The Battle for Brazoria County turned into a minor skirmish for the Manvel Mavericks on the way to Arlington.
They racked up 209 total yards and three touchdowns on nine plays in the first 12 minutes, then cruised to a 35-10 win over Angleton in the Class 5A Division I semifinals Friday night at NRG Stadium.
Now they're heading to the state finals for the second time in school history.
"This is a dream come true," quarterback Kason Martin said. "I've been dreaming about this since the first grade. I've been here for 12 years, and I've seen a lot of teams come through, but it's special when you can win with your family and win with your dad (Manvel coach Kirk Martin)."
Manvel (14-0) will face defending 5A Division I champ Highland Park at 7 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium.
http://www.chron.com/sports/highsch...to-state-final-with-victory-over-12435181.php
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The Wildcats never knew what hit them Friday.
The two 5A powers, located less than 30 miles apart but hailing from different regions – Manvel won Region III, Angleton rolled through Region IV – traded scores on their opening possessions.
Manvel's LaDarius Owens scored on a 32-yard sprint, and B.J. Foster answered with a 4-yard touchdown run.
Then the Mavericks flexed their Division I muscle.
They scored on consecutive one-play, 10-second drives to grab a 21-7 lead heading to the second quarter.
Angleton was allowing only 6.2 points per game going in.
"Our kids were so focused and ready, and they were chomping at the bit for this deal," Coach Martin said.
"It was a heck of a deal – they came out on fire."
First, Deneric Prince busted a 59-yard touchdown run, and then, while the Wildcats were fully mesmerized by their stable of elite-level backs, Martin hit Missouri-bound receiver Kam Scott for a 78-yard touchdown.
Scott finished with 113 yards on three receptions.
"We were pounding it and pounding it, and we felt like the safeties started coming up and getting involved, and once they started getting involved, we thought we could take a shot, and we did," coach Martin said.
The Wildcats finally forced a three-and-out to start the second quarter, but they couldn't take advantage.
Manvel made them regret it.
This time it needed two plays, but Owens found the end zone again on a 35-yard run.
Jalen Preston's 4-yard score on a direct snap with 23 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Mavericks a 35-7 halftime lead.
"The first half, we just did a poor job of tackling," Angleton coach Ryan Roark said.
Meanwhile, the Mavs had no problem tackling Foster.
He had the short touchdown run but only 34 yards on 14 carries in the first half, with 6 yards on three receptions, and came up 1 yard short on two third-down runs against Manvel's defensive line.
The Texas pledge ended up with 44 yards on 19 carries, with five catches for 22 yards.
"I thought it was going to be nip-and-tuck there for a while, but our defense stepped up and held them to no more (touchdowns)," coach Martin said.
The Mavs also sacked Seth Cosme twice in the first 24 minutes.
The first sack, by Jermaine Brown, forced a Wildcats punt, and Trevion Robertson's came on a key fourth-down play.
Cecori Tolds added an interception in the fourth.
Manvel generated 307 of its 427 total yards before the break.
It's back in the state finals for the first time since 2011, when it fell 49-28 to Aledo in Arlington.
The team's last trip to Arlington didn't go well either.
That's where the Mavericks stumbled 24-23 against Temple last year, sending them to 1-for-6 in regional finals.
But after exorcising that demon last week, they were on a mission Friday.
Prince finished with 127 yards on 10 carries, Owens had 83 yards on eight rushes, and Martin completed seven of 12 passes for 164 yards.
"You've got to give them credit," said Roark, whose team had 253 yards.
"It wasn't so much anything we were doing incredibly wrong, they're just a really good football team."
They racked up 209 total yards and three touchdowns on nine plays in the first 12 minutes, then cruised to a 35-10 win over Angleton in the Class 5A Division I semifinals Friday night at NRG Stadium.
Now they're heading to the state finals for the second time in school history.
"This is a dream come true," quarterback Kason Martin said. "I've been dreaming about this since the first grade. I've been here for 12 years, and I've seen a lot of teams come through, but it's special when you can win with your family and win with your dad (Manvel coach Kirk Martin)."
Manvel (14-0) will face defending 5A Division I champ Highland Park at 7 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium.
http://www.chron.com/sports/highsch...to-state-final-with-victory-over-12435181.php
Now Playing: Katy loses to Lake Travis in the state semifinals
The Wildcats never knew what hit them Friday.
The two 5A powers, located less than 30 miles apart but hailing from different regions – Manvel won Region III, Angleton rolled through Region IV – traded scores on their opening possessions.
Manvel's LaDarius Owens scored on a 32-yard sprint, and B.J. Foster answered with a 4-yard touchdown run.
Then the Mavericks flexed their Division I muscle.
They scored on consecutive one-play, 10-second drives to grab a 21-7 lead heading to the second quarter.
Angleton was allowing only 6.2 points per game going in.
"Our kids were so focused and ready, and they were chomping at the bit for this deal," Coach Martin said.
"It was a heck of a deal – they came out on fire."
First, Deneric Prince busted a 59-yard touchdown run, and then, while the Wildcats were fully mesmerized by their stable of elite-level backs, Martin hit Missouri-bound receiver Kam Scott for a 78-yard touchdown.
Scott finished with 113 yards on three receptions.
"We were pounding it and pounding it, and we felt like the safeties started coming up and getting involved, and once they started getting involved, we thought we could take a shot, and we did," coach Martin said.
The Wildcats finally forced a three-and-out to start the second quarter, but they couldn't take advantage.
Manvel made them regret it.
This time it needed two plays, but Owens found the end zone again on a 35-yard run.
Jalen Preston's 4-yard score on a direct snap with 23 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Mavericks a 35-7 halftime lead.
"The first half, we just did a poor job of tackling," Angleton coach Ryan Roark said.
Meanwhile, the Mavs had no problem tackling Foster.
He had the short touchdown run but only 34 yards on 14 carries in the first half, with 6 yards on three receptions, and came up 1 yard short on two third-down runs against Manvel's defensive line.
The Texas pledge ended up with 44 yards on 19 carries, with five catches for 22 yards.
"I thought it was going to be nip-and-tuck there for a while, but our defense stepped up and held them to no more (touchdowns)," coach Martin said.
The Mavs also sacked Seth Cosme twice in the first 24 minutes.
The first sack, by Jermaine Brown, forced a Wildcats punt, and Trevion Robertson's came on a key fourth-down play.
Cecori Tolds added an interception in the fourth.
Manvel generated 307 of its 427 total yards before the break.
It's back in the state finals for the first time since 2011, when it fell 49-28 to Aledo in Arlington.
The team's last trip to Arlington didn't go well either.
That's where the Mavericks stumbled 24-23 against Temple last year, sending them to 1-for-6 in regional finals.
But after exorcising that demon last week, they were on a mission Friday.
Prince finished with 127 yards on 10 carries, Owens had 83 yards on eight rushes, and Martin completed seven of 12 passes for 164 yards.
"You've got to give them credit," said Roark, whose team had 253 yards.
"It wasn't so much anything we were doing incredibly wrong, they're just a really good football team."
