the first half, managed only one completion out of 10 for a yard in the second half.

After intermission, The junior was pressured more and his receivers blanketed and were hit hard. The Birdville running game was also stymied. After rushing for 74 yards in the first two stanzas, the Hawks had only 20 yards in the last two.

“We just talked about how we needed to make sure we stayed within ourselves,” said Timberview Coach Robby DeSanto of his halftime talk and adjustments. He added that “silly” but questionable penalties, he felt, before intermission were due to his team’s “aggressiveness and pace of play.”

“But we know we’ve got to keep working on us,” he said. “And that’s all I was preaching. This (second) half is about you staying within yourselves. We knew that if we controlled our mistakes, if we fix those we’re going to be fine.”

Timberview had a quick turnaround in the secon half after forcing Birdville’s offense to a three-and-out. The Wolves drove 78 yards in eight plays for a touchdown to tie the game at 21.

Quarterback Zuric Humes faked a handoff to his running back on a sweep, then took it up the middle for a 1-yard score. A key play was Moore’s 33-yard gain from his 39-yard line to the Birdville 28.

Timberview took the lead for good on its’ next possession with three minutes left in the third quarter. Woods also scored from a yard out. It climaxed a long 87-yard drive in nine plays.

Humes kept the drive alive when he scrambled six yards on third-and-six from his 11-yard line to the 17. Again, another big run helped. This time it was provided by Woods for 38 yards from his 40-yard line to the Birdville 22.

The last two scores came in the fourth quarter. The first was an 8-yard run by Woods after another long drive – 84 yards in 11 plays. The last was a 7-yard run from Moore as the Woods-Moore tandem continued alternating.

“We came out flat in the first half,” said Bates, a senior. “We came in the locker room and said it was time to go because we worked so hard during the week to come to this moment. We weren’t going to let all of that work stop us.”

Some alterations in the play calling were made, he added, but not much in the running game.

“The offensive line coaches were talking to the line and said just keep doing your job because the running game was working,” Bates said. “It was there. Once we kept doing that, we just kept pounding the ball, driving, driving, driving.”

Birdville’s strong first half

The upset-minded Hawks scored their first two touchdowns on fourth down. Timberview’s first two scores were by Humes, who did more damage with his legs than with his arm.

Timberview scored on two of its’ first three possessions and Birdville scored on all of its’ first three possessions as the two teams went back and forth.

Timberview scored first, taking the opening kickoff and driving 70 yards in seven plays. Zuric faked a handoff inside then kept and ran off-tackle for an 11-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Wolf lead.

Birdville replied with a 53-yard, seven-play touchdown drive that ended with a 25-yard pass from Normand to Caleb Kelley on fourth-and-eight. The throw to Kelley was to the right flats at about the 7-yard line.

The senior whirled around, breaking a tackle en route to the end zone.

After forcing a punt, Birdville took the lead, 14-7, on a trick play in which the roles of quarterback and receiver were reversed. On fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, running back Jaylen Davis took a handoff and, while sweeping right, pitched back to receiver Kelley running the opposite direction on an apparent reverse.

Kelley, in turn, threw right to Normand who slipped through unnoticed to the goalline. He caught it there for the touchdown.

Early in the second quarter, Humes scored up the middle from five yards out to tie it again at 14. It completed a 12-play, 75-yard drive.

Birdville retook the lead moments later with a play that seemed to catch the Timberview defense off-guard. On third-and-one the Timberview defense, it appeared, was spread out and anticipating a pass with which the Hawks had converted for most of its’ first downs. Mazen Eid took the handoff and broke up the middle for a 35-yard scoring run and a 21-14 halftime lead.

Next up

Next, Birdville will host Dallas Molina on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. CT.

Following a bye next week, Timberview will travel to Dallas to take on Molina at Kincaide Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. CT.