Owens, defense lift Mavericks over Eagles
ROSHARON — Barbers Hill did everything right until it all went horribly wrong.
The Eagles led twice in a noholds-barred first half, but Manvel’s defense supplied three interceptions in the third quarter, and the Mavericks turned two of them into touchdowns en route to a 6242 victory Thursday night at Freedom Field in the Class 5A Division II Region III bi-district playoffs.
“The kids were in the locker room, talking amongst themselves, and they said, ‘Hey, we’re fixing to go out there and end this right now,’ and they came out in the third quarter and ended it right then,” Manvel coach Kevin Hall said.
The Mavericks (9-2) advance to face Huntsville or Nacogdoches next week in the area round. Either way, they will play at noon Nov. 23 at NRG Stadium.
Barbers Hill, which won four of five to enter the postseason with momentum, ended its campaign at 7-4.
Running back Ladarius Owns led Manvel with five touchdowns (two receiving) and 204 yards of total offense.
“He’s awesome. What can I say?” Hall said. “And then he gets on defense and sacks the quarterback. He’s just a great player.”
The Eagles opened the third quarter by recovering their second onside kick, but Trevion Robertson intercepted quarterback Connor Dunham on the first play after the turnover, and the Mavericks never looked back.
Garrison Johnson capped a nine-play, 74-yard march with a 1yard go-ahead TD.
Then, after two long completions, Dunham was intercepted on back-to-back throws, with Robertson snagging his second in the end zone and Kameryn Alexander providing the third takeaway.
Alexander’s interception led to a 21-yard scoring catch by Owens for a 42-28 advantage as Manvel scored 27 unanswered points before Barbers Hill struck again.
The Mavericks rolled in the fourth quarter, securing a 55-35 lead with 6:40 left in the game on Johnson’s second 1-yard touchdown run.
The Eagles did not hold back anything in a wild first half, including multiple onside kick attempts, a fake punt and several big throws downfield, and it worked well, keeping the score tied at halftime.
Barbers Hill tied it at 7 on a 54yard reception by Christian Rhodes. It recovered an onside kick after the touchdown but went nowhere, allowing Manvel to regain the lead at 14-7 on a 24-yard run by Owens, who also scored the Mavericks’ first touchdown.
The lead lasted 15 seconds — until Rhodes returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a TD.
The Eagles then claimed their first lead on a 19-yard completion from Dunham to Brady Rogers on the first play after Isaias Melgoza hauled in a 27-yard pass from Cameron Cauley on a fake punt.
Jalen Paxton supplied a 34-yard scoring reception, which Barbers Hill matched on Spencer Long’s tough 30-yard TD. He made an acrobatic catch over the defense and then kept his balance twice to score.
Trailing 28-21, Manvel missed a 39-yard field-goal try but came back with a seven-play, 62-yard drive capped by Roland Kimble’s 4-yard touchdown catch with four seconds left for a 28-28 halftime tie.
Manvel QB Joshua Coltrin threw for four touchdowns and 380 yards; Dunham matched him with 406 yards and four scores through the air.