Arlington Bowie makes clutch plays late to seal victory in opener over Mansfield
When push came to shove in the fourth quarter, Arlington Bowie made the plays on offense and defense to secure a 29-21 season-opening victory Thursday over Mansfield at Globe Life Park.
After watching Mansfield (0-2) reel off 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to tie the game at 21-21, the Volunteers scored on their next possession go up by eight points with 10:24 remaining in the game.
Bowie converted a pair of third-and-8 opportunities on the drive to take a 29-21 lead on a 5-yard run by Kameron Sanders. The big play of the nine-play drive was a 15-yard pass from Drevonn Ponder to Trint Scott to the Tigers 5.
The Volunteers’ defense forced punts on Mansfield’s final two possessions of the game to preserve the win. The Tigers managed just 10 yards on seven plays in the fourth quarter.
Late in the game, Bowie put the game away thanks to a 3-yard run by Ponder on a fake punt. Ponder’s run came on a fourth-and-2 at the Bowie 49.
Ponder had a nice night for the Volunteers. The senior scored on runs of 33, 21, and 3 yards and finished the game with 94 yards rushing on 22 attempts. He also threw for 119 yards. Sanders led Bowie with 121 yards rushing and one score on 22 carries.
Trailing 21-7 after a 3-yard touchdown run by Ponder with 5:59 to play in the third quarter, the Tigers responded with a pair of touchdowns to tie the game at 21-21.
Mansfield needed one play to score after Ponder’s run as quarterback Hunt Young hit Michael Murray with a short pass that Murray turned into a 70-yard score at the 5:42 mark in the third quarter.
After Mansfield’s defense forced a punt, the Tigers tied the game on a 13-yard run by Young with two minutes left in the third quarter. Young finished the game with 138 yards passing.
It was the high-water mark for the Tigers, who also got two fumble recoveries by linebacker Brayden Moore.
Bowie took the lead with 4:58 left in the first quarter when Ponder scored on a 33-yard run on fourth-and-4. Ponder dropped back to pass then avoided a sack before escaping to give the Volunteers a 7-0 lead.
The Volunteers’ second score came on the end of a 13-play, 95-yard drive that ate 6:34 off the clock. Ponder finished off the drive with a 21-yard run that put Bowie up 13-0 at the 5:08 mark of the second quarter.
Mansfield’s defense force a punt late in the first half and the Tigers’ offense turned it into points thanks to the trick play. Running back Cayden Cutler hit Harrison Hanner for a 39-yard gain to the Bowie 4 off a halfback pass.
On the next play, Donerio Davenport scored on a 4-yard run with 26 seconds to play that cut Bowie’s advantage to 13-7.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 10:37 PM.