Arlington Lamar puts up 20 points in the final quarter to rally past Arlington Bowie

Arlington Lamar and Arlington Bowie had both secured playoff berths last week, but with the District 4-6A title still at stake there was a lot to play for.

And play they did.

Bowie led 17-12 after three quarters, but Lamar exploded for 20 fourth-quarter points to down the Volunteers 32-17 on Friday night at Wilemon Field.

Lamar (8-1, 5-1 in district) took a 12-10 lead over Bowie (7-2, 5-1) on the first of two big defensive plays by Vikings’ linebacker Jayveion Moore.

On Bowie’s second snap of the second half, Moore chased Bowie quarterback Drevvon Ponder out of the pocket and into the end zone. The senior swept Ponder’s ankles to get him down for an 8-yard loss and a safety.

Bowie answered on its next series when Ponder ran it in from a yard out to give the Vols a 17-12 lead with 5:19 left in the third quarter.

Marsaillus Sims set up the score with a 23-yard gain. Sims led all rushers with 103 yards on 17 carries.

Both teams played well on defense all night and things looked bleak for Lamar after the teams traded punts twice.

That’s until 9:08 left in the fourth quarter when Lamar quarterback Jack Dawson got hot.

Lamar had just forced a Bowie punt and took over at the Vols’ 47. Dawson immediately threw a bomb to Oklahoma commit Trevon West, whose score gave the Vikings the lead at 18-17 with 8:59 left in the game.

Following a three-and-out by Bowie, Lamar took over five minutes off the clock, marching 65 yards in 13 plays, capped by a 3-yard scoring run by Dawson.

“Our goal was just to stay in bounds and keep the clock moving,” said Dawson, whose team converted three third downs on the drive. “Our offensive line was pushing and they get no glory out there. And that’s a good Bowie defense.”

The Vikings led 25-17 at that point with only 1:57 left on the clock.

Moore iced the game when he picked off a Bowie pass at midfield and dodged and plowed his way to the end zone with 26 seconds left.

“Get off me,” said an exuberant Moore on his pick six and weaving, tackle-breaking return. “I didn’t even see the ball coming to me, but I picked it up in the air and got it. I saw the quarterback coming and said ‘nope’. I saw a big o-lineman, ‘not today’, gotta go, gotta go.”

The teams played to a 10-10 tie at the half.

A Lamar fumble on the Vikings second play from scrimmage was recovered by Bowie’s Tre Martin at the Lamar 29.

A 14-yard run by Ponder gave Bowie a first-and-goal at the 6, but the drive stalled. A 32-yard field goal by Jordan Castro was good and Bowie led 3-0 with 9:17 left in the first quarter.

Lamar’s second possession ended in a turnover as well. Bowie defensive back Jalen Curvin picked off a Vikings’ pass at the Vols’ 18.

But three plays later Braxton Thomas returned the favor for Lamar with an interception of his own. Thomas returned the pick 14 yards to the Bowie 23, but the Vikings were unable to move the ball and Blake Ford nailed a 40-yard field goal that tied the game at 3 with 6:08 left in the opening frame.

It was a defensive struggle from that point as the teams traded punts until the 7:23 mark of the second quarter.

An early snap on a Lamar field goal resulted in a 26-yard loss and the Vikings turning the ball over on downs to Bowie at the Vols’ 41.

Eight plays later, Sims darted in from seven yards out and Bowie led 10-3 with 3:41 left before intermission.

Lamar answered on it’s next series driving 91 yards in a minute and 32 seconds.

West capped the drive by leaping over a defender to haul in a 20-yard scoring pass from Dawson to tie the game at 10 with 2:02 left in the half.

West had 185 yards on nine receptions and Dawson went 14 of 36 passing for 235 yards. Caleb Phillips led Lamar with 98 rushing yards on 20 carries.

According to the Southwest Sports Research, Lamar leads the series 28-8 and have won five of the last six meetings. Lamar is also 8-1 against Bowie at Wilemon Field. The Volunteers’ 63-35 win in 2012 has been the only victory since making Wilemon their home.

Bowie can still claim a share of the district title with a win vs. Martin on Friday at UTA Maverick Stadium.

Lamar can also win a share if it beats Arlington at home with a Bowie win over Martin.

This story was originally published November 2, 2019 at 1:29 AM.