September 28, 2010
MANVEL — For the first time in school history, the Manvel Mavericks won their first four games of the season and were primed to face an undefeated La Marque team (4-0, 1-0) that defeated soundly a year ago.
But this is a new season and a different La Marque team and the first 12 minutes of the game proved that it was going to be a battle with the team making the fewest mistakes getting the win.
In the opening quarter, Manvel would strike first as Richard Rose scored on an 8-yard run with 9:28 left in the period for a 7-0 lead.
But the Cougars of La Marque would answer with an 8-yard run to knot up the score with 7:02 remaining in the first quarter.
The Mavericks answered quickly with 5:46 left as Dexter Foreman hooked up with Ashton Bennett for a 73-yard scoring bomb and a 14-7 advantage.
But the Cougars would tie up the game and then take a 21-14 lead when running back Tim Wright would burn the Mavs defense on scoring runs of 31 and 71 yards.
The second quarter became a defensive struggle as neither team was able to score leaving the Coogs leading at intermission.
“It was like a heavyweight fight,” La Marque coach Darrell Jordan said. “We were a little nervous at first, exchanging blows, and then we relaxed and played our game.”
La Marque took advantage of a Manvel fumble that resulted in the 31-yard score by Wright.
The Cougars defense stopped Manvel on their next possession and Wright wasted no time in finding the end zone on the 71-yarder.
Manvel tied the game early in the third quarter when Trenard Taplin scored on a 26-yard run. It was the Mavs’ first score in seven possessions, including four three-and-outs.
The La Marque defense, however, saved the game. It forced another three-and-out, and the Cougars scored again on a 1-yard run by quarterback Emanuel Williams. Wright did most of the work before the score. That made the score 28-21.
"We were driving to score to tie the game with five minutes left to play when we had a turnover going in on the La Marque 14yard line," Manvel head coach Kirk Martin said. "They scored two plays later, we fumbled again on our own eight-yard line and the game was all but over as they took that fumble and turned it into a touchdown three plays later."
Wright added two more scores on a 22-yard pass from Williams and then scored his third touchdown of the game on a 14-yard run to increase the score to 41-21.
Manvel added a final touchdown on an 89-yard pass from Foreman to Kaylon Melancon with 1:44 left in the game to post the 41-27 final score.
"We had one more opportunity to score as the game ended with us on their two-yard line trying to cut the lead to seven, but it wasn’t to be as time ran out on the Mavs," Martin said.
Manvel had 444 total yards of offense, but the Mavs lost 3-of-3 fumbles that set up scores for the Cougars.
Foreman was 7-of-16 passing for 275 yards and two scores.
The Mavs will have an open week this Friday which gives them two weeks to prepare for Santa Fe on Friday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Alvin Memorial Stadium.