Mansfield, Cedar Hill meet again, with even more on the line

Cedar Hill erased a 21-point deficit when running back Marquise Forman scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with four seconds left to defeat the Mansfield Tigers 42-41 on Sept. 2.

The Tigers were on the verge of their third consecutive victory over Cedar Hill, and fourth in the past five meetings.

“We played pretty well in the first half — made some mistakes — bottom line is we didn’t make plays at the end of the game,” Mansfield coach Daniel Maberry said after the September loss.

Fast forward almost three months and the playoff regulars meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Birdville ISD Fine Arts Athletic Complex in the Class 6A Division II regional round. Mansfield (10-2) extended its winning streak to nine games after rallying to beat Amarillo Tascosa 54-43 last week.

Senior running back Kennedy Brooks, committed to Oklahoma, rushed for 320 yards and seven touchdowns — his ninth straight game with 200 or more yards, which began against Cedar Hill. Brooks had 271 yards and five scores in that contest.

“You’re familiar with them, but at the same time you just don’t know how the second game is going to go,” Maberry said. “We have to prepare for any situation.”

Last week, Cedar Hill (10-2), No. 10 in the final regular season Associated Press Class 6A state poll, rallied to beat Denton Guyer 23-21 for its eighth straight win.

The Longhorns were led by Notre Dame commit Avery Davis, who threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns, and Oklahoma commit Charleston Rambo. Rambo had 10 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Cedar Hill trailed 21-7 after the first quarter.

“We’ve kind of been that way all year long,” Cedar Hill coach Joey McGuire said. “It shows the character of our guys.”

Friday’s game also marks the ninth meeting since 2008, with Cedar Hill owning a 5-3 edge.

“I’d say it’s never an advantage playing Kennedy Brooks. We have to slow him up,” McGuire said. “We know each other really well, it’s been a rivalry since we were in the same district, and I’m expecting a good football game.

“We have to create some turnovers, and create a clean pocket for Avery Davis, and our offensive line has done a great job of doing that.”

Last year’s meeting was especially satisfying for the Tigers, who beat the No. 3 Longhorns 46-43, clinching the program’s first outright district championship in over 40 years.

“It’s an advantage and disadvantage going in because you know each other so well, having playing them so many times in the past few years. ” Maberry said. “They’re one of the best teams in the entire state. We just have to play flawless to give ourselves an opportunity to win.”

This story was originally published November 24, 2016 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Mansfield, Cedar Hill meet again, with even more on the line."