Mansfield Lake Ridge’s balanced attack shocks Euless Trinity; Eagles advance

A big question on Friday night at Newsom Stadium was whether or not the Mansfield Lake Ridge defense would be able to slow down the huge offensive line and running game of Euless Trinity. But another question arose as the game went on.

Could Trinity’s defense slow down Lake Ridge quarterback Deshawn Edwards and the Eagles’ passing attack? The answer to both questions was a resounding no, especially in the first half, as the teams dueled it out in a 47-36 shootout win for Lake Ridge in a Class 6A Division I bi-district playoff.

Lake Ridge (9-2) will move on to the area round and face another storied program in Odessa Permian (10-1) at a time, day and site to be determined. Permian defeated El Paso Eastlake 59-7.

“I’m just so proud of our kids and their resilience,” said Lake Ridge coach Kirk Thor whose program hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2018 after reaching, and making noise, in the playoffs from 2014-18. “We talk to our kids all the time about how arrogant teams think they’re going to win regardless of how they prepare, and confident teams know they’re going to play well because they practice well.

“I felt we had a confident football team going in. We had a great week of practice and our kids just keep playing. They take their eyes off the scoreboard and just go to the next play.”

It’s an incredible turn around for Lake Ridge after going 1-9 last season and 0-10 in 2023.

Trinity was able to run the ball at will, especially in the first half, as the Trojans rolled up 224 yards on 21 attempts before the intermission, scoring on long runs. J.T. Harris had a 30-yard touchdown run, Keondre Dixon scored from 69 yards out and John Meredith broke free for a 59 yard TD in the first half.

But Lake Ridge, led by Edwards who was electric, was never far behind. The Eagles countered with two scoring passes from Edwards to Jayden Evans of 36 and 13 yards. Edwards had passes of 36, 26 and 10 yards on a drive that set up a 1-yard scoring run by Jaiden Cotton as Trinity led 31-24 at the half.

But the script flipped in the second half. Trinity ran the ball 17 times for minus-4 yards in the second half as the Lake Ridge defense rose to the occasion. The Trojans gained 63 total yards in the second half.

“We prepared for this game, hard, all week, and it just comes down to preparation,” said Lake Ridge senior linebacker Jayden Cupitt. “We came out here, and we were hungry and ready to fight. We came away with the gold ball and are moving on next week.”

The Eagles’ offense also turned the tables, rushing for 171 second-half yards (68 in the first half) and throwing for 23 yards (222 in the first half). The ability of Lake Ridge to be balanced was key.

Edwards was stellar rushing for 169 yards on 17 carries and throwing for 245 yards completing 16 of 28 passes. Evans finished with 6 catches for 145 yards.

“Deshawn (Edwards) is just a dynamic quarterback,” said Lake Ridge five-star offensive lineman Felix Ojo. “He can throw the ball, but he can also run the ball. He’s a great team player with great energy in the locker room and fun to be around. I love blocking for him.”

The Eagles reeled off 21-unanswered points when Edwards hit Evans with the 13-yard score just before halftime and opened the second half with back-to-back scoring runs of 13 and 48 yards by Edwards, the latter giving Lake Ridge its first lead at 38-31 with 6:14 left in the third quarter.

“Our defense won this game for us,” said Edwards, a junior. “The defense stepped up their game and were really locked in and came together as a family. Our offensive line did their part as well, whether we wanted to run or pass they did their part.”

Part of the worry going in for Lake Ridge was Trinity’s ability to wear down a defense with its huge offensive line, but it seemed that the Eagles, especially in the second half turned the tables in that respect as well.

“We like to play fast and when we play fast then we win,” said Edwards. “They get so tired when we play fast and we are always practicing tempo.”

A key point in the game came midway through the fourth quarter when Lake Ridge was holding on to a 40-38 lead, but were moving to try to score again. The Eagles fumbled at the Trinity 9 yard line and it looked like the Trojans had dodged a bullet and could possibly go on a march to take the lead.

But on the ensuing snap, Trinity fumbled the ball back to Lake Ridge at the Trojans’ 2 yard line and Cotton strolled in for the score to up the Eagles’ lead to 47-38 with 5:24 left in the game. Lake Ridge took Trinity completely out of its game and the Trojans final two possessions ended in a punt and an interception by Eagles’ cornerback Cameron Wilson, the latter with 40 seconds left in the game.

Cotton had a punishing 76 yards rushing on 26 carries after picking up just 8 yards on 8 attempts in the first half for Lake Ridge. J.T. Harris led Trinity with 111 yards rushing on 20 carries.

This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 12:53 AM.